The Secretary's Day (1947)

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  • Опубліковано 31 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 960

  • @hourslookingsideways7850
    @hourslookingsideways7850 Рік тому +669

    Notice how Jean isn't bombarded with emails, texts, obnoxious people milling about or music playing over everything. I envy Jean.

    • @cassandrahoods8186
      @cassandrahoods8186 Рік тому +14

      Me too

    • @geraldboykin6159
      @geraldboykin6159 Рік тому +60

      She has no tats or body piercings! 🤣

    • @govinda102000
      @govinda102000 Рік тому +23

      Truth but I actually miss that. Of 70 reps at my company, 65 refused to go back to in-office after Covid peaked. We had been sent home for 6 months. My company flinched when nearly everyone refused. It got kinda quiet so I left after 22 years with the company.

    • @AnberThe
      @AnberThe Рік тому +13

      @@govinda102000 ok boomer

    • @noname-qw9td
      @noname-qw9td Рік тому +21

      @@geraldboykin6159 having no tattoos or body piercings has nothing to do with the way in which her environment allows her to better fulfil her work from day-to-day.

  • @vernettegilbreath2353
    @vernettegilbreath2353 Рік тому +289

    This is such a respectful and honorable way to describe this profession.

    • @jvolstad
      @jvolstad Рік тому +10

      I agree.

    • @safffff1000
      @safffff1000 Рік тому +17

      I liked that desk with the folding top.

    • @janesmith7716
      @janesmith7716 Рік тому +3

      Yes is wonderful you said that 🙏🏽

  • @thevintagekitty
    @thevintagekitty 5 років тому +959

    I wish more people would recognize the absolute essential role admin assistants, secretaries etc, play. Nothing would function and companies would be out of business without them.

    • @lisamiller8174
      @lisamiller8174 5 років тому +35

      Alas, in many companies, being an admin is a dead end job. You might start as a receptionist, and, maybe move into an admin position, but moving up and out of that, and staying in that company may not happen.

    • @thevintagekitty
      @thevintagekitty 5 років тому +7

      @@lisamiller8174 Very True

    • @reginafallangie2867
      @reginafallangie2867 5 років тому +20

      Lisa Miller, I’d say ur at the wrong companies. I’ve worked for numerous major companies where many admins move up & it’s quite commonplace for it to b a stepping stone to advancement within the company.

    • @lisamiller8174
      @lisamiller8174 5 років тому +8

      @@reginafallangie2867 I am not at the wrong company. That's just the way they do it in some industries.

    • @MsAsssde
      @MsAsssde 5 років тому +6

      It is that sort of arrogance that "only they" do work that is critical to business, that's the cause of much of the disrespect.
      There should be noone working at a company if they don't perform an essential role.

  • @rachelball1174
    @rachelball1174 5 років тому +313

    Girls took commercial or business courses in high school to be able to get jobs like this. Most of us only worked until we got married. Things were so different then.

    • @Retroscoop
      @Retroscoop 2 роки тому +31

      Today, it would be almost impossible in many towns to only live on the husband equals 'provider's' income. Prices of many home appliances might have gone down due to the use of cheaper plastics and overseas production, the prices of houses and appartments have gone up so fast, a double income is generally needed. Not sure which of the two models is best, and of course, it depends on whether one is a man or a woman. More options for women for sure, but unfortunately, every change comes with a price tag. So I guess it is a mixed result....

    • @dwightpowell6673
      @dwightpowell6673 2 роки тому +19

      I don't think they teach typing and other secretarial courses like stenography in high school anymore

    • @EmpressMermaid
      @EmpressMermaid 2 роки тому +19

      @@dwightpowell6673 They don't teach those, but they do teach office and administrative skills. Just updated with technology and computers.

    • @dwightpowell6673
      @dwightpowell6673 2 роки тому +2

      @@EmpressMermaid thank you for the update.

    • @carlybishop6160
      @carlybishop6160 2 роки тому +12

      @@dwightpowell6673 They don't but they also don't need to nowadays. Back then few people had experience of typing outside of school. I am 32 now and learnt to type thanks to years of using MSN Messenger with friends 🤣

  • @ElwoodPDowd-nz2si
    @ElwoodPDowd-nz2si 5 років тому +297

    These old narrations are relaxing.

  • @jakebluethunder
    @jakebluethunder Рік тому +39

    Wow, those really were the days. The message is still relevant. Organization, attention to detail, time management and a professional attitude are always important.

    • @bucnner
      @bucnner Рік тому

      Yup! And all still relevant principled lessons for today! 😁

  • @reenougle
    @reenougle 5 років тому +555

    I am the Office Manager and I would kill to have a leisurely day like that!! My diary is on Outlook and I have so much more work because everything is instant with emails. In those days you had the phone calls but no computers so you had to wait for responses to letters. A much less hectic pace. Jealous!!!!!

    • @woofiedog7452
      @woofiedog7452 5 років тому +50

      I was a secretary in the late 1970's and 1980's with the same sort of routine as this woman has in the video (slightly more up to date equipment). Each day involved doing one task at a time, having a lot of time to do each one and having lapses in work altogether where my inbox was cleared. Believe me, a slow work pace like that is extremely boring after a while. Having a fast paced job might be hectic, even exhausting if you have to multi-task several things at once- but the day must go quicker. You are definitely experiencing the 'grass is greener' syndrome.

    • @Scroogs
      @Scroogs 5 років тому +26

      @@woofiedog7452
      And you aren't? Lol

    • @ItsNicola
      @ItsNicola 5 років тому +5

      reenougle Exactly what I thought....

