Autumnsong: 25 Days of Christmas

Desk Set | 1957

Really fun poster that translates precisely
the light hearted nature of the movie

There’s astrange department at the Federal Broadcasting Network in Midtown Manhattan. It’s called the research department, and it’s staff (that consists of 4 women) is essentially responsible for keeping a reference library, researching facts and answering questions on all manners of topics. Bunny Watson (Katherine Hepburn) is the person in charge, a remarkable woman with a mind for numbers and logic. Unfortunately her keen mind hasn’t stopped her from falling into the sweet talk of Mike Cuttler, her boss, who’s been in a “no-strings-attached” relationship with her for the past seven years. Her friends point out to her that at this point Mike sees her as an old coat hanging on his locker, and that she should make herself less available so he would know that she was not at his disposal every single time, but Bunny is afraid that if she does that Mike will simply… “buy another coat”. Not surprisingly, there’s no marriage in sight.

Pretty soon however there will be other things in Bunny’s mind. The Network is negotiating a merger with another company, and the whole thing is kept in secret. Mr Azae, the president of the company, even brings in Richard Sumner, an MIT grad, efficiency expert and the inventor of EMERAC ("Electromagnetic MEmory and Research Arithmetical Calculator"), a sophisticated electronic brain. The idea is to get two of Mr. Sumner’s computers to help the employees cope with the extra work that will result from the merger. And because one of those computers should go to the research department, Mr. Sumner starts spending time at the research department, to see how the library functions, to figure out how to ease the transition.

Eventually the employees discovered that the computers are coming and everyone fears they will be replaced, which is when the confusion begins.

Sumner of course is completely unaware of that. In fact, he was most surprised by Bunny’s intelligence which he finds to be a match (perhaps even superior) to his own, and it doesn’t take long for that admiration to turn to a romantic interest.

I am not sure Desk Set actually counts as a Christmas movie, exactly, but a lot of what happens in the story has to do with the holiday season. At some point, for instance, Mike stands Bunny up saying that he’ll has to cancel his invitation for them to spend the weekend together and she’s left having to carry her suitcases back home by herself… Only Mr. Sumner runs into her and offers his help to carry the suitcase to her apartment. He lives close by anyway. But when the rain starts and they reach her house it becomes clear that he won’t be able to get a taxi and she invites him in for some coffee so he can wait for the rain to stop. He’s soaking wet, and it’s not like she has any men’s clothes in her closet but she happens to make her Christmas shopping early and one of her gifts is a man’s robe, which is what she gives Sumner to wear. All of that would probably be okay if Mike hadn’t chosen that precise moment to drop by, and what an awkward situation it is when he finds a man in a robe coming out of Bunny’s bedroom!

Early in the movie, Bunny is positive she envisions a future in which she is married to Mike Cutler. But as time goes by, she isn’t so sure about it anymore. Sumner’s presence inspires Mike to finally step forward in their relationship, but when he talks about marriage, it’s not exactly what Bunny wants to hear. In fact, it’s clear that Mike doesn’t have any respect for her at all.

Bunny – “Well, there’s my job. I can’t just walk out.”

Mike – “I’m a vice president. I hereby transfer you to the west coast to take care of me! Anything else?”

Bunny – “What about the girls, Mike? I can’t just leave them, just leave them. Not when they’re so worried about their jobs.”

Mike – “Sorry. I can’t help you there. I don’t propose to take them on my honeymoon! But, they’re all invited to visit us next summer when we have our own house.”

Mike – “What’s the matter, Bunny?”

Bunny – “Nothing! You just threw it at me so fast I just can’t think!”

Mike – “What’s there to think about? What do you want to do with your life? Marry the Federal Broadcasting Company?”

When Bunny realizes that, she is confronted with a choice and she has to decide whether marrying Mike really is the most important thing she envisions for her future.

And as if all of that wasn't enough, when the computer is finally installed there's a kind of competition between the ladies of the research department and the EMERAC, in which they are trying to prove that the computer could never replace them.

I have no idea whether there ever was such a thing as that research department, but it would certainly be a formidable thing to see.