Product Details

• Actors: Evalyn Knapp, John Wayne, Reginald Barlow, Alec B. Francis, Arthur Hoyt
• Directors: Phil Whitman
• Writers: Sam Katzman, Jack Natteford, Lewis D. Collins
• Producers: Al Alt, D.J. Mountan, Sam Katzman
• Format: Color, DVD, Original recording remastered, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: ROAN
• DVD Release Date: March 29, 2005
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007PALJI
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #261,078 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "His Private Secretary" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Mr. Wallace just can’t come to grips with his son Dick and his freewheeling lifestyle. He wants him to join the family business, but all Dick wants to do is have fun. Then Dick falls in love with the local minister’s granddaughter Marion and the two marry. Convinced his new wife is nothing but a gold digger, Mr. Wallace rejects his son outright. Now, determined to prove herself, Marion gets a job at Mr. Wallace’s business working in disguise. Starring Western legend and Oscar winner John Wayne (The Alamo, True Grit), taking on a tender role in this romantic comedy!

DVD Features:

-A fascinating introduction by New York Post film critic, Lou Lumenick!

-Colorful and informative production notes!

-Bonus serial episode of The Three Musketeers!

-Radiation March

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars His Private Secretary, February 13, 2007

By 

JP - See all my reviews

This review is from: His Private Secretary (DVD)

Whatever type of character John Wayne starts out to play, he ends up being a righteous soul. This movie was no different in that respect. I was disappointed with the chemistry between him and Evalyn Knapp. Considering it was digitally restored, I expected more quality in the picture and sound. BUT, then again, the movie is over 70 years old! I'm just thrilled to have these older movies available to enjoy! The bonus feature of an episode of an old The Lucy Show "Lucy and John Wayne" was a hoot!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Duke as a feckless Lothario, as a garage mechanic, and as second billing, June 4, 2011

By 

H. Bala "Me Too Can Read" (Just moved to posh Marina Del Rey, CA - where if you drop a quarter, why, you just keep on walking) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: His Private Secretary (DVD)

Before that legendary eye-patched martinet, John Ford, made him into a legitimate star in 1939's STAGECOACH, John Wayne languished in a cavalcade of negligible B-westerns. Somewhen in that languishing, Wayne also managed to squeeze out a few comedies. There was 1931's GIRLS DEMAND EXCITEMENT (which, from what I've heard, isn't very good) and this one, HIS PRIVATE SECRETARY, which came out in 1933. And, gosh, it's hard being objective when the subject matter's about one of your favorite movie stars. But a shot of Sodium Pentothal compels me to admit that HIS PRIVATE SECRETARY is entertaining, but only modestly so. To underscore Wayne's Hollywood status at the time, in the opening credits, he receives second billing to his female lead, Evalyn Knapp.

It's a bit jarring to see John Wayne veering away from his typical screen image and instead playing a shiftless rich playboy. Hell, it's jarring to see John Wayne without a horse or a six-shooter. Still, when true love finally slaps Dick Wallace (Wayne) in the face, it forces him to get his act together. This bit of redemption started when Wallace, Sr., a driven tycoon, in a last ditch effort to straighten out his son and draw him into the family business, deploys him to a small town to collect on an outstanding bill. There, in one of them patented cute encounters, Dick runs into the town minister's down-to-earth granddaughter, Marion (Evalyn Knapp), and he, champion skirt chaser that he is, immediately makes advances. But she's no cheap doxy.

Half the film (maybe more) is devoted to Dick's amorous pursuit. And after lots of Dick's getting rebuffed, he finally wins Marion over and they get married. When Wallace, Sr. gets wind of this, he furiously disowns his son, accusing the daughter-in-law he's never met of being a gold digger. It's up to Marion, level-headed and plucky, to bridge the chasm. She finagles her way into becoming Wallace, Sr.'s new secretary and, in time, earns his respect and fatherly affection. And then Dick messes up.

All this takes place within a 60-minute movie, and so you have to overlook those moments when things just unfold too abruptly. I'm not sure that I buy Marion's bonding with Wallace, Sr. in such an extraordinarily brief span of time. There's one last obstacle to hurdle, except that that particular conflict and its resolution are presented in these quick, choppy scenes. But, again, when you're only allotted an hour to tell your story, I guess you have to move like the dickens. Director W.S. Van Dyke - "One Take Woody," they called him - would've approved. HIS PRIVATE SECRETARY isn't a classic. It's best served when regarded as a curiousity film, a chance to see the Duke when he was young and was actually a good lookin' cuss. Wayne is pretty endearing in his antics here, demonstrating that even before STAGECOACH, he already had that screen presence. Let's face it, the man was never destined to languish in Poverty Row.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The gorgeous young Wayne, June 22, 2009

By 

Fitzherbert Farnsworth "Fitz" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: His Private Secretary (DVD)

I like John Wayne, the actor, but am not crazy about westerns. Also, I recently discovered how beautiful he was as a young man! ( Like most folks, I was only aware of his latter output in westerns when he had passed his peak of male beauty.) I was looking for an early film of his , a non-western with a little romance. This cute, lighthearted comedy fit the bill.