Take a Letter, Darling

The first half-hour sparkles. Tom (Mac Murray) is hired as a male secretary to what turns out to be a female (Russell) advertising executive. Worse, A.M. (that's her name) insists the tall good-looking secretary act as her beck-and-call escort. Remember, those were the days of strictly defined gender roles that were being transgressed by the arrangement. Hence, it's a setup with all sorts of entertaining complications. Meanwhile, Tom sees his masculinity slipping away, playing second-fiddle to a woman even if she is a generous paymaster. Those early scenes crackle with amusing by-play and are beautifully performed by two of Hollywood's best. I just wish the versatile Mac Murray had gotten the recognition his talent deserves.

However, once the focus shifts to complications with the Caldwells (Carey & Moore), the movie settles into more familiar and less sparkling terrain. Nonetheless, the results remain a fine example of studio craftsmanship from the '40's. Screenwriter Binyon, for example, was renowned for the wit and satirical abilities that show up here, while director Leisen certainly had the right touch for the frothy material. Note, for example, how many of his scenes don't end with a conventional cut-away from cast principals. Instead, Leisen ends the nightclub scene with two extras engaged in some card-playing business, or the scene that ends with a bellhop extra walking a dog up the hallway. These are colorful touches from a director who obviously cares.

Anyway, in my book, the movie's an imaginative little comedy from the studio that certainly knew how to do them, Paramount.

Advertizing Agency Partner Rosalind Russell (A M McGregor) hires painter Fred MacMurray (Tom) as her secretary in this male/female role reversal story that both Russell and MacMurray are very at ease with. MacMurray breezes his way through the film in a very aloof Boris Johnson kind of way, while Russell is excellent in her role.

MacMurray doesn't convince as an artist but it really doesn't matter. Russell is funny as a woman in control who knows that it's a man that she needs for happiness in life. It's not a revelation of a movie but it is easy-going and enjoyable.

Opera Hat or Top Hat? Don't be a flub!

It's too bad that director Mitchell Leisen wasn't working today and making Take A Letter Darling. If he did there would be a whole lot more explicit gender bending in this one.

Not that this film isn't good. In fact it's witty and bright and shows Rosalind Russell at her best. In her autobiography Russell describes this film as the first in her career woman roles. I'm supposing she isn't counting His Girl Friday, I guess Russell thought that Hildy Johnson had a job as a reporter as opposed to a career. After all she was trying all through the film to get away on her elopement and honeymoon with Ralph Bellamy.

But in Take A Letter Darling, Russell is a partner with Robert Benchley in an advertising agency. She can't keep a secretary and for good reason, she's got some specific night work requirements for a secretary and she demands the male gender as requirement number one.

In the gay world that Mitchell Leisen was part of, it's called hiring a beard. So many did it back in the day when the closet ruled. Many of the gay stars were always paired with public female dates lest there be any whispers about their sexuality. I'm sure it was the same in the business world.

Russell hires free spirited artist Fred MacMurray to squire her around and keep jealous wives at bay and to deter husbands from getting any ideas about some after office frolicking. In fact she sends MacMurray out to a favorite men's shop of hers where she gets him outfitted the same way Gloria Swanson took care of William Holden in Sunset Boulevard.

In real life Russell would have hired a gay man for her purposes, but since the mere mention of gay was out of the question, the heterosexist MacMurray is hired. They double team husband and wife George Reed and Margaret Hayes to land one account.

But an even bigger challenge presents itself with brother and sister tobacco heirs, Macdonald Carey and Constance Moore. Carey's been married four times already and Moore is a mint julep sucking southern belle who looks at MacMurray like a Virginia ham.

Take A Letter Darling holds up very well today although a knowledge of the mores of the times would certainly help younger viewers. This is definitely a film that could stand a remake, a more honest and explicit film about the practice of bearding.

Old, wonderful movies like these need to be restored and offered on Netflix and Amazon so they are able to be purchased. Roz Russell was a brilliant comedienne and her personality played beautifully against Fred Mac Murray's laid-back, sardonic presence.

This is a gem that needs some loving care. At least show it more on TCM. One of the earliest films to show male-female role reversal, i.e., male secretary vs female executive. It's such a great way to see how the upper middle class and upper, upper classes lived in the early forties. The night life scenes and the music are wonderful. A must see film for Russell fans.

I've never seen MacMurrary of Russell give more nuanced performances than in this screwball comedy about a successful woman executive who hires a male secretary to appear conventional on social outings. What is completely surprising is the outcome isn't one that consigns either character to a rigid, gender-defined role. Sly wit and great performances throughout, albeit marred by unfortunate racial stereotypes of the time.