Private Secretary

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.

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.

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!

"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."

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.