They’re often the people, women more often, that do the greatest amount of work and get the least amount of credit. They do the paperwork, hustle the jobs, sort through all the bureaucratic nonsense and keep their employers on the level, but hardly ever get more than a mention in the overall film credits. However, some of the most famous secretaries in film have managed to make a name for themselves by simply putting in a memorable performance that many people can remember for years after watching. If nothing else they offer a bit of comic relief and an amusing role that the audience can relate to.
Here are our picks for the five most memorable receptionists in movies:
5. Grace from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Quiet, charming, and unassuming, Grace is the motherly type that doesn’t like to cause trouble and is an overall pleaser. She likes to make certain that everything is on an even keel and is going the way it should, meaning that working with principle Ed Rooney is kind of difficult at times. Nonetheless she somehow manages to keep him on the straight and narrow even as he continues his manic attempts to bring down Ferris Bueller and make the lives of his students a surreal nightmare.
4. Janine Melnitz from Ghostbusters 1 and 2
Janine is simply no-nonsense and straightforward in her manner and doesn’t care one way or another if a person believes in what her employers do or not. Her deadpan way of interviewing Winston proves this, and her need to confront Venkman on whether or not she’ll be paid on time is proof that she’s far tougher than she looks. Plus, her crush on Egon is kind of amusing, at least until she settles for Lewis in the second film.
3. Doralee Rhodes from 9 to 5
She is the unfortunate stereotypical big-chested and beautiful blonde secretary that the other women in the office don’t like thanks to the many rumors and gossip that goes on behind her back. While she is a capable and intelligent woman she has to suffer under the depredations of a boss that she and two co-workers eventually take care of in a most hilarious fashion. Doralee might not have been a MENSA candidate, but her depiction as a brain-dead blonde were greatly exaggerated.
2. Marcella from Grosse Pointe Blank
It’s not always easy working with or for family, and when your brother’s a hitman it gets a little harder. Not only does Marcella have to deal with the morality of her sibling’s actions, but she has to keep him safe and find ways to keep him from self-destructing along the way. It goes without saying that some lines of work shouldn’t be shared by family.
1. Moneypenny from every James Bond film
This woman, played by a few different actresses over the course of the James Bond series, has had perhaps one of the most unenviable jobs of any woman ever cast into such a position. Serving as a secretary she is typically not allowed to become a noted Bond girl, meaning that she is to keep him on the level and inform him of any goings-on so that he might do his job better, but can never really get to know him in any other manner. At least that’s how it’s supposed to go. Plus, imagine the heartache that actually caring for a man such as James Bond would bring, knowing she wanted him but would never be able to be certain of his true intentions.
Conclusion
It’s amusing to think about what would happen without secretaries in the picture in several films. The main actors would have do their own legwork and file their own papers, or everything would simply become a chaotic jumble. Whether in film or in real life secretaries are inherently necessary, as they fill a niche that can’t be easily replaced.
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