Retro Grade: Appliance spotting on AMC's Mad Men

In "My Old Kentucy Home," the third episode of the current season of AMC's hit show Mad Men,  a vacuum is the pivotal prop in a scene between Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks, shown), the buxom office manager at Sterling Cooper ad agency, and her fiancé, the inadequate Dr. Greg Harris (Sam Page). The two are tidying up their apartment ahead of a dinner party. In a telling (for the time anyway) role reversal, Greg is working the vacuum, although once finished he asserts his manliness by yanking the cord from the wall. "You'll break it," Joan admonishes. "No I won't," Greg fires back. "And even if I do, I'll just go grab my screwdriver and put on a new one."

Who knew a vacuum could provide so much tension and innuendo? But what about the vacuum itself? Did the props department come up with an age-appropriate model? There's not a long, clear shot of the vacuum, but it's definitely an upright model and looks to be relatively lightweight. Sure enough, the October 1963 issue of Consumer Reports includes a report titled "Lightweight Upright Vacuum Cleaners" that observed that "the cleaners tested for this report are a species that has only recently achieved considerable popularity." It went on to say that the diminutive vacuums work best as a supplement to a standard upright or canister vacuum, and should be reserved for surface cleaning of pet hair, sand, and the like.

Fast-forward to the October 2009 issue of Consumer Reports. Once again we're reporting on vacuum cleaners. Although the story looks at all types and sizes, lightweight vacuums get special mention. The Hoover Platinum Bagged, $400, and the Dirt Devil Featherlite Bagless, $60, performed very well in our cleaning tests and weigh just 13 pounds.

In the report, we also look at several innovative new features, including a retractable cord for uprights. While this convenience is standard on canister vacuums, it's just now wending its way to uprights. And had it been around in 1963, the writers of Mad Men might have looked to a different device to develop dramatic tension.—Daniel DiClerico | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Visit our vacuum cleaners hub for buying advice. And read Can this vacuum be saved? to see whether repairs are really as easy as portrayed on Mad Men.