    • @Mtz2604
      @Mtz2604 4 роки тому +11

      Customer service supervisor here... I feel you with outlook! Meetings, trainings, task, follow ups, projects, even with outlook I usually have a notepad (yeaahh a physical one) were I write my 1:1s with my manager, questions, notes from meetings and trainings or call outs from certain topics or things during the day and week, small ideas for projects ongoing, calls or emails to make, everything passed on the week? If I need I back it up in OneNote... So I feel you

    • @rinwesley3092
      @rinwesley3092 4 роки тому +18

      Woofie Dog I would take the slow paced day with 5 hours instead of 8. 🙂

  • @augustmurdoch738
    @augustmurdoch738 Рік тому +301

    As a secretary, I love the part says "a good secretary doesn't rely on memory" 😂 so true

    • @erflingnot
      @erflingnot Рік тому +8

      I think this statement is more correct “… a good office( manager, admin or personal assistant) doesn’t rely on memory alone”
      True? ;-)

    • @BigOMag
      @BigOMag Рік тому +8

      @@erflingnot As a teacher, I can tell you "A good teacher doesn't rely on memory"

    • @erflingnot
      @erflingnot Рік тому +1

      🥰

    • @erflingnot
      @erflingnot Рік тому +3

      @@BigOMag I agree you need a lot more than memory, and rote recitation…. it takes heart guts and love thank you for being a teacher.🫡

    • @erflingnot
      @erflingnot Рік тому +2

      Working with people and children my mother had a great antidote, overworn and overused, but still very true
      Never judge a book (or a situation) by its cover…. You have to crack it open.! and cover to cover front to back top to bottom

  • @violinplayer101
    @violinplayer101 5 років тому +220

    Ahhh, the days before the internet when you had to look up hotels in a book...

    • @lettyguerra371
      @lettyguerra371 5 років тому +17

      I was never a secretary, but while I was an accounting clerk, I was given the additional duty of arranging travel for sales shows. I had to use several hotel books, and maps to see if it was close to the venue. It took less time than using the internet.

    • @hondotoo
      @hondotoo 5 років тому +8

      i worked at an auto dealership parts dept... had to use books on the counter and the wall phone, no internet back in the day

    • @lexigrimhaive
      @lexigrimhaive 4 роки тому +5

      I can’t even imagine trying to do all the things we do easily do on computers & phones by hand. Especially math.

    • @StoutProper
      @StoutProper 4 роки тому +5

      Yeah probably a lot quicker

  • @hollyb6885
    @hollyb6885 5 років тому +275

    Those desks they were using where the typewriter flips up were kinda cool.

    • @olexanderzhornik7349
      @olexanderzhornik7349 5 років тому +9

      Of course. I've never seen one before

    • @Itsjustme-j4o
      @Itsjustme-j4o 5 років тому +25

      I have one of those exact desks works perfectly and still looks new! Purchased at local antique store for $60.00

    • @hollyb6885
      @hollyb6885 5 років тому +8

      knarfggor Wow. I’m kinda jealous.

    • @Itsjustme-j4o
      @Itsjustme-j4o 5 років тому +16

      @@hollyb6885 The seller had a $300.00 price tag on it and had to move to another booth and didn't want to so they let us have it for $60.00 I have been known to flip this over and over again in fascination to marvel at this feature. Sometimes it doesn't take much to entertain myself LOL.

    • @hollyb6885
      @hollyb6885 5 років тому +4

      knarfggor 😁👍👍

  • @davidfromamerica1871
    @davidfromamerica1871 2 роки тому +51

    The Architecture of the buildings back then were a work of art. Most have been torn down and replaced by modern building Architecture that lacks the artistic beauty.

    • @ioi790
      @ioi790 2 роки тому +2

      Because in that time the space is wide on the other hand today the employee are many and the space is small 🙃

    • @davidfromamerica1871
      @davidfromamerica1871 Рік тому

      @@jackdotblue
      People have a difficult time committing suicide out of high rise office buildings.
      The windows don’t open..😄😄😄😄

  • @lly8598
    @lly8598 Рік тому +84

    In law school, they emphasized to get a damn good legal secretary, bc she’s going to teach you everything you didn’t learn in law school, which was everything. 😂xo

    • @cyndielake4092
      @cyndielake4092 Рік тому +6

      Lol! I was a CCU nurse at a teaching hospital our attending physician always told his new batch interns and residents to treat the nurses very kindly and with respect because we had probably been there longer and had more experience and would probably at some point save their careers. 😂

    • @MrRibby88
      @MrRibby88 9 місяців тому +1

      That is just to make the legal secretaries feel good about themselves and make them feel important. This is necessary because the pay is appalling for the stress they have to endure.

  • @SJHFoto
    @SJHFoto 3 роки тому +116

    In the many years I've had my small business, I've had four assistant managers. Each had their various strengths, but only one was a secretary. That secretary worked for me for about half a decade, and was truly invaluable. The level of organisation and efficiency was really high-just like in this video

    • @tj921able
      @tj921able Рік тому +5

      It's those secretaries that make an office pleasant & organized. Thankful you are grateful for your secretary.

    • @SJHFoto
      @SJHFoto Рік тому +1

      @@tj921able I just saw this. Indeed, I really did appreciate her. And now that I don't have anyone to do what she did, I see that I couldn't thank her enough. (I always told her how much she was appreciated) In addition to her many other responsibilities, she was the one to do my advertising. In fact, a few of her videos are on my youtube channel (go back to the very beginning)

  • @pinkmagicali
    @pinkmagicali 4 роки тому +110

    OMG that desk is awesome! Look at how the desk rose out of it! I wish I could have this kind of work. I watch all these old videos and wish I was born in that time instead of this one. I'm old fashioned, it would suit me well.

    • @Retroscoop
      @Retroscoop 2 роки тому +15

      Of course; these old videos were "somewhat" idealized. Everything in it looks just a little bit too nice, too smooth, too perfect. For sure, there was more style and elegance in those days. On the other hand, I'm glad the policies concerning smoking at the office have changed, that noisy typewriters have been replaced by more quiet computers etc. The gap between the average boss and secretary was much wider in these days. It's a somewhat mixed picture. But having said that, yes, it must have been quite a thing to live in those days, the suits, the cars, the stylish restaurants, the Film Noir in the cinema in stead of at home on a flat screen...

    • @cassandrahoods8186
      @cassandrahoods8186 Рік тому +2

      Me too. I'm old fashion as well.

    • @billbreneman3053
      @billbreneman3053 Рік тому +8

      I too love the desk! What I love even more are traditional, old fashioned women. As a small business owner I sorely wish I had a secretary who had such skills, attention to detail and a desire to always stay neat, orderly, and on top of her job. These aren't just work skills - they're life skills, and skills which are useful in married life too. Hopefully I can find such a woman to call my own some day. Such classy ladies are a rare find these days.

