So, Inside the Actor’s Studio had the cast of Mad Men on last night (Monday, May 14). They re-run these things constantly, so if you didn’t watch or record, there will doubtless be many opportunities. Anyway, here’s a rundown. First, this seems to have been recorded at about the same time as the Times Talk [...]
May 162012
Olive Oatman, 1857
You may never have heard of Olive Oatman, but if you are a fan of Hell on Wheels, you’ve seen her tattoo, which is exactly replicated on Eva, the camp whore who is in love with Elam Ferguson.
Eva’s story is fiction, but that’s not unusual. We learn, reading The Blue Tattoo, that Olive’s story was fictionalized many times, during her lifetime and since.
Olive Oatman was fourteen years old when her family’s covered wagon was attacked by Indians. They were massacred and left for dead except for Olive and her younger sister Mary Ann, who were taken as slaves by the Yavapais. After a year of slavery and abuse, the girls were sold to the Mohaves, where their lives improved considerably. Olive lived among the Mohaves for four years before her “rescue” and return to white society. After her return, she met a preacher, Royal Stratton, who wrote a book about her, and she joined him on the lecture circuit.
Margot Mifflin has written a fascinating story about a woman shrouded in falsehoods and contradiction.
In Hell on Wheels, Elam sees Eva’s tattoo as a sign that she has been a slave like him, and she doesn’t contradict him Indeed, Olive claimed in lectures that her tattoo was a specific design used only on slaves, but Mifflin’s research proves otherwise. In fact, Mohaves tattooed only their own; they believed the tattoos were needed in the afterlife, so that Mohaves could recognize each other.
There are many facets to The Blue Tattoo, and all of them are engagingly written. We learn about the sometimes bleak journey West for pioneers (I was reminded of the film Meek’s Cutoff). We learn a little about the early Mormons, as the Oatmans were religious pilgrims, not fortune-seekers. The massacre itself is gruesomely vivid, and then we get a look at two very different Southwest Indian tribes. Meanwhile, the journey of Lorenzo Oatman and the “rescue” efforts read like an adventure. After Olive returns to white society, we explore the role of women in that society, as well as the literary tradition of the “captivity story.” It’s all very briskly paced.
Mifflin works hard to let us know Olive herself; who appeared to have been happy among the Mohave, but condemned them afterwards, who rarely smiled, yet could joke in her correspondence, who was shy, yet spent years on the lecture circuit. In the end, she remains something of a mystery, and yet, a mystery I cared about.
The Blue Tattoo was an accidental discovery—I was looking for Hell on Wheels fan art. When I kindly received a review copy, I dug in with a fever. Part of my delight in Hell on Wheels is my love of this era in general. Most Westerns tell a post-Civil War tale; the pioneer stories are pre-Civil War and underrepresented.
May 162012
Do you remember what Don said to Peter in the pilot ‘Smoke Gets In Your Eyes? He told him what to expect if Pete continued to behave like an a-hole.
Don: “Campbell, advertising is a very small world. When you do something like malign the reputation of a girl from the steno pool on her first day, you make it smaller. Keep it up and even if you do get my job you’ll never run this place. You’ll die in that corner office a mid-level executive with a little bit of hair who women go home with out of pity. You wanna know why? ‘Cause no one will like you.”
In the past two seasons, I was beginning to think that Pete was becoming more human; refusing to attend Margaret’s wedding, showing maturity toward Peggy and joy at Trudy’s pregnancy. But in Signal 30, Middle executive Pete is slowly becoming this pitiful character. Leering after a teenage girl, whoring, and in A Little Kiss, his hair loss is questioned. Pete isn’t only a bit heavier and balding, but he’s becoming angrier, and meaner. This can’t be good. My only hope was his silent weep in the elevator with Don.
May 162012
Prior to Megan waking Don in Lady Lazarus, we had never seen this character without makeup.
Back at work the next day, she had a full face on. Mid-sixties makeup is elaborate, there were false eyelashes and everything. Subsequent to quitting though, we never saw her in makeup again. We saw her at home twice, both times bare-faced, including on her way out to acting class. The casual clothes for an acting class where you lay on the floor make sense, but most people want to look great in their acting personas, so the choice is striking.
