SPOILER ALERT: First came their wonderful “Bye Bye Birdie” inspired Patio Cola ad, now Mad Men has us singing a new tune. The show sent off Bert Cooper with a musical rendition of “The Best Things in Life Are Free,” free the 1920’s musical Good News. Now the show’s cast and crew are opening up about Cooper's death and dance number.
Recently Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner spoke to TV Guide about his decision to kill off Cooper:
“We started the season with the idea that he was going to pass away during the moon landing and that would throw Don's rise within his own company into jeopardy.”
Weiner also opened up about Bert’s big musical number, adding:
“I heard the song on old-time radio--this is the wonderful irony of satellite radio. I heard Frances Langford singing it. It just spoke to me. The song has a very simple message from the Great Depression. I felt right away that Bert's ghost would sing this to Don. I've been working with Bobby Morse for seven years, and he is a treasure. You can see his boyish charm when he's dancing. I'm not going to say how old the man is, but it's very impressive. We felt it was OK for Bert to break character in this moment in Don's mind.”
The Tony award winning actor Robert Morse, recently spoke to reporters about live after Bert Cooper’s death:
“I had no idea what I was in for. My phone has been ringing off the hook. And they’re not really hooked anymore. I’ve got an inbox that has been overflowing and Facebook has been going crazy. All I can say is, what a send-off! Exit left, and don’t stop at the door. [laughs] The opportunity to shine in the spotlight that Matt Weiner gave me--it was an absolute love letter. Christmas and New Year’s, all rolled into one.”
© 2024 Classicalite All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
