Apartment for Peggy (1948) User Reviews

Housing shortage

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 2 July 2005]

George Seaton's "Apartment for Peggy" was a surprise that was shown on cable recently. This 1948 film is a wonderful reminder of how Hollywood used to make comedy by taking amazing talent out of a pool of superb cinema actors. The film is based on a Faith Baldwin novel, which the director adapted for the screen.

"Apartment for Peggy" tackles the problem the housing shortage right after WWII. We are taken to a college town where some students are feeling the pinch and must adapt to whatever they could get from meager accommodations. It's this way how Peggy, a young pregnant wife of a student at the university, comes upon an attic apartment that Prof. Henry Barnes didn't even remember he had. Prof. Barnes wants to commit suicide, so Peggy, and her husband Jason, are in his way to accomplish the task. Prof. Barnes feels old and left out, when in reality, he has so much to give, not only to his newly found tenants, but to the community where he lives as well.

Delightful performances by the cast was what George Seaton got from everyone. Edmund Gwenn makes an impression as Prof. Barnes. Mr. Gwenn was a man that went to enhance all the films in which he appeared. Jeanne Crain is the Peggy of the title; a beautiful woman in the prime of her youth. It was obvious the camera adored her. William Holden made a likable Jason. Gene Lockhart is excellent, as always, but we didn't expect anything short of greatness out of him, or the rest of the cast.

"Apartment for Peggy" will delight anyone looking for a good time watching this film.

Should be seen by all teens in high school

[NancyKM · 8/10 · 7 August 2006]

I watched this twice on cable. I really liked the contrasts. I loved the way the young students respected the professors and elders in general, and co-existed with them -- not just barely tolerated them. Also, just simple common sense was so pleasant to see. No "major plot twists" with contrived "stupidity". By stupidity, I mean the typical, "such as turning your back on a bad guy", or when teens are in a house that has a known killer in it, and the kids decide to split-up to find him, and then get picked off one at a time. Needless to say, there is no "bad guy" or "killer" in this movie, but there are a couple of things that happen, and common sense not only wins out, but was also present from the beginning. Also, the hardship of a housing shortage just after World War II versus the desire for a college education. Despite that obstacle and other obstacles, these "young" adults were adult about overcoming their problems, most of the time. Also, I liked that Peggy established a lecture (series?) for the wives of students when she discovered that many wives felt left out of their husbands lives due to lack of formal education. The women weren't dumb, just hadn't been exposed to the same ideas. And a note to teens of today, yes, there was a time that many students were husbands/men and wives were in a secondary position. I found the movie very uplifting, amusing and well acted.

Confounding...exasperating...yet wonderfully charming!

[moonspinner55 · 8/10 · 31 August 2005]

Jeanne Crain is a breathlessly talkative expectant mother who lives with her husband, a former soldier, in a trailer; she chances to meet retired professor Edmund Gwenn, who feels his mundane, monotone existence means retreating from this world, but he goes along with her plan to let the couple temporarily move into his attic. The perfect example of what they used to call 'whimsical comedy'; despite a clumsy start, it still seems heartfelt today, perhaps even meaningful. Gwenn conveys the most complex emotions simply by wordless expression, and Crain's exuberance grows on you (she's better though in her quieter moments). With these two front and center, William Holden ends up playing third wheel, yet his solid-but-amiable masculinity is a nice counterpoint to kooky Crain (he also has some fine scenes alone with Gwenn). The gentlemen in Gwenn's musical troupe are all wonderful, and the writing and direction--though primed for audience approval--genuinely work wonders with what might've been a stale set-up. This tearjerker is a true gem. ***1/2 from ****

Gold in the Unlikeliest Places

[dougdoepke · 30 July 2007]

Behind the misleadingly sappy title lies one of the decade's most positive and humorously enriching films. On the surface, the story is about the post-war housing shortage and the difficulties returning vets had in trying to start a family in old trailers, quonset huts, or whatever lodging could be slapped together. Peggy (Jeanne Crain) is a charmingly spunky newly-wed whose husband (William Holden) is in college on the GI Bill. There she meets stodgy old professor (Edmund Gwenn) and tries to talk her way into making his attic a new home for the couple and their expected baby. The trouble is Gwenn has turned his big old house into a mausoleum in tribute to his dead wife. Now he lives alone, in despair. Having completed his life's work he sees no further point in living and thus looks forward to suicide. In the process, however, he fails to factor in the life-affirming powers of youthful zest, old-age wisdom, and the wonderfully spirited Peggy.

