Private Secretary (TV series)

Infobox Television
show_name = Private Secretary


caption = DVD cover of "Private Secretary"
aka = Susie
genre = Sitcom
starring = Ann Sothern
Don Porter
Ann Tyrrell
Jesse White
Joan Banks
country = USA
language = English
num_seasons = 5
num_episodes = 103
list_episodes =
exec_producer = Jack Chertok
Harry Poppe
asst_producer = Arthur Hoffe
runtime = 30 mins.
channel = CBS
first_aired = February 1, 1953
last_aired = September 10, 1957
imdb_id = 0045435
tv_com_id = 5939

"Private Secretary" (also known as "Susie") is an American comedy television series that aired for 103 episodes from February 1, 1953 to September 10, 1957 on CBS. The series starred Ann Sothern as Susie MacNamara, devoted secretary to handsome talent agent Peter Sands played by Don Porter.

Overview

Susie MacNamara (Sothern) was a former stage actress who worked as the private secretary for theatrical agent Peter Sands (Porter) at the fictional New York theatrical agency, International Artists Inc. Susie's honest, good-natured attempts to help Mr. Sands, especially in romantic matters, led to comedic complications. Susie was usually assisted by her best friend, Violet "Vi" Praskins (Ann Tyrrell), who was also the office's nervous and bumbling receptionist. Jesse White played Mickey "Cagey" Calhoun, a chief competitor and loudmouthed agent business rival to Susie's boss.

In an unusual move, "Private Secretary" also had two brief runs on another network. During the summers of 1953 and 1954, reruns from the recent season were shown on NBC, with the series resuming new shows on CBS each fall. [cite book |title=Filmed Television Drama, 1952-1958 |last=Hawes |first=William|year=2002 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=0-786-41132-5|pages=95]

----NEILSON RATINGS

S-1:#24

S-2:#19

S-3:#12

S-4:#25

eries end

The series was renewed for a fifth season, but Sothern walked out in a contact dispute with producer Jack Chertok, ending the series' run. [cite book |title=Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz |last=Steven Sanders |first=Coyne|coauthors=Gilbert, Thomas W. |year=1993 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=0-688-13514-5|pages=133]

Sothern, along with the rest of the cast, went on to star in another weekly series, "The Ann Sothern Show", from 1958 to 1961. [cite book |title=Sitcom Queens: Divas of the Small Screen|last=Karol |first=Michael|year=2006 |publisher=iUniverse |isbn=0-595-40251-8|pages=30]

yndication & DVD release

Before "Private Secretary" went into syndication, the opening title sequence and series name were changed. The series, which was sponsored by American Tobacco for Lucky Strike cigarettes during its original run [cite book |title=The Complete Encyclopedia of Television Programs, 1947-1979 |last=Terrace |first=Vincent|year=1979 |publisher=A. S. Barnes |isbn=0-498-02177-7|pages=809] , featured the companies sponsor I.D. in the opening title sequence which could not be aired in syndication. An animated title sequence was made featuring a cartoon "Susie". The series' name was changed when producer Jack Chertok withheld the rights to the show's original title in hopes of replacing Sothern with another actress in the title role. Chertok released "Susie" into syndication in the fall of 1957. The original title sequence has not been viewed since "Private Secretary's" original run.

In 2006, two video distributors, Critics' Choice and Alpha Video Distributors, released one volume of the series. Both releases were identical with the exception of the artwork. Both companies also released three more identical volumes. The latest, volume four, was released in April of 2007. Each volume contains four episodes of the series from varying seasons.

To date, there are no plans to release a complete series collection of "Private Secretary".

Awards and nominations

Emmy Award
*Nominated: Best Actress Starring in a Regular Series, Ann Sothern (1955)
*Nominated: Best Situation Comedy Series (1955)
*Nominated: Best Cinematography for Television, Robert Pittack (1956)
*Nominated: Best Actress - Continuing Performance, Ann Sothern (1956)
*Nominated: Best Continuing Performance by a Comedienne in a Series, Ann Sothern (1957)

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0045435|title=Private Secretary
*Tv.com show|id=5939|title=Private Secretary