AMCtv original series Mad Men premiered July 19th, 2007.
#MadMen is based loosely on literature.
rottentomatoes: 94%
metacritic: 86
imdb: 8.7
emmys: 16 wins
golden globes: 5 wins
SAG awards: 2 wins
Don Draper
Draper is head of Creative at Sterling-Cooper in Manhattan, New York.
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
1 win: 2015
Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series – Drama
“I eat a lot of apples. What’s the number? Dead. Both. My dad was 41, 42. He died in an accident, and my mother died in childbirth. She was 22, I think. Everything depends on the day. Three. Five. Yes. What do you mean? How do you feel? Nope. No, I’ve been… I’ve been good.” — Don Draper
“How is it? Makes you feel better about sitting in a bar at lunch. Makes you feel like you’re getting something done. Is it good? Any calls? Of course.” — Don Draper
“What do we have? Dale, wake up. Peggy. I can almost picture it. Sal. So it’s about an airline that’s flown by Indians? Maybe a plane with some arrows stuck in the cargo door? That’s funny. That’s what gets people’s attention now, right? There has to be advertising for people who don’t have a sense of humor.” — Don Draper
“What else you got? Stop writing for other writers. What’s outside that window? I get on a plane, I don’t care where I’m going. I just wanna see the city disappearing behind me. That Indian… it’s not about the majestic beauty of the Mohawk Nation. It’s about adventure. Could be a… pirate. Could be a knight in shining armor. Could be a conquistador getting off of a boat. It’s about a fantastical people who are taking you someplace where you’ve never been. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Hmm?” — Don Draper
“You want to get on a plane to feel alive. You want to get on a plane to see just the hint of a woman’s thigh because her skirt is just this much too short. Tomorrow.” — Don Draper
“So I guess I’m helping both of us. For what purpose? Well, young campaigns don’t necessarily come from young people. So what am I supposed to do? Dangle a Pepsi out the window and see if I can hook a stroller? This smells like Accounts to me. You want younger people than that?” — Don Draper
“Tell Duck… clients don’t understand. Their success is related to standing out, not fitting in. It’s a fad. Paint him a picture. Uh, something like one wants to be the needle in the haystack, not a haystack. You’re talking as if they’re some fresh version of us. They’re not. Young people don’t know anything, especially that they’re young.” — Don Draper
Betty Draper / Sally Draper
“You should be glad she watches what she eats. Because he can’t ride. A man that age doesn’t suddenly take this up. Did he tell you that? I wouldn’t know what to talk about. No. She’s a sadist. I’ll see you Saturday. Little children. What’s the difference?”
“Carla, Bobby’s turning blue out there. Did somebody get a lot of valentines?”
“They made everybody give one to everybody else. That defeats the purpose. I see. Fruit punch? I’m making this for daddy. It’s beautiful. I’ll see that he gets it. Mommy, can I do it? Okay. I want to go riding with you. You can’t. Well, why? Well, for one thing, it’s too dangerous. No, it’s not.”
“Do you remember what happened to the little girl in Gone With the Wind? You are taking a bath tonight.”
Roger Sterling
“I wanted to see that Valentine heart. I’m taking Mona to Lutece. Let me hear what the living are up to. What happened to the Jewish doctor? Because I have a feeling there’s a penalty for passing that date. Send him in.”
“No, thank you. That’ll be all. Nothing good ever started with that sentence. Good. We like that. For those who think young. So Freddie doesn’t drink coffee. He doesn’t wear a bra, either. He managed to do a good job on Playtex. Have you been out there? It’s rotten with kids. And the cologne they wear.”
“Can’t you talk to Don about it? Doesn’t sound like me. Look, Don has talent. You know how to deal with that, don’t you? Just assume that he knows as much about business as you do, but inside there’s a child who likes getting his way.”
“They say once you start drinking alone, you’re an alcoholic. I’m really trying to avoid that. Cooper wants younger people. Martinson’s Coffee. Last time Freddy Rumsen had a cup of coffee, it was one of five being poured down his throat by a cop.”
“The clients like it. The clients like the thrill of young talent. I have some candidates. I had Paul Kinsey make up a list. He had no idea he was signing his own death warrant. What do you want me to say? Donald, isn’t it possible that the recently weaned have some unique perspective. Joy, enthusiasm.”
“Huh. Well, let me set this in a more appealing context for you. Prove him wrong.”
Joan Holloway
“I could take out the lockers and use that wall. I’m not taking away anything. Believe me, this machine is a gift to you girls. It’s much bigger than they said it was. I think it needs an office. Maybe we should leave it here for the time being.”
“You wanted to see me? On my way out. Anything else? You love her. He knows. Yes. It was appreciated and yet unappreciated. Anything else?”
Kenneth Cosgrove
“I don’t care. I’m doing this. Look, Don’s not one to stand on ceremony. He’s not gonna care. I got you, Freddie. Are these all the glasses, Peggy? You want to be alone with that?”
“I don’t do anything. Keeps ’em off balance. It means you want to go somewhere, go up her skirt.”
Peggy Olson
“I have some crackers on my desk. I don’t know. We have artwork. Do you have any idea when you’ll be expecting Mr. Draper? Thank you. Are you insinuating something? Well, I believe that. I want you to imagine, when you talk about Mr. Draper, that he’s standing right behind you. And think about that whenever you speak of him.”