    • @lutherfox5744
      @lutherfox5744 Рік тому +5

      You are what would be considered an 'old soul'.

    • @scribe570
      @scribe570 10 місяців тому

      Just don't get sick. Not a lot of remedies for some diseases.

  • @arnoldziffle8779
    @arnoldziffle8779 5 років тому +138

    "Jean takes control of her orderly desk, Jean loves her orderly desk, don't f**k with Jean or touch her orderly desk!"

  • @davidfromamerica1871
    @davidfromamerica1871 2 роки тому +55

    Today we have office people working trapped in small cubicles on prescription medications staring into computer monitors all day.

    • @thejpkotor
      @thejpkotor Рік тому +2

      Cause squinting and re-writing hand written notes all day is MUCH better, right? 😂😂😂

    • @nope_n0pe
      @nope_n0pe Рік тому +4

      Who basically wear pajamas to work, with a top knot.

    • @thejpkotor
      @thejpkotor Рік тому

      @@nope_n0pe I’m good with it, as long as shit gets done. As long as no ones genitals are exposed who gives a fuc?

    • @chiaralistica
      @chiaralistica Рік тому +2

      ​@@nope_n0pe pay pajama salary, get pajamas. If you expect a suit, you had better be paying suit salary. I actually had to point that out when I was younger. They actually thought that a part time bank teller was going to spend my college fund on old lady clothes... nope!

    • @nope_n0pe
      @nope_n0pe Рік тому +1

      @@chiaralistica I don't wear pajamas. I'm thrifty and take care of my clothes and shop sales. A suit is not required for many jobs, but it's more prudent to not show up in pajama bottoms...which I have seen before.

  • @mikepeterson764
    @mikepeterson764 5 років тому +253

    My secretary is invaluable. She does a wonderful job, and is so organized.

    • @nkley1
      @nkley1 5 років тому +56

      Mike Peterson Make sure you tell her that. We are so under appreciated. Being able to do eleventy billion (Yes that’s a number we secretaries use) tasks at once, with constant interruptions, and do it well and with a good attitude, goes unnoticed more times than not. So underpaid is another story for another video. 😃😉

    • @fatema5733
      @fatema5733 5 років тому +12

      I do everything. 50 calls and arrange thing for my employer. Still at the end when i saw him my work report he says, this is not work, u just fillup the work report with anything.

    • @nkley1
      @nkley1 5 років тому +13

      faa world .....and HE then just fills up space on the planet with hot air. What a waste of skin. What a jackass he is. Don’t settle for his BS. I suspect he treats his wife the same way, and if he’s not married.....it’s no wonder. What a poor excuse for a decent human being. Probably has deep-seeded Mommy issues and is taking them out on you, because Mommy didn’t do enough for him. As soon as possible, find another job, and just use this current suffering with the A-Hole as a learning experience of what NOT to put up with. Remember, we teach people how to treat us with what we are willing to tolerate. Best of luck.

    • @eej1983able
      @eej1983able 5 років тому +10

      I wish my boss was like you

    • @raybans4980
      @raybans4980 5 років тому +11

      @@fatema5733 - time to send-out your resume's to as many companies as you can, also use 'temporary' agencies, because many good companies use them for screening potential full-time employees. After that, the next serious thing that you document will be when you notify your "Boss" in writing of your having ALREADY accepted a BETTER position and that he should get a replacement ASAP so that *as a professional courtesy* you can train them before you leave.

  • @tinaandrews5242
    @tinaandrews5242 5 років тому +94

    A good admin can never be replaced. I have been doing this for over 30 years and technology has made our day to day much easier. We have become our bosses partners. They depend in us to help him run his department. Unsung heroes.

    • @rah62
      @rah62 4 роки тому +10

      You're kidding, right? I've been doing this for over 30 years as well and the workload has at least quadrupled, in addition to the minute-to-minute pressure of e-mails as well as phone calls from people saying "I just sent you an e-mail" and then proceeding to tell me everything that they just sent in the e-mail. Thanks to technology, I'm running 150 miles an hour from beginning to end, and because admins are considered "overhead", we're not allowed a single minute of OT.

  • @bly2083
    @bly2083 Рік тому +21

    I took typing, shorthand, accounting in high school to become a secretary as a career. But I ended up using those skills to earn $$ to pay my way through college and became a dentist! I never regretted learning those administrative skills!🙂

    • @AGL01772
      @AGL01772 Рік тому +3

      My story is similar. I left high school after taking secretarial courses and could type 90 wpm and take steno at 100 wpm. The typing skills really came in handy in college and grad school. Between college and grad school I worked as a legal secretarial temp in New York City in the 1980s. There was so much of this work back then if you were good, you were always busy. This helped pay the bills until I was established in my career as an occupational therapist.

  • @meganjoelyn2207
    @meganjoelyn2207 Рік тому +38

    A generation who took pride in the little things...what a concept!

    • @ChristmasEve777
      @ChristmasEve777 Рік тому

      It wasn't just a single generation - previous generations to this one also took pride in the little things and had VERY strong work ethic and little to no reliance on welfare. Then, that began to fade with each new generation. Now, Gen Z is unrecognizable as civil people. There are exceptions, of course.

  • @txvoltaire
    @txvoltaire 5 років тому +195

    Jean gets an award for taking dictation at 4:55pm without uttering one f*** under her breath!

    • @rosettagrey2851
      @rosettagrey2851 5 років тому +7

      LOL my thoughts exactly.

    • @TET2005
      @TET2005 2 роки тому +3

      Part of the job....

    • @Agent-ie3uv
      @Agent-ie3uv Рік тому +1

      ​@ColonialBuckeye that's why I dislike her 🚮 comment.

    • @tolloromassi99
      @tolloromassi99 Рік тому

      @@colonialbuckeye2288 And look what we have today, an utter d*generate society having no bounds. Kids and teenagers cussing left and right, and acting like adults.

  • @NipkowDisk
    @NipkowDisk 5 років тому +119

    Fountain pens... love them. I have several and use fountain pens regularly... my contribution to minimizing landfill. Also, this was likely filmed in 1946 as June 11 was on a Tuesday :)

    • @daphne4983
      @daphne4983 4 роки тому +2

      Thx :)

    • @garywilliams6124
      @garywilliams6124 4 роки тому +2

      you have the same profile picture as the channel who uploaded the video

    • @NipkowDisk
      @NipkowDisk 4 роки тому +2

      @@garywilliams6124 Indeed. I've used this for so long I can't remember when I uploaded it. I use the same 1938 RCA test pattern photo elsewhere on social media as well.