It seems to me we’re seeing a Megan who has stripped away her inauthentic, false face, and is now showing the face that is truly hers.
May 152012
In the middle of Far Away Places, Jane Siegel Sterling lies on the carpet beside her husband. They are both tripping, and she is describing her feelings about an affair she hasn’t had.
“There was a kiss,” she admits. Continue reading »
May 152012
Guest Post by Basketcase SmilerG
Don chuckled at the draft of the Sno Ball ad he saw in Ginsberg’s office, that showed Hitler getting hit. They’d never try to use such a notorious figure in a real ad and none of the other drafts seemed to impress him. He also didn’t seem to like Peggy’s “4 bearded thirsty guys in the desert” idea, in the pitch session. He ultimately chose to go with the Devil pitch, for the client, leaving Ginzberg’s “Policeman” ad in the taxi.
I hadn’t heard of Sno Ball in real life, other than the Hostess Cake product of that name, which was introduced in the late 1940s. The Slurpee was introduced by 7-11 in ’66 or ’67, as I recall. I thought they were a knock-off of the Icee, but apparently that technology/product was licensed by Icee for use by 7-11, under the new Slurpee name. Maybe Sno Ball Sippin Ice was an effort by Pepsi, to capitalize on the success of Slurpee and Icee.
In an earlier season, when SCDP was working on getting either the Mountain Dew account or Patio Diet, they saw it as a path to snagging the main Pepsi Cola account, so with the successful Sno Ball pitch, it looks like they’re slowly moving in that direction.
I couldn’t find anything much about the product, except for this promo item …
 Megan’s RoleMay 14, 2012 You’re lucky. I know. – Julia and Megan, Dark Shadows My first reaction to Dark Shadows was an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. If it is an accident that this episode premiered on Mother’s Day, it’s a happy one in my case. Dark Shadows inspired me to drop a note of thanks to our kids’ mom. [...] |
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 The Killing: Off the ReservationMay 14, 2012 I fly relatively frequently. In the past couple of years, I’ve flown on a red eye, leaving late at night, and I’ve arrived at airports at Oh-God-O’Clock. I’ve been to Kansas City, to Rio de Janiero, and every place in between: The waiting area for a boarding flight is simply never empty. Never. Now, most [...] |
 Recap: Dark ShadowsMay 14, 2012 I’m thankful that I have everything I want, and that no one else has anything better. Betty can’t just be happy. She can’t just have what she wants. Having what she wants doesn’t feel good. Instead, what feels good is having what she wants at the expense of others. It’s a mean-spirited way to live, [...] |
Open Thread: Dark ShadowsMay 13, 2012 On tonight’s Mad Men: “Don’s competitive nature comes to the fore; Roger pursues some new clients; Sally is met with a challenge.” Please remember our NO SPOILER policy, which includes NO PREVIEW DISCUSSION. Also, please look for a recap post somewhere between 1am and 8am Eastern time. Enjoy! T-minus somethingorother. |
 Retro Reel Review #5 A Hard Day’s Night (1964)May 12, 2012 “SHIIINNNNNG!” As A Hard Day’s Night opens with that famous chord, we are tossed straight into battle as we follow John, George, and Ringo running like hell to escape a screaming mob of school kids. George trips and falls on the sidewalk and Ringo falls right on top of him but they take the tumble [...] |
 Peggy Understands DonMay 11, 2012 Here’s a little dialogue from Blowing Smoke: Don: So you didn’t say anything about the letter. Peggy: I thought you didn’t go in for those kinds of shenanigans. Peggy smiles. Don smiles and looks away, boyish, pleased, embarrassed. What I imagined going through Don’s head when I saw that was, “What did I ask her [...] |
 Power SuitMay 11, 2012 “What a strange power there is in clothing.” ~Isaac Bashevis Singer In Lady Lazarus, Ginzo pointedly asks Megan who provides actors’ clothing. Interestingly enough, this is the same episode in which Megan changes her clothes before sneaking out to an audition. As Tom and Lorenzo so astutely point out in their fabulous essays examining MM’s [...] |
