- More Than a Secretary
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More Than a Secretary 
Swedish posterProduced by Everett Riskin (associate producer) Music by Dimitri Tiomkin (uncredited) Cinematography Henry Freulich Editing by Al Clark Studio Columbia Pictures Corporation Distributed by Columbia Pictures Release date(s) December 24, 1936 Running time 77 min. Country U.S. Language English More Than a Secretary is a 1936 romantic comedy film made by Columbia Pictures, directed by Alfred E. Green, and written by Dale Van Every and Lynn Starling. The story was adapted by Ethel Hill and Aben Kandel, based on magazine story "Safari in Manhattan" by Matt Taylor. It tells the story of a secretary of health magazine, who is in love with her boss.
Summary
Ms. Baldwin (Jean Arthur) and Ms. Davis (Ruth Donnelly) are owners and instructors of the Supreme Secretarial School. Ms. Baldwin is fighting Spring Fever and daydreams while teaching her class. They take pride in turning out well trained secretaries. They are having problems teaching a secretarial student, named Maizie (Dorothea Kent) who cannot spell, take dictation or type. When the instructors ask her what she is doing at the school, she replies with, “I‘m here for the same reason that every other smart girl’s here - to, uh, get a chance to meet nice men.”
Ms. Davis tells her, “This doesn’t happen to be a matrimonial agency.” Next, a former student drops by with a perspective student and informs the owners that she is getting married to a Junior Vice President (due to her job as a secretary). This leads Ms. Baldwin to wonder if these young ladies are onto something.
Meanwhile, a client, Mr. Gilbert (George Brent) who is the editor of Body and Brain magazine continues to fire secretarial graduates from the Supreme Secretarial School. He calls the school and over the phone, Mr. Gilbert complains to Ms. Baldwin about inept secretaries. Ms. Baldwin covers the phone receiver and repeats what he is saying to Ms. Davis. Ms. Baldwin says to Ms. Davis, “He wants to know what’s wrong with the modern woman?” Ms. Davis replies, “.. the modern man.”
Ms. Baldwin decides to go to Mr. Gilbert’s office to see what he expects of a secretary. When they meet, he inadvertently thinks she is a secretary rather than the owner of the school and tells her to report to work in the morning. She is immediately smitten with Mr. Gilbert and decides to work as his secretary.
Cast
- Jean Arthur as Carol Baldwin
- George Brent as Fred Gilbert
- Lionel Stander as Ernest
- Ruth Donnelly as Helen Davis
- Reginald Denny as Bill Houston
- Dorothea Kent as Maizie West
- Charles Halton as Mr. Crosby
- Geraldine Hall as Enid
External links
- More Than a Secretary at the Internet Movie Database
- More Than a Secretary at AllRovi
- More Than a Secretary at the British Film Institute
1920s Through the Back Door (1921) · Little Lord Fauntleroy (1921) · The Ghost Breaker (1922) · Irene (1926) · Disraeli (1929)1930s The Green Goddess (1930) · The Man from Blankley's (1930) · Sweet Kitty Bellairs (1930) · Men of the Sky (1931) · Smart Money (1931) · Union Depot (1932) · The Rich Are Always with Us (1932) · The Dark Horse (1932) · Parachute Jumper (1933) · Baby Face (1933) · Housewife (1934) · A Lost Lady (1934) · Gentlemen Are Born (1934) · The Girl from 10th Avenue (1935) · Dangerous (1935) · Colleen (1936) · The Golden Arrow (1936) · Two in a Crowd (1936) · More Than a Secretary (1936) · The League of Frightened Men (1937) · Thoroughbreds Don't Cry (1937)1940s Flowing Gold (1940) · The Mayor of 44th Street (1942) · Mr. Winkle Goes to War (1944) · A Thousand and One Nights (1945) · The Jolson Story (1946) · The Fabulous Dorseys (1947) · Copacabana (1947) · Four Faces West (1948) · Cover Up (1949)1950s Categories:- English-language films
- 1936 films
- Black-and-white films
- Films based on short fiction
- 1930s romantic comedy films
- Films set in New York City
- 1930s comedy film stubs
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