Behind Office Doors (1931)
“The power behind the desk wore a skirt.”
Streamed free from the Internet Archive · no signup, no cost — this film is in the public domain.
Synopsis
An early-talkie office melodrama with Mary Astor as the indispensable secretary who makes her oblivious employer a success. When a rival firm tries to poach her, the boss finally notices what (and whom) he's been missing. A snapshot of pre-Code workplace romance.
Cast
About the Director
Melville W. Brown — Melville W. Brown directs in the static, dialogue-heavy style of RKO's first sound years, but Mary Astor lends real warmth and intelligence to the long-suffering heroine.
Why It’s Free: The Public-Domain Story
Public domain by copyright non-renewal. The RKO Radio Pictures film was not renewed at the U.S. Copyright Office and entered the public domain in 1959 (Wikipedia's list of US public-domain films).
Behind the Scenes
Adapted from the novel "Private Secretary" and released by RKO in March 1931, its copyright was allowed to lapse 28 years later, in 1959.
Did You Know?
- Mary Astor headlines a decade before her Oscar and her turn in The Maltese Falcon.
- Ricardo Cortez, often cast as a smooth heavy, plays the rival suitor.
- The film is built around the pre-Code archetype of the office "wife" who runs everything from behind the scenes.
Reception & Legacy
A modest programmer in its day, it's now of interest mainly as early Mary Astor and as a window into 1931 RKO talkie style and pre-Code office mores.
Letter of Introduction
Kept Husbands
Wives Under Suspicion
Millie