The Social Secretary

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.)

This extraordinary film was written by Anita Loos, and is one of her splendid early successes, long since unfairly forgotten! The writing credits say Anita Loos and John Emerson, but after marrying her three years later in 1919, he always made his wife put his name on the writing credits even when he hadn't contributed a word, so one wonders how much he really contributed to this script either. Emerson did however do an excellent job of directing this film, for in those days before he became overpowered by laziness and indolence, he did have a great deal of energy and talent, which shows clearly here. Loos was an intimate friend of the three Talmadge sisters, the eldest of whom was Norma. (Anita always used to say Constance was the really talented one, more so than Norma.) Here Norma is cute and lively and does a very good job as the heroine. She plays a working girl from Wichita who has come to Manhattan to work as a stenographer. She lives in the Woman Stenographer's Club (such residences for young ladies were common in those days and well into the 1950s, see for instance the excellent and truly fascinating film HOTEL FOR WOMEN, 1939, and my review of it, which alas is the only review it has received to date). She and her friends are constantly losing their jobs because of the most intolerable sexual harassment in the workplace, where the men simply will not stop pinching them, fondling them, trying to kiss them, and making outrageous efforts to seduce or rape them. By the time Anita wrote this, she was already 28, though she would have looked more like 16, partly because she was so tiny and had her boyish bob. (The stories about her being only 12 when she started writing scripts are not true, even though she naughtily encouraged them. She merely looked 12. It was one of her many witty jokes to pretend she was still the child that she appeared long after she had grown up.) But she obviously intended this film to be a powerful blow for women's self-respect and freedom to work without molestation, and indeed it was. One wonders when the feminists of today will discover this marvellous classic, which is preserved in an excellent print. Norma sees an ad in the paper seeking a social secretary who must be 'unattractive to men'. (This is typical Anita humour.) The ad has been placed by a society woman from Riverside Drive who is sick of her secretaries continually quitting to get married. (That problem has not disappeared today because women simply will not stop being interested in those rotters, men.) Norma dresses up as a 'perfect Friday night fright' as the credits say, or as we might say, a dreadful frump (or is that too old-fashioned too?) She then goes and secures the job because she looks so awful and dresses in such an appalling manner. She moves into the grand mansion with the family and keeps up this disguise, though she begins to get feelings for the handsome son. One of the men who tried to rape her then attempts to persuade the daughter of the house to marry him, for the sake of her money. He does not recognise Norma because of her frumpy disguise. But Norma reveals her true appearance as an attractive young woman and is willing to sacrifice her job to try to expose the man and save the girl from his clutches. And so the story goes on. Anita pulls no punches in her attack on the injustices shown to working women, and this is a strong tract indeed for such early times, when women could still not even vote. I knew Anita to a certain extent, having met her on several occasions and talked with her on a non-superficial level. That was when I was young and she was old. And thus the generations often overlap. She was a marvellous woman, so intelligent, witty, and kind, and such a delight to know. The very first time I met her, I was 17, and she nearly fell over with shock when she realized I knew who she was and starting asking her to tell me all about my hero D. W. Griffith. She said to me: 'Do you mean that there are young people today who have heard about D.W.?' She always adored him, and this really cheered her up. Now I find myself wondering in my turn: 'Are there young people today who have heard about Anita Loos?' If not, it is certainly their loss. This film is also important in that it contains an early performance by Erich von Stroheim, who plays a scavenger of tabloid scandals, aptly named Adam Buzzard. He creates a really memorable and convincing creepy character. This was only his fourth credited film role, and he had only been in movies for a year at the time it was made. Yes, this was still the early days, but this film was probably not surpassed in its message until Melanie Griffith made WORKING GIRL in 1988, 72 years later. That is how ahead of her time Anita was. And I would say some people have still not caught up with her subtle and incomparable satirical humour. For a proper dose, just sit down and read her original novel GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES, make a few allowances for the passage of time and changes of society and customs, and laugh your head off. There were two earlier silent films called THE SOCIAL SECRETARY, made in 1912 and 1913, but they are not related to this one, and I believe they are lost.

Talmadge is the star is this brisk 1916 comedy-drama, and she's quite good. She plays a secretary who keeps getting unwanted attention from her male bosses, so she makes herself dowdy and goes to work as the social secretary for a rich woman. She then gets involved in the household dramas of the rich family in a series of episodes. Talmadge is beautiful and a very good actress. It's easy to see why Norma Talmadge was one of the biggest stars of the 20s. She is, unfortunately, also remembered as being one of the biggest victims of "talkies." Talmadge made 2 talkies and then retired from films. Her New York accent did not match her screen persona as the epitome of romance and charm. This is a good little film, which also boasts Erich Von Stroheim as the Buzzard, Gladden James as the boy friend, Kate Lester as the matriarch, Helen Weer as Elsie, and Nora Cecil as the spinster secretary who "never has a problem with men." Interestingly, this plot was used 20 years later in the Marion Davies film, Ever Since Eve.

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

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.