After reading some great reviews and hearing Laury tell us how wonderful it was, Barb and I sat down last night and watched the first two episodes of Amazon Prime’s new streaming series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Oy vey, did it feel good.
Mad Men set the bar for recreating the mood and atmosphere of the early ’60s. With Mrs. Maisel, we are back in 1960* New York City, but this time the setting ranges from the doorman managed co-ops on the Upper West Side to the shmatte factories and clubs of Lower Manhattan, all with a decidedly Jewish spin. Don Draper may have had a Jewish mistress in Mad Men, but with Mrs. Maisel, we take center stage, literally.
In the first two episodes, we see young marrieds Miriam and Joel Maisel each try their luck as stand up comedians. One of them steals material from Bob Newhart, the other finds humor in the catastrophes of everyday life, forges a relationship with Lenny Bruce, and learns to get a receipt for bail money. Want to guess which is which?
We care about the characters and their faltering (think not-too-bright secretary) relationship, but it is the atmospherics and little details that steal the show: Snaring the Rabbi for the Yom Kippur Break the Fast meal. Making up your face and getting the curlers out of your hair before your husband can see you in the morning. Bribing the club manager with a brisket and latkes. Meddling mother and father-in-laws. And the panic when someone dares to admit out loud there is shrimp in the eggrolls (something we all must surely know.) Universal touches for Jewish America early in the Age of Camelot.
With This is Us on December hiatus, Barb and I should have plenty of time to savor the remaining episodes of Season 1 of Mrs. Maisel. And word is that a second season has already been approved for production. So we will have the fun of seeing whether Miriam can make it on comedy club circuit and whether Joel gets over his secretary. And with every episode we can ask the primordial question, “but is it good for the Jews?”
*I know, some reviews say 1958. But the Bob Newhart never appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show before 1960. That is also when “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart” album was released. So it is 1960 for me!