Update: believe it or not, this typecast has been on file since July 2012 and the Emmys were handed out in September. Mad Men didn't win Best
Drama series, Homeland did.
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| A not entirely unrelated digression- I spotted a turquoise Olivetti Studio 44 in one of the episodes of the defunct retro series Pan Am (note the improperly placed typebars cover). I enjoyed Pan Am but got sated after a few episodes. |
Back to Mad Men, I also spotted a late 60's Hermes 3000, here being used by the ghost of Don Draper's half-brother Adam.
Immortalized on TV: the dreaded broken Hermes platen knob!
That is definitely a Hermes 3000 case.
One more, the blue Royal Safari beside a twin gooseneck lamp is hard to ignore.
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I just had to include this! Those of you who lived through
the Mad Men era, bet you still have groovy threads like these in your closet. ( : |
I found just-released promo stills for Season 6;
Mad Men will be back April 7.
More Olivetti spotting to come, I hope.
* Typecast via Olivetti Studio 45/Underwood 450
* See also my older post Mad Men: Return of the Mad Typers
12 comments:
it is like... wall to wall typewriter porn! And such classic machines :D
Thanks for this!
Well spotted, Ton. But I have to say that even a mediocre episode of "Mad Men" far outweighs EVERY good episode of every reality tv show ever made. I have to say that I found Season 5 to be excellent. The last few minutes of the final episode were great to me (for obvious reasons).
Hopefully, we'll see even more typewriters in the next season. If we do, I can't help but think that the new popularity of typewriters might just have something to do with it. I realize that it's a show set in the 1960s, but if typewriters figure a little more prominently in a shot rather than just being in the background, it'll be because of the might of the Typosphere.
I very often find myself losing the plot thread because I'm so busy looking at lamps and typewriters and furniture. :) Good spotting!
Great spottings!
Ugh, that plaid jacket ... is the worst thing about the '60s that they were followed by the '70s?
@Ken, see that's one of the reasons I really enjoy Mad Men, it's watching a great series and going on a virtual typewriter hunt at the same time!
@teeritz, damn straight, Mad Men is about good story telling and I couldn't think of a series that appeals to me as much (perhaps with the exception of Downton Abbey, which is so well written). The last few minutes completely floored me, wow! Yeah, wouldn't it be great if typewriters figured more prominently?
@Dana, come to think of it, you could be a set designer for Mad Men. Like really.
@Florian, thanks.
@Richard, haha!
Ton, you should keep an eye out for "The Hour", if you haven't seen it already. It's a British show about a "60 Minutes"-style current affairs program and, best of all, it's set in the late '50s, so you're pretty much guaranteed a few typewriter sightings per episode. So many Remington desk-top models in Season 2, which is
currently screening here in Australia. Great cast (Dominic West from "The Wire", Romola Garai from "Atonement"-maybe she's got a thing for appearing on-screen with typewriters?- and Ben Wishaw-the new Q in "Skyfall").
And don't even get me started on the mid-century decor and furniture.
You'll be in lo-tech heaven (which is a nice place to be!).
Pre-madmen decor. A snapshot of my desktop, which has much in common with that understated plaid jacket:
http://bit.ly/11a7HGp
Rob N.
@teeritz, thanks for the great suggestions, you're encouraging me to finally get my own TV set! It would be great if you could post about your sightings from "The Hour."
@Rob N, very nice, I see that you have some very interesting desk mates over there. None of them half as understated as that Mad Men jacket. ( : Thanks for sharing.
Ha! I remember spotting that Lettera 32 this season and letting out a hoot. "That's MY typewriter!"
Seriously, though, it's shows like this that make me acutely aware of the provenance of these long-lived – and doubtlessly experienced – machines.
@mikespeegle. I couldn't agree more.
RE: the photo from Peggy's apt and the double gooseneck lamp..I have that lamp!
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