Behind Office Doors Review: Mary Astor is the Boss We All Need

You should definitely watch this if you’ve ever felt like you were doing your boss's job for them. It’s a Pre-Code gem that feels weirdly modern in how it looks at office life.

If you hate old movies where people talk fast and stand very still, you might want to skip it. But for everyone else, it’s a fun 80 minutes.

Mary Astor plays Mary Linden. She is the secretary to James Duneen, played by Robert Ames.

Honestly, James is kind of a dummy. He has all these big ideas that don't realy work until Mary fixes them behind his back.

She’s the one pulling the strings. He just stands there looking handsome and taking the credit.

There is this one scene where he’s trying to figure out a deal and she just subtly pushes a paper toward him. It’s so small, but it tells you everything about their dynamic.

The movie doesn't spend a lot of time explaining things. It just lets you see how hard she works while he's out at parties.

I noticed the office sets are realy cool. They have these big, heavy desks and everyone is smoking constantly.

You can almost smell the stale tobacco through the screen. It’s very atmospheric in a dusty sort of way.

Then Ricardo Cortez shows up as Ronnie Wales. He’s the rival who actually notices Mary is the real genius.

Cortez is great because he’s so greasy but also kind of right. He knows a good thing when he sees it, unlike James.

I found myself rooting for her to just leave the dummy and go work for the shark. It’s a bit like a more serious version of The American Beauty but with more filing cabinets.

The pacing is a little bit clunky in the middle. Some scenes in the apartments feel like they were filmed on a stage with no windows.

One reaction shot of Mary Astor lingers for like five seconds too long. You can see her waiting for the director to yell cut, or maybe she’s just realy deep in thought.

It’s funny how little office politics have changed since 1931. The technology is different, but the people are exactly the same.

I liked how Mary wasn't just a victim. She knew exactly what she was doing the whole time.

She dose eventually get fed up, which is the best part of the movie. You can feel the tension building every time James ignores her advice.

The ending is a little bit too tidy for my taste. It feels like the writers had to wrap it up fast so they could go to lunch.

Still, it’s better than some of the other stuff from that year, like Applause which is way more depressing. This one at least has some spark to it.

Wait, did anyone else notice the weird hat Mary wears in the final act? It looks like a small velvet spaceship landed on her head.

Fashion in the 30s was realy something else. Really bold choices going on there.

Anyway, the movie is a solid watch. It’s short, it’s punchy, and Mary Astor is just fantastic to watch.

Don't expect a masterpiece, but it’s a great way to spend an afternoon if you like old-school drama.

Things I Noticed:

• The sound of the typewriters is almost rhythmic, like a drum beat.
• James Duneen has the most 1930s hair I have ever seen.
• The way Ricardo Cortez holds a cigarette is an art form.
• There's a very fast cameo that I think was someone from Appearances but I could be wrong.
• The office doors actually look very heavy and hard to open.

It’s a shame Robert Ames didn't make more movies like this. He plays the oblivious guy so well it’s almost frustrating.

Go see it for Astor. She carries the whole thing on her shoulders and makes it look easy.