My Dear Secretary is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Charles Martin, starring Laraine Day and Kirk Douglas.

Plot

Successful novelist and playboy Owen Waterbury (Douglas) hires aspiring writer Stephanie 'Steve' Gaylord (Day) as his secretary; a dream come true for Steve who admires Owen and his work. Steve soon finds out that the egomaniacal Owen has gone through a series of secretaries who have left when they are fed up with his behaviour. He is constantly in debt and cannot begin to write a contracted novel that will pay his bills including a lucrative advance by his publisher. Steve perseveres until the novel, based on the events of Steve's life and that mentions a character based on his publisher shown in an unflattering light, is used publication.
Owen claims he cannot have a wife and a secretary so fires his wife and goes back to his old ways, hiring an admiring and attractive female to be his secretary. In the meantime Steve takes Owen's rejected manuscript to her former companion, Charles Harris, who is a major publisher. Harris, who now employs Elsie, Owen's former secretary before Steve, also asks to see Steve's manuscript.
Harris finds Owen's manuscript interesting but ordinary, but believes Steve's manuscript to be not only worthy of publication but a serious candidate for literary prizes. Steve initially uses publication due to hurting Owen's fragile ego but soon changes her mind because of the philandering. She hires an attractive male secretary and the two writers compete with each other.

Cast

• Laraine Day as Stephanie 'Steve' Gaylord
• Kirk Douglas as Owen Waterbury
• Keenan Wynn as Ronnie Hastings
• Helen Walker as Elsie
• Rudy Vallee as Charles Harris
• Florence Bates as Horrible Hannah Reeve
• Alan Mowbray as Deveny
• Irene Ryan as Mary
• Gale Robbins as Dawn O'Malley
• Grady Sutton as Sylvan Scott

Category:1948 films
Category:American films
Category:English-language films
Category:Black-and-white films
Category:1940s romantic comedy films
Category:United Artists films