Main Cast: Laraine Day, Kirk Douglas, Helen Walker, Keenan Wynn, Rudy Vallee
Release Year: 1948
Country: US
Run Time: 94 minutes
Plot
Produced by comedy specialist Harry M. Popkin and his brother Leo Popkin, My Dear Secretary stars Kirk Douglas as Owen Waterbury, a best-selling novelist with an eye for the ladies. When aspiring writer Stephanie Gaylord (Laraine Day) signs on as his secretary, Waterbury assumes that he's lined up another sexual conquest. But Stephanie is not so easily won over, and the rest of the film finds Waterbury striving to come up to her standards. Whenever the film's pace lags, one can count on the farcical expertise of Keenan Wynn, borrowed from MGM to play Douglas' sardonic confidante, to save the day. Along with Strange Love of Martha Ivers, My Dear Secretary is one of the most accessible of Kirk Douglas' early films thanks to its public-domain status. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
My Dear Secretary is an engaging little screwball comedy that, while far from a classic, promises a very decent amount of merriment. Secretary can be seen as a precursor to the Doris Day-Rock Hudson style of sex comedies that would become popular a decade or so later. Indeed, much of Secretarycould be taken and re-filmed with those stars and fit perfectly into their own films. However, Secretary doesn't have Doris and Rock, it has Laraine Day and Kirk Douglas -- and this is one of the reasons why it isn't quite as good a film as it could be. Neither star is bad, mind you, but they don't have the natural flair for this material that is required. Douglas tries too hard, and the effortless charm that is needed is sorely missed. Laraine Day gives off with one note and doesn't vary it sufficiently, becoming annoying in sections. Worse, without providing any greater character depth, she throws the story a bit off balance. Fortunately, the supporting cast is first rate and goes a long way to making up for the deficiencies of the star. Special praise is due Keenan Wynn's expert comic account of the best pal of Douglas, stealing scenes with ease and aplomb. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Maria P. Donovan - Costume Designer, Charles Martin - Director, Arthur H. Nadel - Editor, Heinz Roemheld - Composer (Music Score), David Chudnow - Musical Direction/Supervision, Rudi Feld - Production Designer, Joseph Biroc - Cinematographer, Leo C. Popkin - Producer, Jacque Mapes - Set Designer, Charles Martin - Screenwriter
