One of the real shocks in the series Mad Men (the portrayal of Madison Avenue in 1960, now showing on BBC Four, 10pm Sundays) is the anti-semitism. In my naïve little way, I had a picture of the New York ad industry of the period as being predominantly Jewish. But in the pre-Kennedy world of leading character Don Draper and his associates, the Big Apple is split between the 'Jewish' agencies who deal with Jewish clients and the non-Jewish agencies like his, who don't.
The attitudes to women also leave a fair bit to be desired. While we might guess that the secretaries would be subject to unwanted sexual advances in the testosterone-charged agency, the local gynaecologist expects to conduct an internal examination before issuing a prescription for the pill. And he likes to puff on a cigarette while he does it.
The show's researchers have taken a large dose of a pill marked authenticity. Enovid was approved as a contraceptive in 1960 by the US Food and Drug Administration, but had been used quite widely in the preceding years under the cover of treating menstrual disorders. Now that's what I call period detail.
The attitudes to women also leave a fair bit to be desired. While we might guess that the secretaries would be subject to unwanted sexual advances in the testosterone-charged agency, the local gynaecologist expects to conduct an internal examination before issuing a prescription for the pill. And he likes to puff on a cigarette while he does it.
The show's researchers have taken a large dose of a pill marked authenticity. Enovid was approved as a contraceptive in 1960 by the US Food and Drug Administration, but had been used quite widely in the preceding years under the cover of treating menstrual disorders. Now that's what I call period detail.
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