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The "Mad Men" Files: Spoiler Alert
Filed under: The Squib Report Tagged: advertising, Mad Men, television
Martin Schneider writes:
In the most recent episode, "Ho Ho," the wealthy scion of a shipping magnate (himself a friend of Bertram Cooper) hires Sterling Cooper to ensconce jai alai and el rey de la pelota—identified as "Patchy"—in the lucrative embrace of the American mass.
Somewhat improbably, Don is opposed to the account, as it will take advantage of a well-connected dupe. Upon hearing Don's well-meant advice to drop the project, the scion intones, "If Jai alai fails, it's your fault." (James Wolcott cracks, "A heavy burden to lay on Don, or any man.")
Considering that eleven years later, Herbert Warren Wind would be taking up the quixotic project to introduce Basque pelote sports to New Yorker readers, it's safe to assume that jai alai never takes off.
Sorry for spoiling future episodes!
Relatedly, if you look at page 24 of the October 12, 1963, issue, there's an advertisement for Florida that mentions jai alai. While far from a masterpiece, it does look considerably more modern than the stuff we see Sterling Cooper putting out. Time to step it up, boys (and Peggy).
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Hello! We're a small band of culture writers, editors, and artists based in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Emdashes, which spent its formative years as a New Yorker blog, is our collection of conversations—mostly civilized—about magazines, movies, design, punctuation, and other things that stir us.
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Dashes, some say, “are particularly useful in a sentence that is long and complex.” Emdashes—like an em dash itself—provides a thoughtful pause amid the hubbub.
Emdashes, founded in 2004, is written and drawn by Emily Gordon, Martin Schneider, Pollux, Jonathan Taylor, and Benjamin Chambers, as well as occasional guest contributors. All posts before October 2008 are by Emily Gordon.
The site was designed by House of Pretty with illustrations by Jesse R. Ewing.
Additional drawings are by Carolita Johnson and Pollux (author of our web comic, "The Wavy Rule"). The Emdashes pencil logo is by Jennifer Hadley, based on a 1943 Dorothy Gray ad.
Other writing by Emily Gordon
- Reviews: theater writing (for Time Out Chicago)
- Profile: Valerie Casey, Designers Accord founder, is spearheading the design of sustainability (for SXSW World)
- Feature: Rea Irvin: visionary art director, bon vivant, New Yorker founding father (for Print)
- Slide show: the Coney Island Mermaid Parade (for NYCgo.com)
- Feature: Muslim immigration iconography in the Netherlands, and an interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali (for Print)
- Review: King's Gambit: A Son, a Father, and the World's Most Dangerous Game by Paul Hoffman (for Newsday)
- Homage: Celebrating lindy-hop legend Frankie Manning (for NYCgo.com)
- Inquiry: Does a New Republic redesign mean a change of tune? (for Print)
- Interview: James Surowiecki on what's next for the wisdom of crowds (for Assignment Zero)
- Interviews: four up-and-coming designers under 30 (for Print)
- Profile: novelist and dance critic Laura Jacobs (for Newsday)
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