The Social Secretary

Beautiful secretary Norma Talmadge (as Mayme) quits job after job because amorous men are always making sexual overtures. In order find steady work without sexual harassment, Ms. Talmadge decides to make herself look "extremely unattractive to men." Talmadge puts on a pair of glasses, pulls her hair up in a tight bun, and cuts out the cleavage. Talmadge is hired by wealthy matriarch Kate Lester (as Mrs. Peabody-de Puyster), who lives with boozy playboy son Gladden James (as Jimmie de Puyster) and heiress daughter Helen Weir (as Elsie de Puyster). Of course, Mr. James finds Talmadge romantically unappealing, until he meets her sans disguise...

While Talmadge and James fall in love, one of Talmadge's former caddish employers, Herbert French (as Count Limonittiez) loses his fortune, and begins to court Ms. Weir. Knowing he is only after Weir's money, Talmadge decides to catch Mr. French in a compromising position. Gossipy reporter Erich von Stroheim (as Adam Buzzard) causes everyone problems for everyone, by revealing their secrets in his newspaper society column. Real-life couple John Emerson and Anita Loos are notable contributors. While the situation is ludicrous; Talmadge's comic performance, von Stroheim's snooty support, and the New York locale are strengths.

****** The Social Secretary (9/17/16) John Emerson ~ Norma Talmadge, Gladden James, Erich von Stroheim

After several bad experiences with hormonally overactive employers, Mayme, played by Norma Talmadge, dowdies herself up to take a job as a social secretary for Mrs. Von Puyster, the matriarch of a wealthy Riverside Drive family. (Ironically and coincidentally, just when Mayme has become fed up with her lecherous male bosses, Von Puyster has requested an unattractive applicant as the previous secretaries have left the job to get married--perhaps this would have made a bit more sense if Von Puyster were an unlecherous male, but whatever). Mayme quickly becomes close to the Von Puyster family. She is like a sister to daughter Elsie, and Mrs. Von Puyster thinks she does a fine job, and once son Jimmy (a drunk) accidentally sees the real un-uglified Mayme he becomes smitten (and cleans up his act instantly to become a good guy!--which is a bit awkward since we don't really like him to begin with, but oh well...) Mayme and Jimmie carry on a secret romance until they are found out by a smarmy reporter (played wonderfully by Erich von Stroheim). The threat of imminent exposure by the reporter, in addition to Elsie Von Puyster's marraige proposal by one of Mayme's lascivious ex-bosses, force Mayme to end her charade. The movie is fun, although the plot is at times oddly convenient, and definitely worth seeing if you have the chance.

This movie was so cute you could pinch its cheeks. Where has the cuteness gone in films? The silents were filled with cuteness!

Norma Talmadge stars as a pretty secretary who changes jobs alot due to passes made at her by sex-starved bosses. She finally answers an ad for a rich household on Fifth Ave. as a social secretary and makes herself look homely and unattractive so she doesn't lose this one. She gets the job and proves a valuable employee, but the playboy son in the house starts to realize her game. One night he comes home drunk and she thinks he's a burglar and hits him over the head with a flower vase. She's in her nighty without all her makeup and he chases her around the house and she locks herself in her bedroom. The next morning she plans on leaving, but at breakfast the son passes her a napkin on which he writes he's sorry, and won't do it again, and will she please stay on? He seems truly apologetic and so she stays.

Norma ends up saving the day when one of her former employers who was a wolf tries to ensnare the younger daughter of the family into a marriage because he's broke. She tries to tell the mother of the house but she won't believe Norma, so Norma at a party dresses up really pretty and reveals her true identity to the mother, and ensnares the former employer into an embrace in the garden to show the mother the true character of the wolf. The wolf is sent away in disgrace but sends a letter to the daughter of the house in secret that everyone is conspiring against him, and if she wants to marry him she'd better elope with him. The note works and the girl sneaks off. Well, I won't tell you the rest, this is getting long, but check out The Social Secretary for some smiles and fun.

Norma Talmadge the starring attraction here as Mayme, a young stenographer who cannot keep a job because every male client she gets makes advances toward her. Finally, she gets a lucky break. Mrs. de Puyster, a woman from a wealthy family, is looking for a new social secretary. Her only conditions are that the girl is intelligent, well-bred, and unattractive to men. Mayme desperately wants the job, so she slicks back her curls, puts on some glasses and plain-looking clothes and goes out to get her job. She is immediately hired and becomes one of the family, but she becomes worried about the daughter of the house who is falling for a phony Count from Portugal. Also, she begins to fall for the son of the house and is caught by a nosy reporter (Erich von Stroheim).

This movie is pretty standard. Nothing outrageous happens but it does hold one's attention. The Grapevine print isn't of the best quality, but the title cards are still readable and one can make out faces.

I had always heard that Norma Talmadge starred mainly in "women's weepies", but in this early film, she's more like a bouncy flapper. Norma stars as an attractive girl whose working life is made miserable by wolfish bosses, so she applies for her next job disguised as a frumpy spinster type. Action ensues when Norma has to stop the machinations of an evil cad and a snoopy society reporter (played with appropriate vulturishness by Erich Von Stroheim).

The film has winning performances, especially by Norma, some good cinematography, and a fairly engaging story. It will definitely interest those curious about 1916 society and everyday life. (It's interesting to see the 1916 definition of frumpy clothing, for example; the form-fitting, dark-colored clothes Norma wears as the "homely" girl would probably be considered sexier today than the fluffy garments she wears as the attractive girl. However, you can still get into the mindset of the time period and see how the latter garments would be perceived as more youthful and charming.)