Matthew Weiner dreamed up the idea for “Mad Men” while working as a writer on the Ted Danson sitcom “Becker.” He wrote the pilot in 1999.
Creator Matthew Weiner thought Jon Hamm was right for the role of ‘Don Draper’ early on in the audition process, however, executives were not so sure and the actor was forced to audition numerous times to get the role.
According to Jon Hamm, the production's pursuit of historical accuracy is such that series researchers will insist on knowing weather conditions, news items, and popular culture for a particular period related to the script's time frame.
Most of the sets for the Sterling Cooper offices have visible ceilings, which is unusual for television. Typically there are permanent lighting rigs overhead, which allow the crew to quickly change lighting set ups for different scenes. Having the ceilings visible made the sets appear more realistic. But it also made more work for the crew, who were constantly having to reposition lights and furniture for different camera set ups.
The series spans ten years; the pilot takes place around March of 1960. The series finale occurs in October 1970.
John Slattery auditioned for the role of ‘Don Draper’ before being asked to play ‘Roger Sterling’.
The picture of Pete's wife is different in later episodes than from the pilot. The picture in the pilot is obviously not the actress who plays Pete's wife (Alison Brie) most likely because she was not yet cast.
Bryan Batt missed his first audition to play ‘Salvatore Romano’ on the series because he and his husband, Tom Cianfichi, already had a commitment to take their goddaughter to Paris to repay her for several things she had done for them during Hurricane Katrina (including evacuating Batt's mother from New Orleans). The "Mad Men" showrunners asked Batt to come in again, and so after the Paris trip he was able to audition and get the role.
Robert Morse was the oldest regular cast member on the show. He was 75 years old when the pilot was shot and 84 for the finale.
January Jones auditioned twice for the role of ‘Peggy Olson’ before show creator Matthew Weiner asked her to read for the part of ‘Betty Draper’ instead, despite the fact that at that point the character was barely in the pilot and he had no plans of fleshing her out.
Christina Hendricks who played ‘Joan Harris’ originally auditioned to play ‘Midge Daniels’.
Glen, the neighbor's young son who forms a connection with Betty, is portrayed by Marten Holden Weiner, the son of series creator Matthew Weiner.
The titles pay homage to graphic designer Saul Bass's skyscraper-filled opening titles for Alfred Hitchcock's “North by Northwest” (1959) and falling man movie poster for “Vertigo” (1958); Weiner has listed Hitchcock as a major influence on the visual style of the series.
The pilot episode was shot at Silvercup Studios in New York City and various locations around the city; subsequent episodes were filmed at Los Angeles Center Studios.
For the last two seasons of “Mad Men”, Vincent Kartheiser shaved the front of his head in order to make his character ‘Pete Campbell’ look aged.
Jon Hamm is the only actor from the show to have won an Emmy for his performance, despite the show's many nominations for many of its performers throughout its run. He won from his last nomination for the show's final season.
Trivia items from IMDB
Listen to my fun conversation with actor Bryan Batt using the links below. Enjoy!
Episode 17 - HERE
Episode 18 - HERE
