Behind Office Doors
Brief Synopsis
An under-appreciated secretary finds a new job and takes her former boss's success with her.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Melville Brown
Director
Mary Astor
Mary Linden
Robert Ames
Jim Duneen
Ricardo Cortez
Ronnie Wales
Catherine Dale Owen
Ellen Robinson
Kitty Kelly
Dolores Kogan
Film Details
Also Known As
Private Secretary
Genre
Drama
Adaptation
Classic Hollywood
Release Date
Mar
15,
1931
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel Private Secretary by Alan Brener Schultz (New York, 1929).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 26m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7,413ft
(9 reels)
Synopsis
Efficient, hardworking secretary Mary Linden all but runs Ritter & Company, a paper wholesaling business whose aging president is on the verge of retirement. Eager to help young salesman Jim Duneen, who had given her encouragement when she first struggled with her own job, Mary gives him confidential selling tips and recommends him to Ritter as the best candidate for the company's presidency. Although Jim takes advantage of Mary's unselfish aid, he fails to notice that she loves him deeply and calls her "girlie" in the office. Even after he is named president of the company, he sees Mary only as his personal secretary and casually hires his current "easy" girl friend, the slow-witted Daisy Presby, to work under her. In spite of these snubs, Mary remains faithful to Jim, rejecting the overtures of millionaire Ronnie Wales, a sweet but married man who adores her but refuses to divorce his estranged rich wife. When Mary learns of Jim's engagement to Ellen Robinson, a banker's daughter, however, her resolve crumbles. Ellen, aware of Mary's feelings for Jim, then forces Mary to quit the company, and a heartbroken Mary finally agrees to accompany Ronnie on a weekend trip to Atlantic City. On her way to Ronnie's hotel room, however, she realizes that if she gives in to Ronnie, she will be no better than the "cheap" women who hounded Jim. In the meantime, Jim realizes that he is unable to run the company without Mary and asks Dolores Kogan, her friend, the company switchboard operator, to find her. After Dolores "overhears" Jim and Ellen arguing bitterly over Daisy, she tells Mary that the engagement is off. Mary, posing as a secretary under an assumed name, rushes to see Jim, who gratefully rehires her and then proposes.
Director
Melville Brown
Director
Cast
Mary Astor
Mary Linden
Robert Ames
Jim Duneen
Ricardo Cortez
Ronnie Wales
Catherine Dale Owen
Ellen Robinson
Kitty Kelly
Dolores Kogan
Edna Murphy
Daisy Presby
Charles Sellon
Ritter
William Morris
Charles H. Robinson
George Macfarlane
Crew
Film Details
Also Known As
Private Secretary
Genre
Drama
Adaptation
Classic Hollywood
Release Date
Mar
15,
1931
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel Private Secretary by Alan Brener Schultz (New York, 1929).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 26m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7,413ft
(9 reels)
Articles
Behind Office Doors
An under-appreciated secretary finds a new job and takes her former boss's success with her.
Behind Office Doors
An under-appreciated secretary finds a new job and takes her former boss's success with her.
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Private Secretary. It was reviewed under that title by Motion Picture Herald in January 1931. In that early review, R. E. Loewinger, not Archie F. Marshek, is listed as the film's editor, and J. Walter Ruben is credited with both the adaptation and the dialogue. According to production news items, Roberta Gale, George Irving and Katya Sorina were signed to play roles, but their participation in the final film has not been confirmed.
