Sorry but, I have to post again. I was reading some comments from people thinking they were being funny. But, they actually were being insulting to office workers of the era. That thing about secretaries being just fun girls for the boss is just Hollywood fantasy. These ladies were real professionals who worked hard and did a good day of work. They also trained for becoming a secretary. It was not some lay on your back kind of thing for some ding a ling. They were smart and capable and Professional. To insult and put them down is really crass. They had enough to deal with back in the day when Hollywood did make cheap jokes about them. These women deserve our respect for being the groundbreakers for Professional women in the workplace today
True. As far as I know, they were like an office worker anf manager at the same time. Heavy workload and doing their best, while at the same time being exposed to daily sexism and discrimination. Truly an important step towards womens rights
This film demonstrates how much we’ve declined in setting high expectations for employees. These days we can hardly expect employees, especially millennials, to even show up to work. And if they do, we cannot complain if they show up in their pajamas lest we hurt their feelings and get reprimanded by HR. Frankly, I think it would do us good as a society to go back to a time when bosses actually were as tough (managerial) as this guy in the film.
I did Secretary and Reception work i n the 80s and I am so jealous of the way the desks had spaces for the typewriters when you were done. this one she pushed down and over. I've seen some on these videos where they swing up with opening the top. Never had that back when I started out or after. They just sat on top like always. No tucking away. I find back then they did so many clever things like pocket doors and those iron boards that fold up and out of the way without all the trouble of today, They had linen drawers and even drawers for clothes that came out of the wall. Things really were done clever and so conveienent and out of the way without all the clutter
@@CocoaPuff01 Oh, I know that,,,I'm using a laptop now! Lol. But, serious, I just think that is so cool. Before computers when typewriters were still used they just sat on the desk taking up room when not used. I would have been cool to have one of those old style things where the typewriter was tucked away. I just think they have alot more cool ideas and stuff back then. Really clever ideas. You should see this old film about 'new' kitchens. There were some really awesome things
A job is a job is a job...getting settled in is always a challenge. What I find muzing is that back in those days a young lady out of High School was competent to work with skills and responsibility. Now days I am not confident anyone out of High School is capable and willing.
@@libratude9595 Oh, the overt drama, as far as the frazzled "new girl" being careless, the dark dramatic music, the boss who is not dissimilar to the daunting husband out of "Gaslight," it just seemed a bit too ominous and film-noir-like for a mere film about secretarial duties.
Gloria Willis gives an amazingly endearing performance. You almost feel protective of her when the boss is being mean to her, and you start cringing when she makes the next mistake. She is adorably childlike in the first half: her stricken facial expressions after she screws up, then a sudden happy dawning of realization as she learns and things become easier for her, and finally mature confidence in her skills at her chosen profession ... she is always believable and never phony. I am surprised that she didn't do more acting. It must have been by choice, because she was really great at generating empathy. This is an A quality film because of her, even when "Rifftrax" is mocking it. :)
The secretary is played by Gloria Willis. A post on another channel by a man who said he is her son said Gloria made just a few films, instructional and promotional in nature, but also acted off Broadway, including with Jean Stapleton, who was a friend of hers. The son said Gloria grew up poor and was a lifelong progressive working for Civil Rights, labor causes and humane treatment of animals. He said she died in 2005 and was particularly admiring of a new rising presidential prospect named Barack Obama. Very interesting to see the story of a talented person not a household name, but very devoted to her art.
I came looking for this. I'm shocked she didn't have more of a career. She has a unique look and a certain charisma. And yeah, she's gorgeous. Such a shame there's not a library of performances out there.
@@xdarkridex She had a great stage career. I have wondered if the name Gloria may have been given to Edith Bunker's daughter because Jean Stapleton was a close friend of Gloria.
Wow - did this bring back memories! I did notice that she turned the calendar over twice, and she didn't write the new appointment down on it. But this was great. Thanks for uploading it!
She actually had a Training Manual to refer to??? I had to learn the job as I went along. Every legal secretarial position that I worked in, I was pretty much on my own. However, I had determination. I enjoyed learning about the law. I read everything I got my hands on.
I had a job as financial manager of a large dental clinic (over 100 employees). My training consisted of half a page of large handwritten information by the person leaving. I had to learn fast!
A nice story. I come from Germany. In my country, the enterprises used manual typewritera until the Last 1960th (i.e. Olympia SM, Continental Ideal, Adler or Triumph). Greetings from Germany!
This was good. She struggled at first. She didn’t knock on the door to his office. She just walked in. At the end, she was a fine secretary. This was so pleasant to view.
First they got rid of secretaries and started calling them "Admin Assistants".....fast forward to 2020 and practically everyone of working age types their own documents......and the number of admin assistants in the US drops dramatically year after year.
Like how she realized the first part was just a dream because she messed up on her first day so bad she effectively destroyed the company and *survived*
Mr. Harmon and some of his clients might need some training on tactful business etiquette and fundamental interpersonal skills. This girl should consider finding a job working for someone who isn’t going to throw a mini tantrum every time she overlooks something.
When a boss screams at you, tell them if they do that again you'll be waiting outside work to have a chat with them about letting their mouth write cheques their hands can't cash
I was a secretary in my early 20s...way back in the early 70s...and one day I took a call from a man looking for one of our salesmen. He really angry and yelling at me; I kept quiet and took the message but when I Hu g up the VP of our office was standing by my desk and asked about the call. When I told him he said "Next time, hang up. I don't pay you enough to take abuse." Mr. Zickefoose, you were a nice guy.
Spoken like a woman of the 21st Century! I was a secretary in the early 1970s when I was in my early 20s. In addition to cleaning out an ashtray and all my secretarial duties, I had to keep the meeting room ready for visitors, bring in the coffee service for meetings with visitors, change the water bottle in my boss' private sparklers machine (and back then it was a heavy glass 5 gallon bottle), and even go down and move his car if he was in a spot with limited parking times. He was going for his PHD and I typed his papers and learned some juicy stuff about the office which I kept to myself. I enjoyed it, but the pay was low.
I think he’s an awful boss to be such a hard ass on her. She’s young and making mistakes but it isn’t NASA. He could learn a lot from his last secretary about courtesy. He’s too passive aggressive but it’s the way they made this reel.
I feel bad for her dictation. Oh no! I feel the anxiety. She went and did everything contrary to her training booklet. UGH! Glad it was a dream! LOL poor thing. I have those nightmares when I start a new job in my career. LOL
I know it was a different era but I can’t believe bosses would spank adult secretaries just for little mistakes like adding a paragraph break (at 8:55). Thank god for modern hr laws.
what happened to all the cool gadgets they had back then? I would love some of those hide away concepts for my area. LOL Even some of the ones I have watched for the 1950s wife in the kitchen. The refrigerators and stoves were the bomb. I know it is off subject here. Just think they had some great concepts. I wish they kept them.