Private Secretary (1953–1957) User Reviews

comedy series from the 1950s

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 27 May 2012]

I seem to remember this show under the name "Private Secretary" and what must have been its syndicated name, "Suzie." I just received a disc of this show from Netflix, and I must say I'm appalled that the Netflix reviewers gave this 1-1/2 stars. What a nerve.

The always delightful Ann Sothern plays Suzie McNamara, secretary to theatrical agent, Howard Sands (Don Porter). The various story lines show that the brains of the operation is Suzie, who knows how to get around her boss and get things done. In the first episode I saw, she wangles an audition for two of Sands' clients for an upcoming Samson and Delilah on Broadway; in another, she has both a playwright and his producer interested in her, and as a result, the two become mortal enemies and refuse to work together. Suzie gets them thinking she has other men in her life so they both bond again. And so on.

This isn't uproarious comedy, but it's fun and for Baby Boomers, and it brings back some wonderful memories. Not to mention the fashions, the home decorations, the switchboard, and the dial phones. Ann Tyrell is Vi, the switchboard operator. I still remember in my childhood watching one episode where Ann and Vi were in a restaurant and carefully counted the calories of everything they ate. When the waiter asked if they wanted dessert, they ordered two hot fudge sundaes.

The chemistry that Sothern, Tyrell, and Porter had was so good that they went into a second series together, "The Ann Sothern Show," which I think I also saw. It's funny that so much is made of actress' ages today -- it's true that Sothern probably aged out of the movies, but here she was in her forties playing a bachelorette and getting away with it.

To me this was an exceptional series - first, Sothern was not an ingenue; secondly, she and her friends were single New York career girls, unheard of; and three, she was the brains of that office.

I really don't know what the problem is over at Netflix. Why would you even elect to get this disc if the show didn't hold some nostalgia value for you? If you can rent it, do so -- there's something very charming about it and, of course, Ann Sothern.

Maisie goes to secretarial school

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 15 August 2015]

Television provided a lease on life for the careers of so many players in the second tier in Hollywood. As fewer films were made many had to go to television for work.

One of the luckiest in that regard was Ann Sothern who had series experience of a sort when she starred in the long running Maisie series of films. Sothern found herself a role that perfectly suited her personality, Susie McNamara Private Secretary to theatrical agent Don Porter and all around girl Friday. It was like Maisie Revere had given up the life of a wandering showgirl and took typing and stenography and became a secretary.

Sothern's character has been compared to Lucille Ball, but I think there was a world of difference. Sothern never did harebrained stuff like Lucy Ricardo did. She always zealously guarded the interests of her boss and never had to be rescued from the consequences of a plan. Her's usually worked.

The Ethel Mertz of the story was Ann Tyrell who was the switchboard operator. Tyrell sometimes bordered on the hysterical waiting to see if a Sothern scheme would work. She also had the longest neck I've ever seen, it's one of the things I remember well as a kid seeing this show.

The comic villain was Jesse White as rival bottom feeding agent Cagey Calhoun. As Michael Francis Calhoun was nicknamed 'Cagey' he in turn called her 'Foxy' the only one whoever did. White always thought he was so clever and lost as many times as Wile E. Coyote.

Wit and character were the hallmarks of Private Secretary which would be great if it were revived for the 21st century. It's timeless.

In this early 1950's sitcom, the bright and vivacious Ann Sothern played Susie McNamara, devoted secretary to handsome talent agent Peter Sands(Don Porter) who had a talent for getting into zany scrapes. Sus

[verna55 · 15 September 2000]

This was Miss Sothern's first and most successful attempt at a primetime TV series(the later was THE ANN SOTHERN SHOW). PRIVATE SECRETARY ran on CBS from 1953-57 and was an excellent showcase for Sothern's warm, inviting personality and impeccable comedic talents. Before the highly popular television show, Miss Sothern had been a major musical and comedy star at MGM in the 1940's, and appeared in the classic, award-winning comedy film A LETTER TO THREE WIVES at Twentieth Century Fox in 1949. Miss Sothern would later play the titular role in the interestingly titled 1965-66 series MY MOTHER, THE CAR. The great actress made her last film appearance in 1987 in THE WHALES OF AUGUST, for which she received a much deserved Oscar nomination.

Sassy Susie Sizzles

[earlytalkie · 10/10 · 1 March 2011]

This was a very pleasant sitcom from the fifties which highlights the comedic talents of Ann Sothern. Miss Sothern was beautiful and witty and the series, which was set at a New York talent agency, had a very good supporting cast as well. As Mr. Sands, Susie's boss, we have Don Porter who had a definite chemistry with Miss Sothern. As Violet Praskins we have Ann Tyrell, who is sort of an ersatz Ethel Mertz. The episodes that I have on my DVD are a good cross-section of shows for the series. One of the best has Zasu Pitts as a guest star. This series ended in 1957 after Ann had a fight with producer Jack Chertok over residuals. There was talk of continuing the series with another actress, so the reruns were titled Susie. The following year, Ann Sothern came back with "The Ann Sothern Show" which cast Ann as Katy O'Connor, the assistant manager of the Bartley House hotel. Cast as her boss was Ernest Truex, but by mid-season of it's first year, Don Porter was brought back to play her boss once again. Ann Tyrell was back this time as Olive.