“Do you know where Mr. Draper is? Lois, do you know where Mr. Draper is? Thank you, Lois.”
“I just wrote copy for Dale. ‘Wherever Mohawk takes us.’ Or, ‘you’ll love getting there.’ So we could take the clouds out of there and put in the city. The Chrysler building.”
“How’s his wife going to feel about that? That’s the impression I got.”
Harry Crane
“You didn’t have time to give it to Art? You want to start living here? Oh, the great debate wages on about Peggy Olson’s charmed career.”
“Well, girls can say whatever they want. They want the chocolates. Right, Peggy? Hey, chief.”
Pete Campbell
“What’s everybody laughing at? Fat farm. I thought we had verification.”
Sterling-Cooper
“The break room? Don’t take away the break room. Happy Valentine’s, girls. How are you gonna wear that around your neck? Aw, come on. We’re already doubling up. Don’t do that. My roommate works at Ernst & Ernst. She did her birthday part invitations on this. On colored paper.”
“If you think that if you start eating, we’re all gonna join you, you’re wrong. I made it. I knew Draper would be late. So, burning the midnight oil. S’allright. Hope the words are good ’cause he ain’t got any artwork. I’m supposed to be at The Pen and Pencil by 12:30 every day. I was promised. Look, Freddie, the eating is the thing. I’m sure you can have a drink. It’s an unspoken agreement.”
“Peggy, go see if we can expect Don today. That’s a good idea. Draper’s not going to yell at her. I’m telling you, Draper knocked her up. She goes away for a couple of months, drops about 9 pounds, 8 ounces, comes back with a job. Don’s been screwing me for the last three years. I’ve got nothing.”
“Um, I was expecting him at the beginning of work today, but then he called and said he’d be late. He said he was going to the movies. Pinocchio. I wasn’t doing anything, I don’t think. Are you going to tell on me? I didn’t know, What did I do? No, I don’t. I think he was joking. He’s out.”
“Mr. Phillips here to see you. Joan. Did you girls get my candy? Got a second? It’s not that. It’s Martinson’s coffee. I’m excited about the possibility of that happening, and, as you recall, Martinson’s Coffee has a unique problem. Well, that’s just it. No one under 25 drinks coffee anymore. Just Pepsi. They pour it on their Frosted Flakes. Which is why I was disappointed to see Don put Fred Rumsen on this. It’s frustrating not to have young people around here. We’re a young country. The president has a baby.”
“Real kids. 25. Even less. Maybe one of those teams. The writer and the artist together. Clients keep bringing it up. Talk to Don about it. Just for Martinson’s Coffee alone. I thought this was the way things were done here. Didn’t you tell me you were a bridge between Accounts and Don? He’s not my first Creative Director. This is about a sales reality and not personal territory. It’s what the clients are asking for, and we need to have it. What’s the best way to make it happen?”
“Mr. Draper. Yes, and there was your 12:00 in the conference room. Of course they do. Sorry we’re late. I think the little ones need to eat. I could just go. Or Kinsey. You want to go first? Well, this is kind of the gist, because I was… well, we were… it just kept changing course. ‘Mohawk Airlines. There’s a new chief in the sky.’ And I thought, following that, ‘most routes to Boston. Circle the wagons, we’ve got it surrounded.’ And there’d be wagons around a dot that says ‘Boston.'”
“This is the first time I’m hearing it, too. I understand, Don. Several more Indian puns. Luxury, service. A lot of people are afraid of turbulence so it’s dead calm. Look how level those drinks are. Fluffy clouds. Research. We could dress the stew as Pocahontas. With the cheekbones.”
“Air travel’s too expensive to waste on your wife. Friday? What does that mean?”
New York
“Stand up straight. Heels down. Lighten your hands. Good girl.”
“There we go. Now, if you can step over here. Thank you, Lilly. Have a seat. So, Mr. Draper, you haven’t had a physical in quite some time. What is it with you boys? Why does it take an insurance physical physical to get you in here? Mm-hmm. Because that will mean something to you? It’s 160 over 100, which is high for boys our age. Tell me about your parents. Living or deceased? Ages?”
“How many drinks do you have a day? Wine, cocktails, beer. Days of plenty being? You’re a high-powered businessman with a high-tension job. I’m trying to help you here. And two packs a day, but you’re cutting down. All right. Any changes in the last year? In your health. How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? You live too hard, and not just at the office. It’ll hit you all at once. All right, I’m gonna write you some reserpine to bring that down and some phenobarbital to help you relax. You’re 36 years old. You need to take this seriously. Buy a boat. Breathe in.”
“So I wait for Becky to go play, and I look in her pencil case. There’s almost 20 dimes. She stopped eating lunch. I hate the dishonesty. That’s the truth. She is slimming down. Good morning, ladies. You want to get off right here? You can go right to your car. No. He’s a prisoner of war. He’s 25. I think so. He talks to me. He’s engaged. There’s no point in being aloof.”
“Aren’t you funny? Are you scandalized? Well, if you must know, we talk about you and how Gertie has a crush on you. Don’t you hate getting manure in that?”
“Look, miss, just tell me where you want it. I told you, miss, I’ll try as many places as you want. He wrote some of it here. Some of it on 23rd Street, some place they tore down. Yeah. It’s all about getting things done. I don’t think you’d like it.”
“They had a party.”