What a fine piece of obscure film-making, from scripter-director George Seaton and the cast of three principals, though Crain is a bit much at times. The film must have cost about 50 bucks to make since nearly all the scenes are indoors, but seldom has movie-making money been better spent. Beneath the post-war plot, there's a parable about generational sharing in which each age group brings uniquely enriching benefits to those around them. Thus, Peggy brings hope, joy, and a real home to the others, while husband Holden, though sometimes wayward, brings dedication, hard work, and finally a sense of real values. And as the ivory-tower professor, Gwenn contributes from the wisdom of the ages, but also finds that true philosophical thinking lies not on the dead pages of old books, but can also be found in the unlikeliest of places-- in a launderette full of seemingly empty-headed young wives. That superbly humane scene alone is worth the 90 minutes of watching.

A movie like this could have gone off-track in so many places. The material alone might easily have slid into the sort of tear-jerking treatment that would send me running for the off-button. But never do the on-screen results descend to a sappy level. Instead Seaton and Co. maintain a consistently light and intelligent touch throughout, even during the darker passages. In fact, they accomplish one of the most difficult of all challenges inside an industry where cynicism is the norm and sneering is the response to any hint of idealism. To its great credit, the film actually makes us feel that beneath our differences, something like a harmonious human community may exist after all, as the wonderfully metaphorical last scene suggests. I expect a little project like this with its unfortunate title passed quickly into movie oblivion. However, now more than ever, Apartment for Peggy needs rediscovery. For its well-delivered message is truly trans-generational.

Charming little comedy worth warming up to...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 26 August 2006]

JEANNE CRAIN was at the height of her appeal as a demure charmer at Fox, just beginning to be more than a pretty face as far as her acting career was concerned. And here she had two splendid co-stars: WILLIAM HOLDEN as her ex-G.I. hubby and EDMUND GWENN as a little retired professor who has some housing space in his attic. When Crain finds out about the available space (during the big housing shortage at the time), she convinces Gwenn to rent the apartment to the young married couple.

From there, the plot takes a few steps beyond that bare outline, always throwing a positive outlook at women who want to better themselves with an education as well as the G.I.s entitled to do so under the G.I. bill.

Gene Lockhart, Griff Barnett and Betty Lynn fill the supporting roles amiably and it's probably Jeanne Crain's best film of that period, following her enormous success as MARGIE two years previously.

What a surprise.!!!

[WilliamCKH · 10/10 · 23 November 2006]

On the surface, this film looks like a typical 1940's Technicolor feel good movie On paper, the story deals with a young GI couple looking for an apartment at a University. They find a retired professor, played by Edmund Gwenn, with an attic to rent. With this storyline known, I was expecting to be entertained, a little.

What a surprise though when the movie got rolling... there were so many scenes in this movie that absolutely astonished me. The very first was Gwenn's, rationality for wanting to commit suicide at the beginning of the picture. There was in the script a logic and non-sentimentality for this rational that I was very surprised to see from a film of that era. Then comes Jeanne Crain, who plays the wife. I had always thought Jeanne Crain was a pretty, competent actress and had not seen her but once or twice on the screen. But she is absolutely tremendous as Peggy. She dominates every scene she's in because her presence is just that of aliveness and wonder. Then the movie becomes more surprising when it begins to talk about issues of poverty, making a living, racial issues, money, marriage, education, and so much more. "Never hold money so close in front of you that you can't see anything else". There is a long scene with Gwenn and a group of women talking about Philosophy that is also very refreshing.

Then comes the other surprising parts. Peggy loses her baby...the movie shows the doctor walking into the room saying "The baby's dead" and with a long, long silence, Holden says "Why" and that's it, no more sentimentality about the baby...it's over.