    • @jb6712
      @jb6712 3 роки тому +1

      1947, according to the very bold date on the opening credits.

    • @NipkowDisk
      @NipkowDisk 3 роки тому +8

      @@jb6712 It is copyrighted 1947, but filmed the previous year.

  • @rachelrusso3123
    @rachelrusso3123 2 роки тому +72

    This is so wholesomely motivating and encouraging. It's one of my highest ideals to be so efficient and organised. It's wonderful to see images like this! Thank you so much for sharing.

  • @eldermillennial2000
    @eldermillennial2000 5 років тому +43

    Not sure why I like playing these types of videos in the background while I work. It's a little soothing.

    • @GypsyWolfGina
      @GypsyWolfGina 5 років тому +1

      Same!

    • @mikezylstra7514
      @mikezylstra7514 3 роки тому +1

      I found this film on Prelinger Archives and played it for my secretaries back in 2005. They threw paper wads and laffed in my face. Snotty things secretaries have become.

  • @kaleidoscopekayley
    @kaleidoscopekayley 4 роки тому +199

    My grandmother was the head secretary of a children's psych hospital for 20+ years. From the late 60s to the late 80s if I remember correctly. And let me tell you, she was indispensable. She literally won awards for this shit.

    • @coreyanderson7424
      @coreyanderson7424 2 роки тому +5

      I worked at a psych center, it's a hard job at times, and much busier than people might think.

    • @michaelpryor78
      @michaelpryor78 Рік тому +4

      Late 60s to late 80s is 20 years

    • @erflingnot
      @erflingnot Рік тому +2

      Actually saving lives! in the background I’m really glad someone noticed

    • @mrxyz2k
      @mrxyz2k Рік тому +8

      @@erflingnot and it’s not “shit” as mentioned on original comment.

    • @gargoyle7863
      @gargoyle7863 Рік тому

      the good old days when they lobotomized indecend kids?

  • @susannuccio7637
    @susannuccio7637 Рік тому +3

    This is a brilliant video. I spent the second half of my career trying to explain what an executive assistant can do to free up their boss’s time and help them be effective. It is an invaluable set of skills.

  • @coreyanderson7424
    @coreyanderson7424 2 роки тому +28

    I was a medical secretary and a legal secretary. I found the medical to be more to my liking. Law offices have high pressures and can be sort of unprofessional at times. Medical offices have stricter guidelines which makes sticking to rules much easier.

    • @Agent-ie3uv
      @Agent-ie3uv Рік тому +1

      That's why mia khalifa quitted her office job in legal firm for just few months. Its stressful!

  • @kentuckylady2990
    @kentuckylady2990 5 років тому +37

    My retirement job is a secretary for a small nonprofit organization. Because of it, I have begun collecting vintage office supplies. I am retired from my career as a librarian and my first desk at the library was just like the ones pictured but a computer sat atop mine. That desk was perfect. Later it was replaced with a newer one but it was not as organized as the old typewriter desk.

    • @Wa3ypx
      @Wa3ypx 5 років тому

      Hey Kentucky! Do you need an ANCIENT check printer??

  • @tj921able
    @tj921able Рік тому +19

    I used to work in the church office assisting the secretary. Her desk was messy & she never kept appointments straight. I was surprised our minister kept her as a secretary. One of the things mentioned in the film was something she NEVER did. Writing down what her duties would require day to day. I always did that at home for my job. I have a desk & keep everything organized & within reach. That is important in day-to-day affairs. Thank you for sharing this, God Bless You & stay safe.

    • @guerralg63
      @guerralg63 Рік тому +4

      I work in accounting, and if I didn't write myself notes, I'd be completely lost!

  • @NortelGeek
    @NortelGeek 5 років тому +77

    Thank you so much for these videos. I realize that these were not the happiest of times, and I know that as a people we still have a lot of growing to do, but my hope is that the courtesy, common sense, good will, merriment and social grace of this era will soon return and become the order of the day. We live in one of the most divisive times in the history of our young nation and I look forward to the day when we can all just get back to being good to each other (for the most part.)
    I pray that whomever reads this will be blessed richly.
    K. P. Cross

    • @StereoMike06
      @StereoMike06 5 років тому +11

      These times were much better then current. People actually knew their jobs, were paid a more fair wage, and their day was over at 5. This is talking about white collar work of course.

    • @cassandrahoods8186
      @cassandrahoods8186 Рік тому +2

      Amen. I agree.

    • @BeccaBean2020
      @BeccaBean2020 Рік тому

      Happier than now !

    • @thejpkotor
      @thejpkotor Рік тому

      @@StereoMike06oh boy… sexism and racism what great times indeed… 🙄

    • @StereoMike06
      @StereoMike06 Рік тому +3

      @@thejpkotorNot any different than current day. At least people had more respect back then for both themselves and others, did not have a drug epidemic, schools taught education and parents and adults were able to correct children. You must be of modern upbringing where anything before your generation is bad and scary and unknown....

  • @mvs9122
    @mvs9122 Рік тому +11

    Had this secretory. She was great, she would make office policies, generate documents, schedule meetings without telling me. Her decisions made sense, so i never questioned her, she even hired her own replacement.

  • @darrellross1
    @darrellross1 6 років тому +110

    Jean will likely keep an eye out for a young rising executive in the company and marry him. She will be expected to quit and stay home in the suburbs and have children.That was the reality of the 1940's, and 50's. This could have been my mother in 1947. I was born in 1950. My mother never worked outside the home again.

    • @YTistooannoying
      @YTistooannoying 5 років тому +41

      @Time4Truth no it's not. It is companies unwilling to pay a living wage. Their CEOs run their businesses into the ground then pay their board millions of dollard and leaving their workers penniless and jobless. Immigrants do job no one wants and pay nothing... Unless you want to go harvest apples, oranges, strawberries.....for a pittance....

    • @JFee333
      @JFee333 5 років тому +16

      Her best choice, condering Jean will only be employed whilst she's young and pretty.

