Movies with people who used shorthand?

I know there are some oldies, but I wouldn’t know which ones… but what are some movies with characters that used shorthand?  Might be fun to watch some… I thought of this because my daily calendar is a trivia one and Gene Kelly played a reporter in the 1960 film Inherit the Wind, so I’m thinking his character “wrote” shorthand… but not sure, don’t think I saw it…

(by debbiavon1 for everyone)


Previous post:
Next post:
4 comments Add yours
  1. Oh, I do know of one!  9 to 5.  Dolly Parton played a secretary and in one scene she goes into her bosses office to take dictation.  Oh, and the administrative assistant is listening to other ladies in the ladies room and taking notes on toilet paper LOL.  I think she may have been writing in shorthand but not sure… she wasn't sure if her notes were 100% accurate as they were a little fuzzy… (that's one of my favorite shows, obviously). Debbi

  2. The movie "Becoming Astrid," based on the early life of Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren, shows her learning pen steno. Apparently she wrote her drafts in shorthand (maybe it was the Melin system?), many of which are archived in a museum.

    I really enjoyed the film, and finding out that she wrote her drafts in shorthand re-inspired me to learn shorthand (I'd looked at Anniversary ten years earlier and never made the commitment). This time I finally did it!

  3. David Copperfield was made into a movie a few times. Shorthand makes an important appearance in the book, when David trains himself in its use. I've only ever seen the 1935 movie, and that was a long time ago, so I don't remember if the shorthand sessions are there. But I'd bet that they are, and in the other movies too.

Leave a Reply