You know who’s really sad to see “Mad Men” end? The local businesses who supplied all that vintage stuff; musician Robert Cray pays tribute to blues legend B.B. King (pictured); director Andrew Niccol’s new film, “Good Kill,” examines the difficulty of being an Air Force drone pilot.
'Mad Men': Here are the SoCal purveyors that supplied the show's vintage props, clothes
“Mad Men,” the lauded AMC show that’s been a big part of what many call the latest golden age of television, wraps its story on Sunday after taking viewers on a nostalgic trip through the 1960s and early 1970s.
Millions of viewers have been seduced not just by the show’s sophisticated writing and too-good-for-TV performances, but also by all that ‘60s ... well, stuff: The cars, the clothes, the sets, the props that conjure the style, look and feel of an American era.
It may surprise fans to learn that many of those things are real, not knockoffs — and they're sourced right here in Southern California, where the show is produced (though it's set in New York). Dozens of businesses all over Southern California became regular stops for the set decorators, wardrobe people and prop masters who work on the show.
Want to duplicate "Mad Men's" look? Here's where to go.
Classic cars
Johnny Agnew of Funky Junk Farms
“Now if you go on eBay, the keywords for a lot of, particularly fashion — even cars and travel trailers, which is what I’m into — they always use 'Mad Men,'" says Johnny Agnew of Funky Junk Farms. "It’s definitely iconic for sure."
Agnew rents out vintage cars and travel trailers for movie shoots, and TV shows like “Mad Men.” If you come across a ‘66 Oldsmobile four-door sedan in a “Mad Men” episode, it might be his.
Don Draper's office
“The very first thing that I recognized was a big blue pillow that was in Don Draper’s office,” says Susan Kotora, who has a shop at the Pasadena Antique Center and sold several items to the show.
Kotora says "Mad Men" crew members were welcome customers.
“These guys came in, and it really was a shot in the arm,” she says. “It kind of boosted sales. Because I think so much of the economy in L.A. has been affected — we’ve lost so much of the film industry here.”
Vintage fashions
Wanda Soileau, who runs Playclothes Vintage Fashions in Burbank, got the “Mad Men” bump, too. But she says you can’t always see some of the pieces she sold to the show.
“One of the interesting things is the undergarments,” Soileau says. “Maybe they’d put an actress in a girdle with stockings so that the actress would feel the part and feel like she was from that era instead of having pantyhose on like women wear today.”
Household appliances
Carolina Mendez provided some of the vintage household appliances you’ve seen in “Mad Men.”
“I’m a good finder when it comes to someone looking for something that I don’t have in my inventory,” Mendez says. “Most of the time I find exactly what they’re looking for.”
Mendez's showroom for Carolina’s Appliances in East L.A. is a splash of color, with bright red refrigerators and glossy, teal-enameled ranges. But Mendez says the “Mad Men” crew were usually looking for something a little more worn in.
“Most of the time they’re looking for something in the original cosmetic condition,” Mendez says. “They rarely look for something fully restored.”
Vintage frames
Russ Campbell, owner of vintage eyewear supplier Old Focals, is no stranger to the TV and film industry. But, thanks in part to “Mad Men,” Campbell has seen interest in his business spread globally.
“‘Mad Men’ was responsible for us getting picked up in French tourism books,” Campbell says.
An early supporter of the show, Campbell provided “Mad Men” prop masters with not only antique frames, but also with historically accurate information on the eyewear styles of the '60s and '70s.
If Campbell’s name is familiar, it might be because you’ve see it in the show’s credits. Back before “Mad Men” was a household name, Campbell would provide his services in exchange for a credit instead of money.
“Every year they would give me the longest credit in Hollywood, saying ‘Eyewear provided by Russ Campbell at Old Focals in Pasadena, California,’” Campbell says.
But, Campbell says, even after the final credits roll for the final episode, “Mad Men” will linger on.
“I don’t think it’s ever gonna be over. Because if you’ve got seven years of a series like this, let’s just say it won’t get lost in space,” says Campbell “I think it’s always gonna be with us.”
The series finale of "Mad Men" airs on AMC Sunday at 10 p.m.
Robert Cray remembers B.B. King — and how he upstaged Eric Clapton
B.B. King has passed away at 89 years old, with his website reporting that he died in his sleep late Thursday night at his Las Vegas home. King quietly leaves the building after winning 15 Grammys, being inducted in both the rock and blues halls of fame, and receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006.
Singer and guitarist Robert Cray was inspired by King and had the chance to play with him several times. They first met at a show in Santa Rosa.
"We had gone out and done our set, and B.B. hadn't arrived yet, and I was wondering when they were going to show up."
He found out that King and his band always ran late — and when Cray got off stage, he wasn't allowed into his own dressing room, as King had commandeered it. Still, Cray met King right before he went on stage.
BB King and Robert Cray: Playin' With My Friends video, live
Later, they played together on the 1993 song "Playin' With My Friends," which Cray says meant a lot to him. He worked with producer Dennis Walker, writing the song for King. Cray says it was great for him because he not only got to play on it himself, but also brought on board two former high school bandmates.
"We all three grew up wanting to be blues musicians, and we all three got to be on a B.B. King record, and it was like a dream come true."
Cray found out about King's death on Friday morning via text message.
"I just didn't want any more conversation about it. I wanted to absorb the news. And I had been one of the fortunate ones to go visit B.B. about two months ago at his house. And when I saw him, he was looking pretty well. He was looking a little thin, but he didn't look like he was going to go as soon as he did. And so I had this great vision of B.B. in my head, who was still looking good, and I wanted to keep that in my mind."
King was part of lots of great opportunities for Cray, he says, including a moment at the Crossroads Festival. His band was backing up King, and he was supposed to do part of one of King's songs and then bring Eric Clapton and Jimmie Vaughan on stage.
"I got going in one of B.B.'s tunes, and I sang the whole song when I wasn't supposed to! And I remember that, because eventually I got to the end of the song, and B.B. was just smiles watching me perform his tune, and was cheering me on and everything like that, but it was a mess-up on my part."
Clapton walked on and asked, "What are we going to do now, Robert?"
BB King, Robert Cray, Eric Clapton, Jimmie Vaughan play the Thrill Is Gone at Crossroads
King says that he'll always remember King as the ambassador of blues music to the world.
"As far as blues music, nobody carried the torch higher than B.B. King. The whole world knows about B.B. King, and the rest of us out here have to go and respect that. He laid the groundwork for all of us out here."
Little Dragon: The first bad show the band played — to 10 people
The Swedish electro-indie band Little Dragon wasn't always headlining 5,000-seat amphitheaters. Before the band's fan base grew, they were playing to crowds of less than 20 people.
Little Dragon: Crystalfilm video
Lead singer Yukimi Nagano remembers the first bad show Little Dragon ever played:
One of the ones that ended up good was a show in Dublin where it was in a pub. We got backstage and there was cold pasta salad, which was all gross looking, and then we went on stage and there were 10 people in the crowd and a lot of empty space. We were definitely bummed out.
We just kind of got into it and decided that we were gonna do our best and play for each other because there's no one here anyway. Actually, it ended up being a really special show because we let go.
So even though we were funky, we let everything out and the 10 people who were there all bought a record. So you could say a hundred percent of the audience bought an album, which is not that bad.
The band is set to play the Greek Theatre this weekend, which has a seating capacity of 5,870.