The one scene I was completely taken aback bye was the scene where Gwenn and Holden are trying to put together a baby tub, a gift for Peggy. The scene last almost 5 minutes of these to guys trying to figure out the instructions on putting this thing together. I reminded me of an Eric Rohmer picture, where people are shown as they're doing things without the need to hurry things along for the sake of the plot and gave the viewer a great connection with the characters.

Although it is not on VHS or DVD, try to seek this film on TV or any old moviehouses showing it, you will be delightfully surprised how modern and life affirming this film is. A deeply rewarding experience indeed.

Sweet romantic comedy with a dark edge

[mritchie · 7/10 · 5 May 2006]

A charming domestic comedy leavened a bit with some dark shades, which gives the movie a distinctive edge. It uses the post-WWII GI college boom and simultaneous housing shortage as plot points, which may confuse current viewers a bit. Gwenn plays a college professor who is contemplating suicide because he's being forced into retirement. On a chilly winter afternoon while feeding birds on a park bench, he meets up with chatty young Jeanne Crain, wife of GI student William Holden, who tells Gwenn how desperate they are for housing, especially with a baby on the way. Gwenn agrees to put in a good word for her with college administrator Gene Lockhart, and Lockhart decides to place the couple in Gwenn's attic, which Crain re-makes into a cozy little apartment. Of course, Gwenn is a bit cold about the whole thing at first, but eventually he warms to them, agreeing to teach an informal class for the GI wives who don't want to feel left behind by their husbands, and even giving up the idea of killing himself. There are complications: Crain suffers a miscarriage; Holden decides he doesn't want to wait for a degree and drops out to take a job at a used car dealership; Gwenn tries to talk him into coming back to school, and when he thinks he's failed, he returns to his suicidal ways, but all things are put right in the end. Much of the charm of the film is in its details: Crain is forever making up statistics to argue her side of any point; Gwenn cusses by reeling off the names of the books of the Bible; in the one moment that made me laugh out loud, Gwenn tells a bad joke to his class of housewives and Lockhart gives the camera a wonderful split-second reaction. I loved the use of the beautiful Irish song, "I Dreamt That I Dwelt in Marble Halls" in a couple of scenes.

Socratic Dialogue Comes To Life

[dlpughe · 10/10 · 6 March 2008]

An Apartment for Peggy is a surprise for anyone who comes across it---and that seems to be the only way it is re-discovered again and again. Jean Crain is a marvel and so is Edmund Gwenn and the two have many wonderful scenes together. Crain's snappy, slang-laden talk with Gwenn's resigned philosophic thoughtfulness is delightful. When they realize other post- war wives putting their husbands through college fervently desire education themselves, Peggy and the Professor organize a lecture series at the only available location---a pool hall. The way the scene unfolds, with the Professor leading the discussion of philosophy, and then the women taking over with a spirited debate of ideas is one of the best and sadly a singular occasion that shows women in this kind of intellectual exchange. It is what the recent movie Mona Lisa hoped for but failed to bring to life. And the other plot lines---research in chemistry at Harvard, with William Holden, a former chemistry-major in his first role; the difficulties of miscarriage and medicine (folic acid); and the strong bond of 'family' that developed due to unusual configurations of folks thrown together by the housing shortage; the struggles of loneliness and suicide, all are dealt with in a fresh and fascinating way. This film is one that is great to see again and find new things to appreciate and we can only hope it will be transferred to DVD someday very soon.

Tailor/Taylor Made For Ms. Jeanne Crain

[ferbs54 · 7/10 · 13 July 2020]

