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| Original Theatrical Poster |
1) Putney Swope is a black man struggling to deal with the perils of a segregated 1960s America.
2) Putney Swope is a black man who is the new chairman of the board at one of the top advertising agencies in Manhattan
Which one seems more plausible?
If you answered number two, well, then you know where this is going...
If you answered number two, well, then you know where this is going...
As Don Draper and Co. is about to reinvent the airwaves with their sixth season on AMC's widely popular MadMen this Sunday, with Putney Swope, Robert Downy Sr. (yes, the father of Robert Downey Jr.) infuses biting satire and scathing social commentary to create a humorous and absurd take on the advertising industry, dissecting themes of race and politics in what is one of the most popular midnight movie sensations.
Swope is the token black guy on the board of directors at a Madison Avenue firm. When the board of directors keels over from a heart attack, the remaining members must cast a vote for the successor. Each member wants a shot at the top spot, but unable to vote for themselves, they instead each select Swope as their nominee believing he won't stand a chance. And so begins the reign of the first black man in charge of a predominately white industry.
Downey Sr. (referred to as "a prince" in the opening credits) used his experiences from working briefly in the advertising industry writing and directing television commercials to write this film. Downey had creative freedom while writing these commercials (such as the ad for Preparation H), most of which never aired for their subject matter. The idea for Putney Swope came to him when he realized a black men was making considerably less money than he was for doing the same job.
Swope's first order of business: "I don't want to rock the boat. I want to sink it." Swope immediately fires all the white people on the staff, keeping only one token white guy around, and hiring a battalion of black revolutionaries and militants to continue the day-to-day operations. The film was produced right at a time when the Black Panther movement was beginning to take hold. The agency is renamed "Truth & Soul, Inc." and points in the direction the company will move itself and its ads.
The impacts under Swope's new direction are felt even before the ink is dry. Besides changing the company name, Swope stands by his principles that his company will no longer advertise tobacco and alcohol products - where most advertisers make their money - or by selling toy guns to children, a direct reference to the conflict in Vietnam. Swope only accepts cash for payment, and his policy on security (even if the wrong person uses the wrong elevator) is the policy of a handgun in the face.
But Putney Swope is a genius - in the makeup of an advertiser that is. When a man visits him with a window cleaner product, which doesn't smell good but tastes delicious, Swope says there is no way to market the product the way it exists. His solution: "Add soybeans and market it as a soft drink to the ghettos." Brilliant.
And what's an advertising agency good for if it can't produce great ads?
And that's what Swope does best, keeping it real by bringing the truth out of the product and eliciting the right emotion from the target audience.
Putney Swope is one "big fuck" you to the establishment and a realized campaign in bad taste, where the all black staff shoots darts at a picture of Abraham Lincoln, and the commercials are filled with nothing but sexuality. One commercial shows three women of different races bouncing up and down in an airplane, wearing skimpy underwear and see-through blouses. After a solid minute of slow-motion bouncing, a man is pushed through the door and ravaged by the half-naked women. The title at the end says Lucky Airlines. I mean, who wouldn't want to fly that airline? And the ad for pimple remover? Robert Downey is pulling a page out his own book:
The film is presented in black and white (except the commercials) and it serves an important purpose. Firstly, black and white film stock is cheaper, and Putney Swope is one of the seminal independent underground movies (along with the films John Cassavetes was producing) produced during a time when funds were limited and distribution was never guaranteed for small films.
But Swope deals with problems that are not so cut and dry, black or white. The film eludes to the power of corruption, no matter what the race. Even though Swope changes the company's mission statement, deregulating what they will sell and not sell and piecing together the proper components to run the establishment, Swope continues to run the company with an iron fist.
When the government comes to "Truth & Soul, Inc." with their pitch for the Borman 6, a new car that proves to be a death trap (and the government knows it), Swope refuses to market the tin can. But being an ad man is not as powerful as being the President of the United States, who quickly declares Swope a threat to the security of the nation. The viewer can see the transformation of Putney Swope throughout the film: from a man trying to establish himself in the business, to a provocateur wearing military garb, and eventually someone who succumbs to the powers that be. Swope begins his tenure as an anarchic hero but slowly turns into just another suit and tie corporate sellout, and a classic study of the sympathetic figure.
There is a sign on the wall in the office hallway that reads "Things Are Changing," but really we begin to realize that the more things change, the more they're apt to stay the same. Swope's top copywriter, feeling like he hasn't received his piece of the pie, says, "The man says I get nothing, than I get nothing." Obviously in the case of Putney Swope, the racial roles are reversed, but whether it be white or black, there will always be the "man" trying to bring you down.
The film is presented in black and white (except the commercials) and it serves an important purpose. Firstly, black and white film stock is cheaper, and Putney Swope is one of the seminal independent underground movies (along with the films John Cassavetes was producing) produced during a time when funds were limited and distribution was never guaranteed for small films.
But Swope deals with problems that are not so cut and dry, black or white. The film eludes to the power of corruption, no matter what the race. Even though Swope changes the company's mission statement, deregulating what they will sell and not sell and piecing together the proper components to run the establishment, Swope continues to run the company with an iron fist.
When the government comes to "Truth & Soul, Inc." with their pitch for the Borman 6, a new car that proves to be a death trap (and the government knows it), Swope refuses to market the tin can. But being an ad man is not as powerful as being the President of the United States, who quickly declares Swope a threat to the security of the nation. The viewer can see the transformation of Putney Swope throughout the film: from a man trying to establish himself in the business, to a provocateur wearing military garb, and eventually someone who succumbs to the powers that be. Swope begins his tenure as an anarchic hero but slowly turns into just another suit and tie corporate sellout, and a classic study of the sympathetic figure.
There is a sign on the wall in the office hallway that reads "Things Are Changing," but really we begin to realize that the more things change, the more they're apt to stay the same. Swope's top copywriter, feeling like he hasn't received his piece of the pie, says, "The man says I get nothing, than I get nothing." Obviously in the case of Putney Swope, the racial roles are reversed, but whether it be white or black, there will always be the "man" trying to bring you down.
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