Teacher's Pet

James Gannon, the hard-nosed city desk editor of the New York Daily Chronicle, and E.R. (Erica) Stone, a night-school journalism instructor at a local college, get into a philosophical war of words without having met. He believes that newspaper journalism is a trade that can only be learned through on the job training. Additionally, he believes that people who teach journalism probably have not spent a day in their lives working at a newspaper--E.R. Stone included. He, who never graduated from high school, also has disdain for any of his staff who studied journalism at school. As such, he tersely declines her invitation to provide a guest lecture to her class. Their war ratchets up a level when she reads his letter to her class, unaware that he is sitting there at the time, and has come to abide her request as directed by his managing editor. Because of her diatribe against him, he decides to enroll in her class incognito as James Gallagher to show her up. Their war softens, at least from Jim's side, as he can't help but be attracted to her as a person. And Erica, not knowing his true identity, is enthralled with her new pupil, who is the most naturally gifted writer she has ever had in any of her classes. As Jim and Erica get closer personally and professionally, not only is his true identity a major obstacle in their relationship if she ever discovers it, but seemingly so is Dr. Hugo Pine, a Renaissance-man psychology professor at the college whom Jim assumes is her suitor. Jim might ultimately be able to use Hugo's profession and knowledge of Erica for his own benefit in getting closer to her. But learning directly from her of her motivations in life, based on idolizing a Pulitzer Prize-winning editorialist, could give him a clearer picture of who Erica is as a person.