'Smithsonian: The Real Mad Men of Advertising'
(DVD / NR / 2018 / PBS)
Overview: 'Mad Men' gave audiences an all-access glimpse into the world of advertising in America during the tumultuous decade of the 1960s. Who were these people, and what were the campaigns that created this consumer culture.
DVD Verdict: Follow the evolution of advertising from the 1950s through the 1980s, via interviews with the industry's top ad executives, and through classic ads and commercials here on the fascinating 'Smithsonian: The Real Mad Men of Advertising'.
For those not in the know, the TV show 'Mad Men' was an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. The series premiered on July 19, 2007, on the cable network AMC. After seven seasons and 92 episodes, 'Mad Men's final episode aired on May 17, 2015.
As with the TV show, here within the just less than an hour of documentary we get clips of ad men doing their selling thing, all the way back to the black and white TV era of the early '50s.
Not much changes through the years, sales are just sales, after all, but the hand gestures sure do get more bigger, wider, more embracing, shall we say. Aside from that, some of these interviews with the industry's top ad executives do manage to still shine a light on what can be much like watching false prophets and snake charmers coming through town via your TV sets! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.
www.PBS.org