Personal Maid's Secret

Not a bad little film with the fabulous Ruth Donnelly in the title role of the maid. One has to suspend a sense of realism to think that even those people living in a small apartment had maid service!! I mean, to look at the apartment of Margaret Lindsay and Warren Hull, you would think that they don't have two nickles to rub together--let alone afford a maid!! But if you can overlook that fact, then this is a nice little movie that keeps your attention throughout. Also, it is another treat to watch Margaret Lindsay--one of the best actresses ever. But it is the great Ruth Donnelly that keeps the film going--she is another character actress never given her due and it is so nice to see her headline a film on her own. Like a certain IMDBer has said "Pass the popcorn"--you will enjoy this film a lot, I think.

Lizzie (Ruth Donnelly) worked for the Bentleys on Park Avenue. She quits in frustration and goes to the employment agency. When she encounters working middle class Joan Smith (Margaret Lindsay), she decides to work for her even at a lower pay. She starts helping the Smith family climb up until they even take over the Bentley estate.

I almost died when little Bobby says, "Mommy. Please buy this one." It's the only laugh in the movie and an outlier in many different ways. That needs to be a meme. The story is rather odd. For most of it, Lizzie never explains why she doing what she's doing. Then the movie does a big reveal and it comes out of left field. It's a soap opera move.

With a run time of only fifty-eight minutes, this film is surprisingly satisfying.

A maid goes to work for a young family who can barely afford her services, but she uses subtle influence to elevate their social aspirations. Ruth Donnelly plays the maid, Lizzie, who uses craft and kindness to motivate the Smith family. Along the way, we learn that she harbors a secret.

The script is admirably economical as it creates connections between many of the characters, leading to conflicts and attractions. Through it all, Lizzie works her magic, leading to a revelation of the secret and an interesting, if brief, commentary on social classes.

This is a charming film. Watch for Arthur Treacher as a snooty but likable butler who is Lizzie's long-time friend.

Not even Hazel working for the Baxters in the comic strip or on television did as much good as Ruth Donnelly does for nominal stars Warren Hull and Margaret Lindsay in Personal Maid's Secret. With her offhanded suggestions thie couple manages to rise several notches on the social scale.

Donnelly should have gotten top billing, she has the title role and the film does revolve around her. As per the title she does have a secret and it''s a beaut. She has to reconcile with her past as well and does.

for you Arthur Treacher fans he's once again a butler and something happens to him that you won't see in any of his other films.

A nice product from Warner Brothers B picture unit and for fans of donnelly and Treacher.

Fourth-billed Ruth Donnelly is the subject of this ultra-short Warner B, as she ditches her old job - they never pay - for young couple Warren Hull and Margaret Lindsay. As a good household servant, she knows all the secrets but would never tell, except to fellow servant Arthur Treacher. By the end of the movie, we find out she has a couple of her own. She also pushes her employers to what seem to be extravagance, but turns out to be good advertising.

It times in at less than an hour and amuses, thanks to Warner Brother's fine stock company. It never sparkles; the dialogue is never more than sarcastic, and the direction by Arthur Grenville Collins in his first time handling the megaphone looks to maximize efficiency.

Ruth Donnelly was a longtime member of the Warner's stock company. Earlier she had been a favorite of George M. Cohan on stage. She played in some movie shorts in 1914, but didn't begin that phase of her career until 1931. Over the next 26 years, she appeared in almost ninety features. She died in 1982, aged 86.