Customer Reviews

His Private Secretary

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

This review is for the Synergy Archive release of this title. It does not contain "The Lucy Show" episode with John Wayne that is mentioned as an extra in another review.

This is not Wayne's only romantic comedy, but it is the earliest I have seen. He hadn't yet become "the Duke" as we know him. I found that as I watched him in this role I wasn't picturing him in a hat and boots as I have in some of his later, lighter fare.

Wayne plays the spoiled, playboy son of a millionaire business man. He provides a constant source of frustration and disappointment for his father. When he takes a job in his father's office he is sent to collect on an overdue loan in a nearby town. He gives a young woman a ride on the way and falls hard for her. It turns out she is the granddaughter of the minister he is there to collect from and she wants nothing to do with him. Each time he convinces her to give him a chance he does something to upset her and loses her friendship.

*Spoiler Alert*

He forgives their loan, to his father's consternation and loses his job over it. He trades in his car for the local garage in Somerville (where the minister and his granddaughter live) so that he can see her as he works there, pumping gas, etc. After a couple more foiled attempts he finally wins her over and they are married. All this time she had no idea he was the son of a millionaire.

But when he tells his father he is married, dear old Dad is sure she must be a gold digger and won't listen when Dick (Wayne) tries to explain. Marion (Knapp) goes to smooth things over with her father-in-law, but is mistaken for an applicant to be his secretary. She gets the job and as time passes she wins him over, but her husband lets her down again and she leaves.

Now father and son are united in their effort to find her, since she and her grandfather have disappeared from Somerville. Meanwhile Dick has turned over a new leaf and when she finally returns there is a happy reunion.

Not the deepest story, but entertaining, and even more so for the novelty of young John Wayne. There has been no effort to clean up the print from which this disc was made. There are scratches and specks throughout and the contrast isn't the greatest. The sound quality also leaves much to be desired, but there was really only one place where I couldn't tell what was said. If you must have pristine picture and sound quality you won't be happy with this. For the price, I am glad I got it and was able to enjoy it even though I would have preferred clearer picture and sound.

There are no extras at all and you should remember before you order that this is a made-on-demand DVD-R, which will likely not play in DVD "player/recorder" models. You must view it from a "player only" model.