If you knew Susie like I know Susie

[Bernie4444 · 6/10 · 15 January 2024]

In this 50's TV comedy series, the private secretary to talent agent Peter Sands (Don Porter), Susan Camille McNamara (Ann Sothern) goes out of her way to help her boss in the most convoluted schemes. Somehow, she always puts her foot in it; yet in the end, everything turns out fine.

Either a victim of old age or bad memory (possibly the world has changed); I found this series to be straining for laughs.

The DVD volume one contains: "Cat in a Hot Tin File" season 4 episode 15 "Dollars and Sense" season 5 episode 7 "Old Dogs, New Tricks" season 4 episode 13 "That's No Lady, That's an Agent" season 5 episode 11

There are 107 episodes to this series 1953-1957 For some reason they are not in order on the DVDs

If you enjoyed the acting of Don Porter, then you should not miss him in the Bob Hope classic "Bachelor in Paradise" (1961)

The version I watched was distributed by alpha video and was not remastered (it really should have been). The images do not hold up well on today's big screen TV's.

A comedy classic from the early years of television.

[chad478 · 25 February 2001]

This popular sitcom ran on CBS from 1953-57 and was the TV series debut of the great film and stage actress Ann Sothern. PRIVATE SECRETARY featured Sothern as Susie McNamara, the cute, friendly, and hard-working secretary of successful New York talent agent Peter Sands(played by Don Porter). Much of the action of the series revolved around Susie's efforts to help solve the personal problems of her boss, her friends, and various others.

PRIVATE SECRETARY was an excellent showcase for the comedic talents of the inimitable Ann Sothern, who also found fame and fortune in such Hollywood films as KID MILLIONS, TRADE WINDS, LADY BE GOOD, PANAMA HATTIE, CRY HAVOC, A LETTER TO THREE WIVES(her best), and the MAISIE film series.

Other regulars of the TV show were Ann Tyrrell as Vi Praskins, a friend and co-worker of Susie's, and Joan Banks as Sylvia, Susie's other frequently seen female friend.

Although PRIVATE SECRETARY was cancelled in 1957, Ann Sothern returned to prime-time TV a year later with another sitcom, THE ANN SOTHERN SHOW(1958-61), featuring her former series co-stars, Ann Tyrrell and Don Porter in supporting roles.

PRIVATE SECRETARY was later shown in syndication as SUSIE.

Great Show! loved both of Ann Sothern's series

[den246 · 28 October 2001]

I think the best episode in this series would have to be the "efficiency expert" show, I feel this should be shown to many companies that do way too much "cost cutting" without considering the ramifications!

Ann Sothern & Ann Tyrell were a great team!

Type this Show into Your Memory ***1/2

[edwagreen · 11 December 2007]

"Private Secretary" was such a good show.

Remember the beginning with that fabulous typewriter going so quickly. Since typewriters are obsolete today, could Susie MacNamara had been as effective on her computer? While technology has changed for the better, this is one example where the show would have been hurt.

Didn't Ernest Truex appear with Ms. Sothern? Or, was he on a subsequent show of hers highlighting a hotel known as the Barkley House?

Vi, Ann Tyrell, was great as a zany co-worker. I vividly remember her for her brief stint in "Good Morning, Miss Dove" as the parent of a young Freddy Makepeace, who had a good heart but found trouble so easily. Her daughter would receive an Oscar nomination years later for "Fat City."

The beginning of the show had great theme music set off by the noise of a fast going typewriter. Secretaries could identify with this show, especially those who looked to get their bosses out of jams.

I also remember Don Porter as the Conservative incumbent senator up against the very liberal senator in "The Candidate," as well as the bigoted father-in-law to be in the Lucille Ball version of "Mame."

Jessie White

[spankysez · 11 December 2005]

Jessie White, whose role as the sanatorium attendant in the movie "Harvey" is another gem and was later known as The Lonely Repairman in the Maytag commercials, played Cagey Calhoun.

He was frequently called upon by Susie to put into action some hair-brained scheme to get either get her boss into or out of a tight spot.

I seem to remember him referring to Susie "Foxy" with a wink-wink,nudge-nudge interaction. Does anyone remember what his link to the Susie character was? I was surprised to read that he was from Buffalo. He had a wonderful Brooklyn NY accent!