As I may have mentioned elsewhere, for my money, the most beautiful actress in Hollywood history was none other than Ms. Jeanne Crain. From her very first film appearance, an uncredited cameo, poolside in a green bathing suit in the 1943 musical "The Gang's All Here," all the way to her final film, 1972's "Skyjacked," Crain never failed to awe the viewer with her remarkable good looks; indeed, in the 1945 film noir "Leave Her to Heaven," she managed the near-impossible feat of looking better than Gene Tierney (my personal choice for the second-most-beautiful actress in Hollywood history) at her most gorgeous. But for this old fan, Jeanne never looked more ravishing than she did in the mid-'40s, and so it has been a goal of mine to experience every single one of her films from that period. One of those pictures that I recently crossed off the list is the film in question, "Apartment for Peggy," which was first released in October 1948, just three months before one of Crain's most accomplished films, the classic piece of Americana "A Letter to Three Wives." Filmed at 20th Century Fox for $2 million, "Peggy" was a barely moderate success at the box office - I believe it was something like the 43rd-highest grosser for that year - but is a film that surely should have done better. Filmed in gorgeous, supersaturated Technicolor, highlighting a warm and moving story, and showcasing Jeanne Crain at her loveliest, the film is one that does deserve to be remembered today, old-fashioned and, admittedly, somewhat dated as it might be.



The film introduces the viewer to Henry Barnes (Edmund Gwenn, who had just made a memorable impression on audiences playing Kris Kringle in "Miracle on 34th Street" the year before, and who, six years later, would wow sci-fi fans by playing Dr. Harold Medford in "Them!"), a widower who has lost his only son in WW2 combat. Barnes is a retired professor of philosophy at a Midwest college, and has come to the calmly deliberated conclusion that on March 1st, right after he has finished writing his book, he will commit suicide, thus ridding the world of his then useless presence. While sitting on a bench near the college's ice-skating rink, Barnes meets a pretty woman named Peggy Taylor (or perhaps I should say mind-bogglingly gorgeous, since she is played by Jeanne Crain), a scatterbrained chatterbox who informs him that she and her newlywed husband are currently looking for a place to live, their tiny trailer not being suitable for the two, as well as the baby that she will soon be having. (Speaking for myself, the thought of living in a tiny space with a woman who looks like Peggy strikes me as being a small slice of heaven, but that's just me!) When Peggy finds out that the professor has an empty attic in his home, she wheedles and charms her way into it, and before long, has turned that dusty attic into a really lovely apartment. Her husband Jason (William Holden, whose film "Rachel and the Stranger" had just come out the month before) is studying to become a chemistry teacher on the GI Bill but is not doing very well at it, and the couple is having serious cash flow problems as well. And yet more problems arise when Jason decides to chuck his teaching aspirations and go to Chicago to become a used-car salesman and thus make more money, when the professor's determination to do himself in intensifies, and when Peggy loses her baby in a miscarriage. Can a happy ending ever be brought about for these three unhappy people? What would you think?



To its great credit, "Apartment for Peggy" resists the temptation to get sappily maudlin and overly sentimental, and while the film surely has its heartwarming moments, it never overwhelms the viewer with overbearing or manipulative emotion. It is reminiscent of, and a more touching rendition of, the great 1943 comedy "The More the Merrier," in which Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea and the much older Charles Coburn are forced to share an apartment, although nowhere near the caliber of greatness of that earlier film. But once again, the three leads are just marvelous, especially Gwenn, who steals the film with his wonderful portrayal; such a shame that he could not have been nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar for his work here, although Walter Huston surely deserved his statue that year for his incredible performance in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre." The film looks just gorgeous in high-def Technicolor, and the outdoor scenes, filmed at the University of Nevada at Reno, have a lovely wintery splendor. Director George Seaton (who had also helmed "Miracle on 34th Street") does a fine job at keeping his film intimate and touching, and his script, based on Faith Baldwin's novelette "An Apartment for Jenny" (why the name change?), contains many lines and passages of great wisdom and depth. As for David Raksin's score for the film, it is a nice one, indeed, although nowhere near as memorable as his classic theme for the Gene Tierney film "Laura," four years earlier. "Apartment for Peggy" offers the viewer any number of memorable scenes, including the one in which the professor teaches a class in philosophy to the wives of the GIs, only to be taught a lesson in philosophy himself; the sight of the professor and Jason trying to put together a Tyny Tot Tub, perhaps the funniest scene in the film; the scene is which Barnes goes to Chicago to try to convince Jason to go back to school; Barnes' confession to Peggy while visiting her in the hospital; and Jason's chemistry test, during which he and his stern professor (played by the ubiquitous character actor Charles Lane) come to a sort of understanding with each other.



