TIKI CULTURE

MAD MEN Season Five…where are you?

It’s Sunday, and as happens every Sunday my Martini alert goes off in my head and I start thinking about Mad Men. So I looked up the schedule for season five on the AMC website…and it’s blank.

Yeah, blank. A big ole’ gray block of nothing where the schedule should be. That means one of two things: Either my computer is on the fritz and not showing the page right, or AMC hasn’t decided on when they’ll be airing the show. Now, according to the AMC Mad Men blog, Breaking Bad has been pushed off from a Spring, 2011 to a summer premier. That has people speculating that Mad Men won’t be shown until the fall.

The fall? Aw, man, what a drag that would be, ya dig? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what transpires.

On that note, I must say I’m a little let down that the series has progressed so quickly in its time frame. Not to say I’m not still digging it, but the mid to late 60s is not nearly as kool an era (to me personally) than the 50s-early 60s. To me, personally, the late 60s is when the whole era of kool really disappeared in favor of acid rock, wide ties and social destruction. Oh, certainly a lot of good came out of the chaos; the true beginning of civil rights for all Americans, the eventual end of the Vietnam war, and the Mod movement…but to me, and probably many of you, that era just doesn’t hold the true swank of the Rat Pack/Cocktail set days. But I’ll still watch the show.

If any of you kats & kittens hear anything through the pipeline on when Mad Men is going to air, please drop me a line.

-Tiki Chris P, reporting from the cocktail lounge

1950’s Car Commercials…The Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To

A lot of you kats and kittens are big on the MAD MEN series. But are you hip to the ad jazz they were laying down? Here are a few Automobile TV commercials and print ads from the golden era of Advertising.

I currently have a 1953 Chevy in my garage. Have had it for 20 years.

This bat-winged beauty was marketed toward big business presidents and tycoons. It cost more than a Cadillac.

There are few cars more elegant, beautiful and powerful as the 1963 Pontiac. Always wanted one. This commercial makes me want one even more!

For fans of the “little” Fords…I love how they point out “no dog leg”. That’s a reference to the wrap-around windshields popular on GM models (esp Cadillac) through the early 1960’s.

Ah, one of my favorite all-time rides, the 1958 Cadillac. We had one (already vintage) when I was a kid. I will have one again someday.

An here’s some old print ads from ’50s and ’60s magazines (click on each to enlarge):

Hope you kids dug this little trip down memory lane to the days when cars were made of steel and chrome and horsepower meant everything. My my how times have changed. Sorry kids, but after looking at ads like this, how could anyone ever get excited about a Honda Accord? bleh.

-Tiki Chris reporting from the showroom floor of the Imperial dealership down the block from Tiki Lounge Talk.

For The Mad Men Lovers: How To Succeed In Business Without Even Trying, 1967 for Mod Movie Monday

In honor of Sunday’s Season Four Premier of Mad Men, I thought I’d treat you swingers to a little fun flick from 1967…based on the Broadway musical, here’s

How to Succeed in Business Without Even Trying

from 1967 starring a young and crazy Robert Morse as J Pierrepont Finch.

When I first watched Mad Men four years ago, the one person that really clicked in my head was Cooper. He had a very familiar look, especially his expressions. Through the magic of the modern interwebs I was able to do a world-wide search for this actor’s previous accomplishments (Ok, I went right to IMDB) and realized I had recently seen the kat in How to Succeed in Business!

Robert Morse in "How To Succeed In Business"

Man, what a great circle of events. Robert Morse originated the part of “Ponty” in HTSIBWET in 1961 and won a Tony for best actor. When the movie came along he, along with Rudy Vallee, Ruth Kobart and Sammy Smith all recreated their roles from the Broadway version. His character starts out as a window washer who, with the help of a book entitled, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” decides to take a shot at climbing the corporate ladder. Executive is written all over his future, and his goal is to someday run the company.

Robert Morse in Mad Men

Change the timing by 30 years, and it becomes very easy to see Cooper’s character starting out with some of the same characteristics, basically making his character in How To Succeed a possible background (although a goofy one) for Burt Cooper. (What’s really funny is how the film treats the Advertising Department and its stigma at the company).

Basically, it’s a very kool connection for the retro series Mad Men to make by hiring an actor who actually portrayed these types of characters at the actual time this series takes place. Dig?

As for the movie itself, what a fun flick it is. It’s a musical with some swingin’ tunes. The sets are fantastic…more early-60s style than late. Ultra Modern and swanky-galore. Since it was originally staged in ‘61, the movie maintains that era’s look and feel.

There are a lot of laughs, and by the end you’ll be hoping the kid makes it. When it’s over, watch a first season Mad Men and you’ll see a few cues from this movie. The kids that put this series together definitely watched this flick once or twice!

-Tiki Chris reporting from the screening room at World Wide Widgets.
This is Tiki Lounge Talk, the swingin’ retro tiki blog for kool kats and hip kitties.