    • @Vydio
      @Vydio 5 років тому +2

      That company doesn't look like prime hunting grounds. Mr Williams seems to be the only man around.

    • @m.e.d.7997
      @m.e.d.7997 5 років тому +2

      Not all secretaries worked in lucrative companies though. Yes, hard to make a living alone as a secretary

    • @MillionthUsername
      @MillionthUsername 5 років тому +7

      @@YTistooannoying Socialist propaganda: Free enterprise is evil, but the state can tax and regulate everyone to death and that is some sort of utopia.

  • @carolyearsley
    @carolyearsley Рік тому +15

    My mother began as a secretary for a local insurance company in 1947, and was the same age as the woman featured in the film. I tried my hand at the job out of high school, and discovered that I didn't have the interest or skills for it. Thus ended my one week of torture. LOL

  • @FisherWest
    @FisherWest 5 років тому +90

    Amazing how efficient we are when people know what’s expected of them
    Common sense is like a super power nowadays

  • @acmc82
    @acmc82 5 років тому +18

    I think up until the 2000s was an ideal time to work at an office. I remember being a File Clerk and an Office Assistant at a brokerage firm, always looking presentable even when I came from college, at that time I wanted a degree in Business Admin so when I was done at school in the morning/ early afternoon I'd go straight to work.

    • @JohnnyTurnerMusic
      @JohnnyTurnerMusic 4 роки тому +6

      Always dress for the job you want.

    • @Retroscoop
      @Retroscoop 2 роки тому +1

      So what changed from 2000 onwards ?

  • @s.c.7362
    @s.c.7362 5 років тому +76

    So much simpler back then. I miss paper and pens.....and books and newspapers..... I still love my paper dayplanners. Technology moves much too quickly; you seem never to be caught up on the latest software. Geniuses miss out on jobs because they haven't been taught one program, like Quickbooks or whatever. It's not right. Computers have complicated the world as much as they've simplified it.

    • @lisamiller8174
      @lisamiller8174 5 років тому +8

      I still use paper and pens daily. As well as books and magazines.

    • @laminage
      @laminage 5 років тому +5

      I know what you mean. I miss out on Typewriters. Yet the narrarator was so right on about The Desk and your area being clean and neat. I always made sure that I had Wipes to clean my desk not to mention turning over My Keyboard to get the debris out that can collect. I have Hand Gel, as well.

    • @brianbaratheon
      @brianbaratheon 5 років тому +8

      If you cant use a simple program you're no genius.

    • @platinum11110
      @platinum11110 5 років тому +4

      Desagree completely. Technology isn't complicated, on the contrary, it makes thinks easier.

    • @irongrl
      @irongrl 5 років тому +1

      @V RL I'm 56 and I agree with you!

  • @matthewboyce5123
    @matthewboyce5123 2 роки тому +14

    Even to this day, I have a newfound respect for office people, secretaries and receptionists, tougher job than I thought!

  • @jamesharber7820
    @jamesharber7820 3 роки тому +17

    Wonderful video. I took a typing class in high school in 1961 on a MANUAL typewriter just like “Jean” used in this video. I, a 17 year old male…in a class with mostly females…could type an impressive 40 words per minute. :) CCHS ‘61. :)

    • @ih8utbe
      @ih8utbe 4 місяці тому

      I usually type 50 wpm 2 errors.

  • @bboucharde
    @bboucharde 5 років тому +81

    Ignoring the old office equipment, this entire film is useful and relevant information today.

    • @CocoaPuff01
      @CocoaPuff01 Рік тому

      It's not

    • @jayfielding1333
      @jayfielding1333 Рік тому +1

      Hardly. The job today isn't remotely like this. It's far more in-depth.

    • @bboucharde
      @bboucharde Рік тому

      @@jayfielding1333 Jay, Thanks for your comment. However, many people do not agree with you. "In-depth" must mean attending D.E.I. and E.S.G. indoctrination meetings.

    • @Agent-ie3uv
      @Agent-ie3uv Рік тому

      If your office still uses typewriter and stenography machine thing, yeah this is useful 🙃

    • @bboucharde
      @bboucharde Рік тому

      @@Agent-ie3uv Agent, Look beyond the hardware to the communication, organizational, and professional aspects of the job.

  • @The_Bookser
    @The_Bookser 2 роки тому +13

    I had a professor who told us not to piss off the secretary. She was the head of the program and trusted her secretary. The professor let us know if we treat her well we can get in quickly to see her but piss her off and we won't see the professor in question. My interactions with her were professional and respectful since I knew she held the power for my education.

  • @vickiesims643
    @vickiesims643 Рік тому +8

    A desk job does not get the respect it deserves. It’s not easy .

  • @nkley1
    @nkley1 5 років тому +61

    By mid-morning we were already exhausted, being overwhelmed with work and interruptions....all to be done with a good attitude and no errors. So unappreciated and underpaid, but I loved being a secretary/ administrative assistant/corporate Goddess. OCD plays a wonderful role in this type of organization and conscientiousness. A must to run a tight ship. Anything less is just a mess. 😃😉

    • @eej1983able
      @eej1983able 5 років тому +10

      I love being a secretary too been one for 13 years

    • @Wa3ypx
      @Wa3ypx 5 років тому +4

      I dont know you Nancy, however, I appreciate you. In my service business Ive found secretaries can be valuable in jumping through hoops with purchase orders etc.

    • @priscillawilson2634
      @priscillawilson2634 5 років тому +2

      Then go home and raise children. You'll be the boss 24/7 and your time will be your own. Serious.

    • @marytheresejacksonlutz2533
      @marytheresejacksonlutz2533 Рік тому +1

      I loved being a secretary too. I was one right out of HS. 1974 to 1987 for the federal government. I resigned to raise my kids and go back to school. At the time it was hard to advance unless you had a college degree. I went to school to become a teacher. I was a secretary for 13 years and a teacher for 22. I loved both careers. Favorite was teaching third graders for 14 years. The organizational skills I learned as a secretary helped me in the classroom.

  • @anneteller3128
    @anneteller3128 4 роки тому +18

    I wish we still had secretaries. They think because we have computers, they are supposed to somehow take the place of a secretary, and we must do everything ourselves. But, Siri doesn't take the place of a real life secretary! And, the next generation won't even know what it was like to have a secretary. I am still best friends with my secretary from years ago. She is retired now, but we have kept in touch.

