Behind Office Doors

In days past BOD would have been called a 'woman's picture', since affairs of the heart occupy the storyline instead of action, mystery or suspense. Fortunately, actress Astor (Linden) turns in a nicely low-key turn as the under-appreciated power behind boss Duneen's company throne. She craves his affection instead of the compliments he occasionally provides her. Now he's planning to wed a high-society girl even though it's Linden's advice who's gotten him to the top. So what will become of her.

For me, a guy, the flick only has occasional interest as when character conflict comes to the top. Otherwise, the narrative's too talky and stage-bound, even though the gals do go through a number of gown changes on camera (Pre-Code, 1931). Too bad also that a more charismatic actor doesn't appear as Duneen. It's really hard to see how the savvy Linden could get so stuck on such a bland leading man that also weakens focal interest. Then too, the narrative staggers more than it unfolds, the director adding little or nothing. Anyway, I think a mild feminist under-current underlies key points of the plot, which, to me, is really the only reason to catch up with the uneven 82-minutes.

This is a pretty clever, well-acted version of the "modern" 30s woman's fairytale romance. In this case, she helps the man she loves become head of the company while serving as his secretary and eventually wins his love from a scheming social butterfly. Interestingly, her business sense is shown as subtly parallel to her homemaking prowess, and the ladies of the office are depicted as the "powers behind the throne." Lifted way above the average by Mrs. Astor's intelligent performance.

This film features Mary Astor as the brains behind a NYC paper company, manipulating the personal life and business affairs of her boss, Robert Ames, who seems oblivious of her charms and too witless, frankly, to be a captain of industry. Ricardo Cortez is her long-suffering married would-be lover (did they ever consummate their relationship in Atlantic City?).

Never a Mary Astor fan, I found her performance in this film to be outstanding. She carries the movie all by herself and exhibits a wide range of emotions without once overacting, which would have been a great temptation in a film of this type. The film itself is marred by an inferior supporting cast, especially Robert Ames, and a too-hurried wrap up at the end.

In the grand tradition of stand-by-your-man films, Behind Office Doors promotes that glorious message of olden days. Mary Astor stars as a secretary in love with one of her co-workers, Robert Ames. Thanks to her intelligence and ambition, she manages to promote Robert up the corporate ladder. Mary remains his faithful secretary, while being in love with him, and Robert repays her by ignoring her and fooling around with other loose secretaries. Mary is a very good girl, in every sense of the word, and while this pre-Code drama is extremely naughty, she isn't. In one scene, Mary discusses the price of French lingerie with her fellow secretary, and in a later scene, she finds a price tag on the floor of Robert's bedroom. In the first scene, Mary attends a party and gets kissed during a game of Blind Man's Bluff, then questioned about how far she'll go during Truth. If you like pre-Code screenplays, add this one to your list.

Mary gives a very heartfelt performance in Behind Office Doors, and while the plot and what she goes through might seem melodramatic to a modern audience, in 1931, it was serious business to be a good girl and remain so. When Ricardo Cortez offers a standing invitation to take Mary to Atlantic City, the audience knows what that means. To a modern woman, it sounds like a fun fling that can be enjoyed without any change to her reputation, but in 1931, it could be life-ruining. I do wish the end of the movie was different, but everything leading up to it was entertaining, dramatic, well-written, and well-acted. Check this movie out if you've never seen a Mary Astor movie, or if you only think of her as Marmee in Little Women. She's the lead and the star, and she holds her own as an old-fashioned girl with strong morals and a loving heart.

Terrific little film that stars Mary Astor as a go-getter who works her way up as a struggling paper company, but when the owner has to sell for health reasons, she comes up with a scheme for the employees to buy the company with a jerk salesman (Robert Ames) as the "front" even though she is the brains.

Of course he becomes a big success and she becomes his executive secretary, basically still running everything and teaching him class. She loves the dope, but he never catches on as he fools around with a string of bimbos. She is chased by a married but separated man, Ricardo Cortez, who isn't free. But when a society gal catches Ames, everything goes to hell.

Astor is just wonderful as the too-smart woman who almost makes a huge mistake after she loses her man. Ames is good as the jerk (but what does she see in him?), and Cortez is good but doesn't have much to do. Kitty Kelly is good as the sidekick, Dolores. Charles Sellon is the original owner, Cather Dale Owen is the society babe, and Edna Murphy is funny as Daisy.

Worth a look.