Stephanie "Steve" Gaylord (Laraine Day) attends some writing classes. It's the last day and her teacher, Owen Waterbury (Kirk Douglas) offers the class some inspiring words. The professor also talk of his own aspirations, which consist of writing a work of high literature, well-written and meaningful, and offers a job to one of the ladies in the classroom a job as his personal secretary, because his last secretary has just left the job because she's about to get married. Steve has got aspirations as well, but she needs the job on the meantime.The job interview is really hectic: she is going to work in his apartment, but an assortment of weird people appear. First, there is another applicant for the job, who runs away in panic. Waterbury's roommate, Ronnie Hastings (Keenan Wynn) creates havoc in the kitchen. Owen and Ronnie are playing cards on the floor, and Owen wants to know if Steve is married, as some of the husbands of his old secretaries were jealous of him. Maid Mary (Irene Ryan)'s bookkeeper appears to collect the money to cover her bets. Waterbury promises that everything will be dignified and cultural from that moment on. Steve is not further sure that the position is suitable for her, but Owen convinces her.The mother of the other applicant appears to slap Ronnie in his face. Ronnie will pass the message. Mrs Hannah Reeve (Florence Bates), Owen and Ronnie's landlady arrives to collect the rent, and she asks if Steve is coming or going.Finally, Steve accepts the position. However, the work is not progressing a lot. Once, she offers herself to iron one of Ronnie's shirts. While they are talking, she wonders why she is doing that instead of writing, and also realises that Owen's novel is not coming across. Another day, Owen takes her to Vegas. Over the roulette, Owen think she's not throwing the dice in the right manner. Steve has had enough and quits her job.Some time later, Owen finds Steve with her new boss dining out at a luxurious restaurant. He feels a bit jealous and asks why she's going out with her boss. At that moment, Owen realises he wants her by his side and he asks her to marry him. At that moment, they talk about it for a little while, and Steve finally accepts. When Owen phones his office, nobody thought that he'd ever get married, especially publisher Rudy Vallee (Charles Harris) and his secretary Elsie (Helen Walker).Back at Owen's bachelor apartment, Ronnie has made them breakfast. While they are kissing, Ronnie answers the door, it's a private detective Deveny (Alan Mowbray) who announces that the party Owen was interested in has just got married, because Owen used to use it to find out private information about his "love prey".Owen tells Steve that it's better if she stops being his secretary. To finish off his long-awaited book, Owen decides to look for another secretary. Steve has finally finished her book. She has to tell Owen to read it, because in spite of it being for two weeks in his office, he hasn't even noticed it is there. Steve finally takes the manuscript to Rudy Vallee, who says he'll read it. Steve also says that Owen will finallySteve begins the search for Owen's secretary, and he chooses a mature and a bit overweight secretary. Steve wants to hire her, but Owen finds a fault on her: she doesn't know shorthand, and although the secretary promises to learn, it's to no avail. Owen dismisses her. The other applicant is attractive brunette Dawn O'Malley (Gale Robbins) and Steve accepts her.Rudy has shown Steve's manuscript to his boss in New York. Steve is worried that if she publishes the book, her husband will lose all hopes in himself. She prefers to go unpublished in fears of destroying him. Rudy says he had thought that Steve wanted to be published more than anything in the world but she says that that was before she got married.Owen fires Dawn. Steve leaves her husband. Owen asks Deveny to investigate. He finds out that Harris was with a woman, and Owen thinks that it was Steve. When he confronts Harris, he's told that it was Elsie, because she's gonna marry Harris. Elsie tells Owen everthing.Now Steve's book is a wonderful success. Owen hadn't even bothered to look at it in spite of her asking him to do so. Stephanie Gaylord's first novel, Dawn's Yearning even wins the McNally literary prize. When Owen comes back to his bachelor flat, there is only Mary to welcome him. Steve wants to divorce him and tells him so. Owen throws Steve's make secretary out.The story ends up with Owen Waterbury being Stephanie Gaylord's secretary as she has an idea for her following book, which is going to be inspired in Owen's life.Ruby is about to marry Mrs Reeve, so he'll become Owen and Steve's landlord for the future. They kiss each other.
Output: Question: Why have Owen's previous secretaries left the job ?, Answer: she's getting married