  • @paulwilliams9207
    @paulwilliams9207 5 років тому +40

    So much better than today's over stressed complicated world.

  • @cynsalm2288
    @cynsalm2288 Рік тому +4

    In 1942 my mother received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business. What that meant in 1942 was that she was a secretary. She took dictation in “shorthand,” typed, with almost no mistakes ever. She filed. She got coffee, donuts or lunch for him. She filed. She stayed late when she was asked and did about anything else her boss needed, just like a good secretary was supposed to do.

  • @shaneg3490
    @shaneg3490 6 років тому +24

    I need this kind of support

    • @isaac1908
      @isaac1908 6 років тому +1

      Don't we all Hoss

  • @ShakespeareCafe
    @ShakespeareCafe 5 років тому +63

    Then the office computer doubled Jean's workload, so she quit

    • @ManInTheBigHat
      @ManInTheBigHat 4 роки тому +2

      ...and invested her meager savings in the International Business Machine Corporation. Twenty years later she ran a hippie crash pad in her San Fransisco mansion.

    • @marcoAKAjoe
      @marcoAKAjoe 3 роки тому +1

      Lol

    • @thejpkotor
      @thejpkotor Рік тому +2

      I had an older coworker say something like this the other day… ‘we didn’t used to have to work as fast’ and I think to myself, Jesus what did you do all day, fuck around and wait for someone from another department to come with a piece of paper to tell you what to do next? 😂

  • @MalteWilsen
    @MalteWilsen 5 років тому +36

    Jean is a classy bird. Mr Williams can count himself lucky.

  • @needles1987
    @needles1987 6 років тому +88

    Jean is a very attractive woman.

    • @DoubleGauss
      @DoubleGauss 5 років тому +13

      She was a model. She was picked for the role out of other contestants.

    • @Nadia..J
      @Nadia..J 5 років тому +8

      @@billiebobbienorton2556 Nope.

    • @missranabella
      @missranabella 5 років тому +3

      She ded now bruh

    • @marywebb9127
      @marywebb9127 5 років тому +3

      @@billiebobbienorton2556 Your an idiot!

    • @mainecoon6514
      @mainecoon6514 5 років тому +1

      @@billiebobbienorton2556 How would you know that? Even if there's a sliver of truth to that, she was very elegant and professional.

  • @Wa3ypx
    @Wa3ypx 5 років тому +31

    The Lakeshore Hotel is still there, but condos!

    • @paulbrodwin8364
      @paulbrodwin8364 3 роки тому +1

      And the opening street scene features the Wrigley Building -- still beautiful on north Michigan Avenue

  • @mariestreeting4213
    @mariestreeting4213 Рік тому +3

    I love their desks. I had to cover my Typewriter with a plastic cover before going home.

  • @JENDALL714
    @JENDALL714 3 роки тому +3

    "Jean" is Nancy Saunders, a B-Movie actress, she just passed away last year.

  • @jkcliff2956
    @jkcliff2956 Рік тому +6

    Wow. That brings back such memories. I worked my way through college and law school as a secretary.

  • @ditherdather
    @ditherdather 5 років тому +11

    I love these old videos.

  • @rinwesley3092
    @rinwesley3092 4 роки тому +19

    I sincerely wish more businesses still operated this way.

  • @ih8utbe
    @ih8utbe 4 місяці тому +1

    Secretarial jobs used to be typing, filing, adding machines, stenography, mimeographs.

  • @garfixit
    @garfixit Рік тому +5

    I love the people that work behind the scenes ❤

  • @chickenandwaffles09
    @chickenandwaffles09 Рік тому +4

    Jean is very lucky to work for a great man like Mr Williams.

  • @kizpaws
    @kizpaws 3 роки тому +4

    Ahhh! Totally loved this upload! Thank you so much for giving tribute to times long gone!♥

  • @michelew2191
    @michelew2191 Рік тому +4

    "The way she receives this caller is a direct reflection of the business"...it's crazy how many people don't realize how important the front office staff are, especially for things like doctors offices. Bad reception and that'll be my last time there.

  • @leejam5268
    @leejam5268 Рік тому +3

    Her 'Invaluable Calender Pad' - So much nicer than 35 emails when i arrive at 8am

  • @JohnK086
    @JohnK086 Рік тому +2

    The film is copyrighted 1947. The desk calendar is for 1946.

  • @lindaanthony7890
    @lindaanthony7890 Рік тому +4

    As a secretary many moons ago, I truly enjoyed this video.

  • @mcmlxii4419
    @mcmlxii4419 5 років тому +20

    What?! Since when were a secretary and a stenographer 2 separate jobs? Since NEVER, that's when!

  • @Wilma.Flintstone
    @Wilma.Flintstone Рік тому +3

    I'm old enough to remember the pre-internet days and I miss the simplicity of them

    • @scribe570
      @scribe570 10 місяців тому +1

      I don't know. An on-screen scheduler is pretty handy. Easy to post appointments and rearrange them. An pleasant alarm can go off at certain times when something is supposed to be done. Color coded however you want.

  • @whiskeysixindigo7371
    @whiskeysixindigo7371 Рік тому +2

    My grandmother was a secretary and she worked her whole life enven though she ws married. That was back in the 40s all the way through until the 1990. Her mother also worked her entire life dspite being married way back in the 1910s thruogh to the 1950s. It was uncommon or married wonem to work ul time out of the house in those years but my grand mother would have gone crazy just staying home and cooking and cleaning.My grandmother was also a stickler on looking clean and presentable and also on being orderly and neat

    • @bucnner
      @bucnner Рік тому

      It seems to me the older generations were a lot cleaner and much more organized that today's generation.
      It's unfortunate too, because there's such great pride in caring for your appearance and your belongings!

  • @OofusTwillip
    @OofusTwillip Рік тому +4

    Office work is incredibly stressful now that so many of these secretarial tasks are now done by office workers themselves, including scheduling meetings and doing correspondence (now e-mail). Even managers have to waste time on these tasks that take them away from their main duties and add to their stress.

