Don Draper's New Secretary Miss Blankenship Steals the Show

Posted on September 5, 2010

One of the most hilarious bits on this season of Mad Men is the addition of veteran actress Randee Heller (she played Ralph Macchio's mother in the original The Karate Kid) as Don Draper's horrifying new secretary, Miss Blankenship. Don was presented with Miss Blankenship as his new secretary after his last secretary Allison left in a flood of tears over an ill-advised drunken one night stand.

Miss Blankenship was Bert Cooper's secretary for years before she was retired. But Joan hauled her out of retirement as the one secretary Don would not try to seduce. The heavy New Jersey accent. The bald delivery. The refusal to be impressed by hotshot Don Draper. It's all very funny.

Randee Heller told USA Today, "What I love about this character is she doesn't have any agenda -- she's not trying to climb the proverbial ladder, she's not following the rules. She doesn't know there are rules."

Fans have already set up a Facebook page for her and fans are smitten. It's not often that we see Don Draper at a total loss for words, such as when Miss Blankenship loudly announces who is here to see him -- after they have already burst into his office. And as for discretion, well, it's just not in Miss Blankenship's vocabulary.

Update: Heller received a well-deserved nomination for the 2011 Creative Arts Emmys for her role. Her she describes the role and Miss Blankenship's contrast to the other female characters on the series.

MAD MEN