‘Mad Men’: 17 things you probably never knew about the show

Smoking

The actors aren’t really smoking. 

Well, they are, but not cigarettes. They smoke herbal cigs and according to Jon Hamm (Don Draper), “They taste like a mixture between pot and soap.”

Drunk

They’re not drunk, either.

As fun as it is to see the characters slosh around the office, they’re not the least bit tipsy in real life. Nothing to see here, people, but those hangovers are palpable.

Writing other shows

Matthew Weiner was writing on other shows when he came up with the Mad Men concept.

He wrote the pilot while writing for Ted Danson’s sitcom Becker in 1998, but didn’t send the script to anyone until 2002.

David Chase

Who did he send it to?

David Chase, the Sopranos creator. Chase agreed to help Weiner shoot the pilot — even borrowed the Sopranos crew from HBO — under the condition that Weiner didn’t jump ship on writing the final season of the mob drama.

HBO

So why didn’t Mad Men end up on HBO?

Because the show didn’t include David Chase on the roster. HBO’s loss was certainly AMC’s gain.

Hiatuses

Long hiatuses are part of the show’s DNA.

Nearly a year went by between shooting the pilot and the second episode. That’s patience. Not Boyhood patience, but still.

Opening sequence

What’s the opening sequence all about?

A guy is freefalling through the skyscraper-filled air, but lands squarely on the sofa, none the worse for wear. Check out Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959) and then the falling man movie poster from Vertigo (1958). Weiner has a thing for Hitchcock. (I couldn’t help myself.)

Barack Obama

Barack Obama is a fan.

When not on TV, apparently the prez enjoys watching it. He even sent a fan letter to Matthew Weiner after Season 3. It’s now proudly framed and displayed in his office.

Roger as Don

Roger was almost Don.

Before Jon Hamm filled dashing Don Draper’s wingtips, actor John Slattery auditioned for the role. (He was cast instead as Roger Sterling).

Jon as Don

But Jon was destined to be Don.

It didn’t come easily, though. Despite Matthew Weiner’s instincts that they’d found their man, other executives weren’t so sure. They insisted on several auditions. How was Weiner so sure? Jon, like Don, was raised by someone other than his parents. (His mother died when he was 10 and his grandmother took it from there.)

Only one character

Only one of the characters appears in every episode.

You guessed it. Without Don Draper, Mad Men wouldn’t be so manly, now would it?

Betty as Peggy

January Jones initially auditioned, twice, for the role of Peggy Olson. Matt Weiner liked her so much that he developed Betty Draper for her instead.

Bobby Draper

Don and Betty’s son has suffered from SORAS (Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome) to the point that the character has been played by four different young actors. Daughter Sally, however, has been played by the same talented young lady all along — Kiernan Shipka.

Peggy’s wardrobe

There’s such attention to realistic detail that the wardrobe department repeats outfits. Specifically, every season premiere has Peggy wearing something from the previous season. That’s just what a working gal does, right?

Roger’s ex-wife…

…is really his wife.

If you’ve detected some chemistry between Roger Sterling and his ex-wife Mona, that’s because there is. She is played by his real-life wife Talia Balsam.

Relationships ended

Relationships have ended over this show.

Remember Don’s French wife Megan and her mother Marie? She was played by actress Julia Ormond, who is a die-hard fan of the show. How do you define die-hard? She broke up with a longtime boyfriend because he dared to watch Mad Men without her.

Improv

Improv is a no-no.

Every slurred word, every angst-ridden retort, likely even every moan of backseat pleasure is scripted. Matt Weiner has spoken. And we like it.