  • @workingtheworld68
    @workingtheworld68 Рік тому +2

    My career spanned the phase out of secretary's and the beginning of voice mail, email etc. A good secretary was such a benefit to an organization that all the electronic successors could never fill. Interestingly, it seemed that the best ones always smoked

  • @StarOnTheWater
    @StarOnTheWater 5 років тому +57

    Looks like a pretty laid back job from today's point of view.

    • @lindaeasley5606
      @lindaeasley5606 2 роки тому

      This was likely an a-typical example of a secretary's day. Some days were busier than others

  • @JaylenPotts-zs2qw
    @JaylenPotts-zs2qw 4 місяці тому

    1947 was a very special and nostalgic year. Great vintage videos about workplace manners and positive characteristics.

  • @Wilma.Flintstone
    @Wilma.Flintstone Рік тому +3

    I really want one of those desks! Would be so nice to "hide" your laptop if you're not using it

  • @rh5466
    @rh5466 Рік тому +1

    Heart and soul of any organization.

  • @B9M3
    @B9M3 Рік тому +3

    2023: Jean loses her job to ChatGPT.

  • @kernow9324
    @kernow9324 Рік тому +2

    Jean has beautiful handwriting. She's classy too.

  • @serene9528
    @serene9528 4 роки тому +10

    I like how he says "our modern world"

  • @rodrigost.3324
    @rodrigost.3324 Рік тому

    NO COMPUTER NO ADVANCED TECNOLOGY AT ALL!!! JUST BRAIN PROFISSIONALISM AND A HELL OF A MEMORY! 👏👏👏

  • @etownshawn
    @etownshawn 5 років тому +19

    Anyone catch the calendar is 1946 ? also Jean is a working class hero :)

  • @offtopic5307
    @offtopic5307 Рік тому +2

    Wait until Jean learns about quiet quitting. Then, the unexpected caller will wait on hold for an hour due to 'unexpected call volumes. And when answered will be hung up on since they didn't have an appointment anyway.

  • @levimust4479
    @levimust4479 5 років тому +17

    I'm sure her compensation package was commensurate with the critical contribution she is shown to play. Ditto for her opportunity to rise to position of greater responsibility. Yes I am joking.

    • @seanmccann8368
      @seanmccann8368 3 роки тому

      Yes, secretaries sometimes got opportunities to rise but their bosses usually did the rising.

    • @thejpkotor
      @thejpkotor Рік тому

      In her case, back then progressing had to do with ‘taking dictation’ and ‘fulfilling requests from the boss’ 😅 Even then, not guaranteed anything

  • @freebornjohn2687
    @freebornjohn2687 Рік тому +5

    I don't know what business they were in but the margins must have been great, the building is magnificent and the boss strolls in at 9.15! Jean keeps it all together. I started working at the tail end of secretaries when senior managers would have their emails printed out for them! They often acted like guard dogs for their boss, its when I learned to read upside down.

    • @mel816
      @mel816 Рік тому

      The business was probably a government contractor😄

  • @elmarschonenberger6910
    @elmarschonenberger6910 2 роки тому +5

    In the film "The Secretary's Day" you see a secretary handling the correspondence. She opens the letters with a letter opener. After opening it for the first time, she puts the letter opener aside and takes the letter out of the envelope. Then she takes the next envelope and picks up the letter opener again to open the second envelope. This is a very inefficient way of working. She can save herself several steps by opening all the letters first and only then removing the correspondence from the opened letters. If a lot of letters have to be opened in the morning, then that saves an enormous amount of time and a lot of fewer actions.

    • @coloradostrong
      @coloradostrong 2 роки тому +1

      Understandable, but as the married widow drowned, the propane tank sang to the porpoise. When the helicopter proposed lunch, the propeller saw the midnight daylight yesterday at you. Laughingly, the robin gasped, while moonbeams ate marshmallows inside the deer. Aware of pencils, aroma heard floor tiles selling whales. Branded as lost is the umbrella, as it elopes at tires. Wherein the thesis seams chicken openly, it only missed the elevator by rainfall. Quietly, fires argue as to when the crow sounds popcorn afternoon today. Heavy borrows irrigate crime with ice cream whelps instead of Krylon drips.

    • @kristinesmart582
      @kristinesmart582 2 місяці тому

      @@coloradostrong Ok, AI, go back to sleep. You are not a secretary, thank God!!

  • @roachtoasties
    @roachtoasties 5 років тому +15

    Jean must be having issues with Mr. Williams. At 7:17 she's reviewing a list of $2 -$3 hotels for him to stay at in Cleveland. Even the most horrible of horrible flop houses aren't that cheap. Do we get to see when Mr. Williams returns from Cleveland (if he even manages to)?

    • @libertyann439
      @libertyann439 5 років тому +5

      $2 hotels were state of the art in 1947. I'd like today's money with those rates!

    • @drewconway7135
      @drewconway7135 5 років тому +4

      roachtoasties Obviously he’s visiting his mistress. One of Jean’s “to dos” is “order birthday flowers for Mrs. Williams.” He’s probably sick of looking at her, and since Jean isn’t putting out and Marge is a cold fish, he’s getting his elsewhere. Notice how sour she is when she says “Very well, I’ll look into train and hotel reservations”? She knows what the score is.

    • @woofiedog7452
      @woofiedog7452 5 років тому

      He's probably stopping off in Cleveland to have a rendezvous with his secret lover - who had written in one of those personal letters Jean opened as part of her morning routine.

  • @minamarie1532
    @minamarie1532 6 років тому +55

    Now we have interns for that!

  • @kathyabeauty
    @kathyabeauty 4 роки тому +17

    The hotel room prices were $1.25 - $2.00 a night! Loved this.

    • @TET2005
      @TET2005 2 роки тому +1

      Yes and you can smoke in the room. 😆

    • @hukkn9uy
      @hukkn9uy Рік тому

      빵하나에 1~2센트?🤔🤔🤔

  • @candle-queen5644
    @candle-queen5644 4 роки тому +10

    My aunt use to say “Learn shorthand, and how to type, and you’ll always have a job.”

    • @marcoAKAjoe
      @marcoAKAjoe 3 роки тому +2

      Great advice

    • @dwightpowell6673
      @dwightpowell6673 2 роки тому

      Is shorthand used today?

