Private Secretary

I think the best episode in this series would have to be the "efficiency expert" show, I feel this should be shown to many companies that do way too much "cost cutting" without considering the ramifications!

Ann Sothern & Ann Tyrell were a great team!

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.

In this 50's TV comedy series, the private secretary to talent agent Peter Sands (Don Porter), Susan Camille McNamara (Ann Sothern) goes out of her way to help her boss in the most convoluted schemes. Somehow, she always puts her foot in it; yet in the end, everything turns out fine.

Either a victim of old age or bad memory (possibly the world has changed); I found this series to be straining for laughs.

The DVD volume one contains: "Cat in a Hot Tin File" season 4 episode 15 "Dollars and Sense" season 5 episode 7 "Old Dogs, New Tricks" season 4 episode 13 "That's No Lady, That's an Agent" season 5 episode 11

There are 107 episodes to this series 1953-1957 For some reason they are not in order on the DVDs

If you enjoyed the acting of Don Porter, then you should not miss him in the Bob Hope classic "Bachelor in Paradise" (1961)

The version I watched was distributed by alpha video and was not remastered (it really should have been). The images do not hold up well on today's big screen TV's.

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."