Vintage 1950s TV Shows

Vintage 1950s TV

Private Secretary

          Private Secretary (also known as Susie MacNamara) was a sitcom that aired from February 1, 1953, to September 10, 1957, on CBS.  The series stars Ann Sothern as "Susie" MacNamara, devoted secretary to handsome talent agent Peter Sands, played by Don Porter.

          Susie is a former stage actress, a WAC veteran of World War II and single woman who works as the private secretary for theatrical agent Peter Sands at a New York theatrical agency, International Artists Inc. Susie's honest, good-natured attempts to help Mr. Sands, especially in romantic matters, always leads to comedic complications.

          Susie is assisted by her best friend, Violet "Vi" Praskins (Ann Tyrrell), the office's nervous and bumbling receptionist. In guest appearances, Jesse White played Mickey "Cagey" Calhoun, a chief competitor and loudmouthed agent business rival to Susie's boss. One of the show's trademarks was the set decoration which portrayed a 1950s state-of-the-art executive office, with stylish furniture, IBM typewriters and the latest office telephone gear from Western Electric. There are occasional references to a young actress, never seen, who was a client of Mr. Sands, named Harriet Lake.

          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 as a summer replacement for Your Hit Parade, with the series resuming new shows on CBS each fall.^] Private Secretary, Your Hit Parade and The Jack Benny Program were all sponsored by Lucky Strike Cigarettes. Its parent company American Tobacco Company had some financial interest in all three programs and their respective network time-slots.