    • @joline2730
      @joline2730 Рік тому

      Yep, exactly what my mum said and she sent me off to do a two year secretarial course ... and I was never out of work if I didn't want to be ... worked in lots of offices for 44 years - from a manual typewriter to electric, then finally to a computer.

  • @altfactor
    @altfactor 2 роки тому +7

    Back then, most secretaries and their bosses still worked six days a week.

    • @thejpkotor
      @thejpkotor Рік тому +1

      No they didn’t… but they would almost have to to get anything done since they have to hand write and manually file everything on bits of paper.

  • @janiwi2192
    @janiwi2192 3 роки тому +4

    I've seen that metal binder planner in so many of these old secretary education videos, I NEED to know where to get one like it

  • @cadaverdog1424
    @cadaverdog1424 Рік тому +2

    Excellent video! How things ought to still be!

  • @mikezylstra7514
    @mikezylstra7514 3 роки тому +3

    Why did Jean, the secretary take dictation if they had a stenographer? I don't get it.

  • @davidspeck8659
    @davidspeck8659 Рік тому +2

    I find this interesting. Very efficient! But I have to say that, compared to today, the conduct between the boss and his secretary is very cold and impersonal. He didn't even say thank you to her. Were they really that "All Business" and impersonal back then? Jean also works a shorter day than me. Looks like she starts at 9:00 and leaves at 5:00. I guess she probably gets at least 1/2 hour for lunch. So she works 7 and 1/2 hours. I wonder if she works nights or weekends like I do.

  • @zaftra
    @zaftra Рік тому +4

    I hope Jean had a good long life.

    • @Chameleon-wq4ul
      @Chameleon-wq4ul 6 місяців тому +1

      It would be interesting to know what happened to her? Although this is probably an actress playing secretary. Just my guess.

  • @Mostlethal
    @Mostlethal Рік тому +1

    1:51 OMG, she's not only cute, but she can also operate the duplicator.

  • @caelidhg6261
    @caelidhg6261 5 років тому +16

    this is the exact opposite of someone who suffers from ADHD

    • @notalexandra
      @notalexandra 5 років тому +3

      Caelidh Goode i have adhd and am a secretary 😂

  • @rah62
    @rah62 4 роки тому +4

    1:39.. wait a minute - Jean Carroll shows up on-time at 9am (how I'd kill to come in that late!) and then Marge Quinn strolls in three minutes later with no mention that she's either three minutes late, or perhaps 27 minutes early? Plus, the boss isn't even there yet? What, is this a bank, or maybe the DMV?

  • @gabyflores9412
    @gabyflores9412 5 років тому +35

    That's funny she doesn't have a flask in her desk.

    • @clasiusclay
      @clasiusclay 5 років тому +9

      Yeah. And they didn't show/mentioned her lunch break lol

    • @rinwesley3092
      @rinwesley3092 4 роки тому +1

      @@clasiusclay I think we all know how to have lunch.

    • @clasiusclay
      @clasiusclay 4 роки тому +2

      @@rinwesley3092 Hmm, yeah. Though this isn't necessarily a sort of "How to" video, it's more of a day in a life of a secretary, so it's kinda odd they didn't even mentioned lunch haha

    • @ellielopez1615
      @ellielopez1615 3 роки тому

      Most secretaries are fat cause all they do is eat & drink

  • @oopsibrokethecow
    @oopsibrokethecow 2 роки тому +6

    I'm a receptionist. I guess not much has changed, besides that I am ten minutes late everyday and forget to turn the lights on in the lobby. When I sit down, I supposed logging into our electronic records system is the same as going over the appt schedule, then checking emails and getting ready to reply, is the same as flipping over the typewriter and getting it ready to write replies and letters. Of course, I only check the snail mail once a week (if it isn't too hot, and in that case it might be a few times a month), rip open the envelopes with reckless abandon and then eventually get around to deal with whatever all that is. From there, I spend half my morning figuring out if I want Dunkin' Donuts coffee delivered, or actually feel like up getting up and making some for the entire office. After all that, I check my FB messages and texts between appointments, then figure out what I am going to order for lunch, either order more Doordash, decide where I plan to go out, or, if I am simply going to go take a nap in a vacant office instead. I then, try to sneak through as many unnecessary purchases for the office as I can on the Amazon Business account. This time I ordered two new clocks, chocolate coffee creamer, Fruity Pebble bars, and set of smelly good markers.
    Later on, I have the office to myself, and it's a good thing the world doesn't depend on me to function, because it would all come to a crashing fiery end. This is especially true on Fridays, when there is only one provider in, and they leave at Noon. It's party time at my desk, with an abundance of snacks, and goodies, and then I order my weekly Instacart shopping to be delivered at work, so I don't have to stop on my way home. My weekend really starts at about 12:01 every Friday. afternoon. I sometimes whisk off my "business casual" blouse, and slap on a t-shirt. I utilize this time to catch up on my paid surveys with YouGov, and watch my saved UA-cam videos. At my last job, it was similar, and I had my S/O stop by a few times for naughty sexy time on the desk. I am trying to organize that again, but it's more difficult since I work days, and work in what is essentially a fish bowl at this office.
    Then, I go home to see my dog.

    • @moonpie1971
      @moonpie1971 2 роки тому +1

      @oopsibrokethecow Receptionists are the unsung heroes of the office. When I was in a hiring position, I made it a point to always ask the Receptionist how they were treated by the applicant. Any hint of "superior" attitude was enough to move to the B List, because our Receptionist was, after all, the Vice President Of First Impressions.

    • @thejpkotor
      @thejpkotor Рік тому

      As you should. They don’t pay you half of what you are worth anyway. No sense in working yourself to death for what? Maybe a 3-4% raise IF you’re lucky.

  • @seferino
    @seferino 5 років тому +10

    Also sitting on the boss lap.

  • @charlieseverson3534
    @charlieseverson3534 19 днів тому

    I am only 42 and after several years of using electronic tools to track my to-do lists, I switched to paper a few months ago. Something about writing it down seems to create more focus and a better sense of accomplishment when I get things done.

  • @leaturk11
    @leaturk11 4 роки тому +6

    She could certainly make my day.

  • @alhaquin
    @alhaquin 3 роки тому +4

    I could have used a training manual like this some 10 odd years ago, instead of being thrown in cold water working as an assistant.