And then, of course, there is Peggy herself, as played by our Jeanne, who is absolutely wonderful here. She makes Peggy 90% adorable and 10% annoying, personalitywise, and of course 100% delicious in the looks department. Peggy is a nonstop, high-speed talker (the viewer might actually have some initial trouble assimilating all her rapid chatter) who really is a bit of an oddball. No wonder her husband, at one point, tells her, "Come to think of it, you're completely crazy!" Peggy has a knack for thinking up phony statistics to help her win arguments; "alternative facts," as we would call them today. When backed into a corner about this unfortunate habit, she replies "Of course I make them up. Somebody's always making up statistics. It might as well be me. You'd be surprised how many arguments I win with my statistics. If I get in a spot, I just say '36%' or '400 million.' Nobody ever bothers to check up. They just say 'My, I never realized it was that much.' And when I walk away they think I'm very smart...." Peggy is something of a force of life, who tells Jason at one point that she ultimately wants to have nine kids (forcibly reminding the viewer that, in real life, Crain herself would go on to have seven). She is also very sweet at heart, naturally, and turns out to be just what the suicidal professor needs in his life at that moment, although he takes a while before realizing it. Crain is ideally cast here, and her great charm and remarkable looks make Peggy Taylor a creature very hard not to love, despite her annoying ways.



It is difficult to assign "Apartment for Peggy" into any one film category. It is surely not a comedy, although it does have any number of funny lines and amusing situations, and Peggy herself is like a character straight out of a screwball comedy of the 1930s. It is not a drama, although it does have several scenes of emotional weight. It is not a tearjerker, although one surely does initially expect the film to be heading in that direction. And it is certainly not a lightweight, empty-headed film, filled as it is with serious discussions, philosophical ruminations, and moments of great insight about life. I suppose that it is a well-mixed combination of all those elements; a curious stew that might prove very tasty indeed to the modern-day viewer, now almost three-quarters of a century later. Fans of the three leads here will surely eat this film right up, as all three of them are at their appealing best and get many moments in which to shine. This is the kind of film that has seemingly gone out of fashion today; one that depends not on flash and special FX, or action, or raunchy comedy, or even showy performances by lead actors trying to boost their Oscar chances. Rather, it is a small, quiet film, perfect for family viewing; a life-affirming movie that stresses what matters most in this world: helping others. It is kind of a pity that the characters spotlighted here could not have been revisited in a follow-up picture, as it would have been interesting to see what their household might have looked like after the Taylors had their baby (or nine babies), with Prof. Barnes serving as the genial uncle figure over the nest. But at least we have this enduring film, and it is one that most viewers will be very happy to discover. I know I was....

Surprisingly fun and highlights a serious problem at the time

[jerseygirl1-1 · 8/10 · 13 December 2015]

I'll be honest... my Fall Sundays are spent watching football. So when our hometown NFL team, the only game allowed to be televised at that time, began to stink more than our cat's litter box left for a couple of weeks, I flipped over to TCM. This movie was starting so I figured I would watch it. I did not expect much, but after a few minutes I was pleasantly surprised! The movie is based on a serious problem faced by so many of our soldiers and their families after WWII. This movie looks at the serious problems of family housing at universities across the country who were all too eager to collect the GI Bill money from them. Jeanne Crain plays the part of an enthusiastic wife of a student wonderfully. She is so amusing, yet serious when needed. William Holden is great as the ex-GI, student, and Father-to-be, struggling to give his family a great future while trying to survive the present. Edmund Gwenn has another great performance. I'm so glad my NFL game was a bust, or I would have missed this great movie.

It could have been sappy sweet BUT...

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 24 February 2017]

instead it is optimistic yet realistic about the struggles people had after WWII - the GIs turned college students trying to push their way back into the work force, and the older people pushed out by the returning troops.

This was an enjoyable film, despite some sad moments. William Holden and Jeanne Crain are a young married couple with a baby on the way. Holden is a war veteran who has returned home from WWII and under the GI Bill, he is attending college. He is studying in hopes of becoming a chemistry teacher. Crain plays his young wife who is also expecting their first child. At the beginning of the film, they are living in a cramped camper and are forced to locate new housing. Living on only Holden's stipend, things are tight and they're barely getting by. Much of the tension between the couple is Crain's insistence on Holden finishing college and Holden's concern about the lack of income and his feeling of failure that his wife is having to forgo things like refills on prescriptions due to lack of money. He is tempted to take a job in Chicago selling cars, but his real dream is to be a teacher and Crain is determined to support that dream.

