His Private Secretary (1933)

My Review

John Wayne plays the playboy son of a rich businessman who wants him to settle down, and he surprises everyone by marrying the town minister’s granddaughter in “His Private Secretary.” Director Phil Whitman put together an entertaining Pre-Code B-film comedy with a decent screenplay by Lewis D. Collins and Jack Natteford. At the age of 26, this was one of the Duke’s few non-Western roles.

The cast includes Evalyn Knapp, who gets the picture’s top billing as the new bride, John Wayne as her hubby, Reginald Barlow as his father, Alec B. Francis as Rev. Hall, Arthur Hoyt and Natalie Kingston as friends, Al St. John as the car garage owner, and Hugh Kidder as the butler. With a one hour running time, the watchable “His Private Secretary” was a big hit at the Depression Era box office for Screencraft Productions and Marcy Pictures.