Private Secretary (TV series)
| Private Secretary | |
|---|---|
Sothern as Susie McNamara, 1954
|
|
| Also known as | ''Susie'' |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Starring |
Ann Sothern Don Porter Ann Tyrrell |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 104 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Jack Chertok Harry Poppe |
| Running time | 24-25 mins. |
| Production company(s) | Jack Chertok Television Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | February 1, 1953 – September 10, 1957 |
Private Secretary (also known as Susie) is an American sitcom that aired from February 1, 1953 to September 10, 1957 on CBS, alternating with The Jack Benny Program on Sundays at 7:30pm EST. The series stars Ann Sothern as Susan Camille "Susie" MacNamara, devoted secretary to handsome talent agent Peter Sands, played by Don Porter.
Susie MacNamara (Sothern) was a former stage actress (and a WAC veteran of WW2 and also a single woman as well) who worked as the private secretary for theatrical agent Peter Sands (Porter) at the fictional New York theatrical agency, International Artists Inc. Susie's honest, good-natured attempts to help Mr. Sands, especially in romantic matters, always led to comedic complications. Susie was usually assisted by her best friend, Violet "Vi" Praskins (Ann Tyrrell), the office's nervous and bumbling receptionist. In guest appearances, Jesse White played Mickey "Cagey" Calhoun, a chief competitor and loudmouthed agent business rival to Susie's boss. One of the show's trademarks was the set decoration portraying a 1950s state-of-the-art executive office, with stylish decor, IBM typewriters and the latest office telephone gear from Western Electric. There were occasional references to a young actress, never seen, who was a client of Mr. Sands, named Harriet Lake (Sothern's real name).
In an unusual move, Private Secretary also had two brief runs on another network. During the summers of 1953 and 1954, reruns from the recent season were shown on NBC as a summer replacement for Your Hit Parade, with the series resuming new shows on CBS each fall.Private Secretary, Your Hit Parade and The Jack Benny Program were all sponsored by Lucky Strike Cigarettes. Its parent company American Tobacco Company had some financial interest in all three programs and their respective network time-slots.
Private Secretary finished at #24 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1953-1954 season, at #19 for 1954-1955, at #12 for 1955-1956 and #25 for 1956-1957.
The series was renewed for a sixth season, but Sothern walked out in a contract dispute with producer Jack Chertok, ending the series' run. Sothern, along with several cast members, went on to star in another weekly series, The Ann Sothern Show, from 1958–61.
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