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<em>Mad Men</em>'s New Season Brings Us To Manhattan, 1964
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 26, 2010
Modified Jul 26, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 26, 2010
Modified Jul 26, 2010
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Last night, thousands of fans converged in Times Square to travel back in time to Manhattan in the 1960s. The season premiere of Mad Men screened for the costumed masses in Duffy Square, who watched the episode with January Jones (aka Betty Draper) and Elisabeth Moss (aka Peggy Olson). The latter told the Daily News, "It's a dream come true to be here in the middle of Manhattan for the premiere. I live in New York. I love this city and I'm proud of it."
There are spoilers-a-plenty all over the internet, but we'll just focus on a few of the newer New York details introduced this season, which starts in November of 1964. For one, Don Draper has escaped the suburbs and now lives in an apartment at 6th and Waverly (which the LA Times notes is "just up the street from the fabled old Waverly Theater, where I'm guessing he spends a good amount of his time"). Meanwhile, his new advertising firm, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, has moved out of their suite at the Pierre Hotel, and in to new digs at the Time & Life Building at 1271 6th Avenue (at West 50th Street). Draper also fits a date in to the first episode, taking her to Jimmy’s La Grange for their chicken kiev (where he warns a bib is required).
As we know, the Mad Men crew does an amazing and detailed job at keeping their timeline accurate (often fact checking with the New York Public Library); so what have Don Draper & Co. been experiencing? In 1964-1965, the Beatles (and with them, Beatlemania) came to New York City, the World's Fair was held in Queens, Shea Stadium opened (last year Draper worked on the new MSG campaign), Malcolm X was assassinated in Manhattan, there was a blackout, and the controversial killing of Kitty Genovese happened in Queens. And non NYC-centric events included the Vietnam War, the space race, the Civil Rights movement, and Lyndon B. Johnson just facing off with Barry Goldwater in the presidential election. Meanwhile, in the ad world, cigarette advertising was banned from British television in August of 1965—something that will surely put the fear in Draper.
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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