My Dear Secretary (1948)
“Love is strictly business... until it isn't.”
Streamed free from the Internet Archive · no signup, no cost — this film is in the public domain.
Synopsis
A breezy United Artists romantic comedy pairing Laraine Day with Kirk Douglas in an early, charmingly caddish leading role. When the secretary's own novel outsells her boss's, romance curdles into rivalry. Keenan Wynn steals scenes as the hero's wisecracking sidekick.
Cast
About the Director
Charles Martin — Writer-director Charles Martin keeps things light and dialogue-driven, leaning on his stars' chemistry. It's a minor but likable entry in the postwar career-woman comedy cycle.
Why It’s Free: The Public-Domain Story
Public domain by copyright non-renewal. The United Artists film's copyright was not renewed after its initial term, placing it in the US public domain; it appears on Wikipedia's list of US public-domain films, sourced to TCM.
Behind the Scenes
Released by United Artists in 1948 as Kirk Douglas was just breaking into stardom. Like many independently produced UA titles of the era, its copyright lapsed for lack of renewal.
Did You Know?
- Kirk Douglas made this the same year as the noir classics that would define his early career.
- Keenan Wynn's comic-relief role nearly walks off with the picture.
- The story turns on the comic premise of the secretary becoming a more successful author than her employer.
Reception & Legacy
Reviewers treat it as lightweight but agreeable, buoyed by Day and Douglas's rapport and Wynn's comedy. It survives mainly as an early showcase for a pre-stardom Kirk Douglas.
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