You gotta love the irony…
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Robert Morse
outsdrfilm — 16 years ago(October 06, 2009 11:07 PM)
One of my favorite 60's comedies is "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" featuring Robert as the hustling, scheming young go-getter trying to get to the top of the business world taking any shortcut available. Now watching him play the elder statesman on "Mad Men" it seems to have come full circle, as the guy who made it to the top and watches all of the insanity around him from his Japanese-influenced office - just don't forget to take your shoes off when you enter
He's a great actor and it is wonderful to see him on a quality series. -
jneedleman — 16 years ago(March 02, 2010 12:31 PM)
He went from playing a man who was desperate to succeed to playing a man who found all success to be hollow improvisation. This despite the fact he himself is a man who succeeded because he loves his job and derives his deeper sense of purpose from performing memorized dialogue.
How do I know this? Because I am his one-eyed Mongolian gardener. Really. I have snapshots of his car.
"That isn't irony either."
He wanted to be a successful actor so badly that he cashed in his daughter's gold fillings to finance a business trip to New York. Unfortunately, his daughter became ill with a gum infection, which forced him to return home before his flight. In his harried state, he got into a car accident when he inadvertently inhaled one of the gold teeth. The other became lodged in the bicuspid aortic valve of his toothy dashboard bust of Mao, which fell and punctured his viscera, necessitating a trip to the Gilt and Ivory Hospital.
He arrived home just in time to see his family watch the end of an ET report that used footage of the New York cocktail party he'd meant to attend where he'd intended to pitch a hospital drama about greedy dentists.
None of his family had teeth anymore due to the effects of a strangely specific earthquake that had decimated the bathroom in his absence. His sons were singing along with a song by Goldfrapp on the edifying effects of celebrity toothpaste.
Meanwhile, a novelty shop exploded. Hundreds of windup talking teeth flew through the air, slashing vocal cords and shattering jaws. Death grinned cheesily, but no one could see it behind his golden weeping clown mask.
"But that isn't irony, either."
Sorry, but the matre d' says we're fresh out of irony tonight. May I interest you in a side of carmelized sarcasm? -
soneill — 15 years ago(June 23, 2010 12:46 PM)
if that is not what irony means, why are you agreeing with the author's use of the word irony to frame his argument? just curious
p.s. I adore robert morse however he's servedstraight up, on the rocks, with a twist of irony or a dash of synchronicity [whatever the hell THAT means] -
hpankin — 15 years ago(August 24, 2010 09:32 AM)
In the spirit of spelling it out for you, I think he was agreeing with the sentiment that Morse was cast in Mad Men because of his role in "How to Succeed" and that it showed Weiner had a sense of humor.
But he's correct that that's not what irony means.
Remember Steve Irwin's death by stingray? Many people erroneously called that ironic too because they (along with most people) do not really know what irony means.
An ironic Steve Irwin death would have been any death that did not involve purposefully putting himself in harm's way, which was the entire point of his show. Like slipping in the shower or being electrocuted in the kitchen or what-have-you. THAT would've been ironic. Boring, sure, but ironic.
The reason why the star of "How to Succeed," later to be cast as the super-successful head of an ad agency, is not ironic is because it is an expected progression: a young, eager upstart looking to succeed in businessand 40 years later is, in fact, a success. It is not the exact opposite of that expectation, which is the crux of what irony is. Capice?
http://www.cafepress.com/milknprozac/7031623 -
thomas196x2000 — 10 years ago(April 20, 2015 04:16 PM)
I don't agree.
A definition of irony is as such:
"an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected."
from Dictionary.com
Using your example, many people correctly use the term ironic to describe Irwin's death. It's a matter of perspective. One could state:
"Don't you find it ironic that a guy who most assuredly knows the dangers of the deep gets taken out by a damn stingray?" It's ironic that, even though he appears to take chances, he knows how to deal with wild animals safely and to be take out like that is certainly not expected.
I found it unexpected, I would have thought that guy would die of old age would be a more expected outcome.
Again, a matter of perspective. If you find the irony in it, then the irony is there. -
jstatser — 10 years ago(January 24, 2016 08:49 PM)
Yup. I didn't figure it would be ironic when I saw the subject line. I wondered if it was gonna be worth it to look and say it was ironic at all. Just as I thought, "What's the use. I can't stop um from misusing word, I saw your attempt. How ironicerI mean..umuh well i mean something.
"Pardon me while I have a strange interlude"- Marx -
di1an — 13 years ago(March 10, 2013 03:20 PM)
What's brilliant is that he was 30 in 1961 - the only cast member of Mad Men to have actually been around in those days, and in his prime. You have to wonder what he's thinking when on set and how accurate he really thinks it all is. Being in show-business his whole life, he's probably seen it all.
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King_Of_Fuh — 11 years ago(June 25, 2014 06:59 PM)
Morse found fame in How to Succeed about the time period of Mad Men Season 1. I don't remember if the show was mentioned in the series, but I could see Don taking one of his conquests to see it. Anyway, I myself hate irony. I just get my shirts dry-cleaned and pressed.
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thomas196x2000 — 10 years ago(April 20, 2015 04:26 PM)
I have had the same thought myself.
My guess is that he would be thinking that there is a lot of dramatic license going on. Of course, that would presume that Morse had spent some time in a contemporary office environment.
I remember going to my dad's business a ton in the 1960s, and even to some of his customers! My dad ran a very early data processing organization, selling essentially computerized accounting and POS services. What I noticed as a kid was a LOT more grey haired men in positions of power (sure, people in the 1960s looked older, but never mind). Not many 25 year olds attempting to run the company. Moving up to a manager was a big deal, moving up to a district manager or area director was a very big deal. He still has many company brochures, handouts with photos of Presi111cdent's clubs and awards events, and every photo was a man.
Women did not have many positions of power. Watching Mad Men, wow, you'd think they already had attained some equality. And while there was certainly bosses engaging in sex with underlings, my dad laughs at how it is presented. Offices, were somber, orderly businesses. I realize the ad agencies were likely way looser, but the 60s offices in general were not like this. Women in those days were secretaries and receptionists. Maybe an office manager, but her management level was not on the same as the other managers. This is the way it was, and it certainly is not exciting, but we should not lose sight of historical context, boring as it might be.
I always thought Mad Men was the 60s filtered through this decadeit will likely be an interesting curiosity if it is viewed 30 years from now.