Meanwhile, Professor Henry Barnes (portrayed by Edmund Gwenn), an ex-philosophy professor at the college is depressed about having retired. He is healthy and vital and feels that he was forced into his retirement. He confides to his friend, a fellow professor, that he is planning on committing suicide. He makes this decision calmly and rationally, explaining that he no longer feels needed or useful and no longer wants to be a drain on society. He ends up being examined by a doctor who deems him healthy. Gwenn asks the doctor to prescribe him sleeping pills. The doctor agrees, but will only dispense two pills at a time to prevent Gwenn from using them to commit suicide. However, Gwenn is stockpiling his "two pills" in order to gather enough to overdose on.

Gwenn ends up meeting Crain randomly on a park bench and he is immediately taken by her enthusiasm and youth. She ends up telling him about her housing dilemmas. Before Gwenn knows it, Holden and Crain are moving into his attic. They clean it up, re-purpose some of Gwenn's existing furniture and other items not being used in his home and fix it up to make it a habitable abode, despite it being small and rustic. Gwenn is impressed with the young couple's resourcefulness and determination. He ends up feeling needed by them as he supports Crain throughout her pregnancy and Holden during his schooling.

There are a couple of sad events in the film that help add some drama and realism to the situation. The film has a happy ending, but it seems realistic and not contrived.

I was really impressed by Jeanne Crain and the energy that she brought to her role, and Crain really makes this film her own. She runs the gamut of emotions from joy to sadness and does a great job. William Holden's role isn't that notable since he's more just there to interact with Crain and Gwenn, but after a big debut in "Golden Boy" he was relegated to minor roles, then came WWII. So, like his character in this film, this role is part of his effort to find his way back to his career post war.

William Holden & Jeanne Crain were Great Lovers!

[whpratt1 · 10/10 · 31 August 2003]

Jeannie Crain (Peggy) "Pinky" '49 and William Holden(Jason) "Sabrina"'54 showed how a young couple with just love in their hearts for each other can overcome all materialistic problems in life and still strive to obtain a college degree. However, they needed the help of Edmund Gweenn, (Professor Henry Barnes)"Miracle on 34th St." '47(Santa Claus) and Gene Lockhart(Prof. Edward Bell),father of Gene Lockhart,who gave excellent supporting roles. If you get a chance to view this film on TV, it is a film to view and enjoy even in the 21 Century, where young people have the same struggles to pay the high costs of getting a simple college education even in the late 1940's.

When you help others, you are really helping yourself.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 2 April 2014]

Forced to retire from a long career as a successful college professor, Edmund Gwenn comes to an important decision. He really has no importance in the world anymore, so why should he stay in it? He announces to his co-worker Gene Lockhart of his intentions to commit suicide. Of course, that isn't going to happen, not when a young married couple (Jeanne Crain and William Holden) come into his lives. Gwenn encounters Crain in the park, and learning that she is on the verge of becoming homeless along with her former G.I. husband, refers them to Lockhart who is in charge of the college housing committee. Before he has even taken off his overcoat, Gwenn receives a visit from Crain who offers to rent the attic, and all of a sudden (after a bit of carping about it) he has some meaning in his life. Humor, compassion and some tragedy follow, making this one of the most tear-jerking and heart-warming comedies of the golden age of Hollywood.

All the actors do incredible jobs, but when you've got the recent Oscar Winning Santa Claus in the credits over the title, you know who the scene-stealer is going to be. Gwenn had been around in movies forever, but it took a long time for him to find his niche where the writers utilized him properly. Crain and Holden have individually great moments, one of them for Holden being during his re-examination after re-entering college getting that eternal grouch Charles Lane (as a stern chemistry professor) to actually crack a smile and show a bit of warmth. The highlight of the film is a scene where Gwenn and Holden try in vain to put together a baby bath with one of those confusing instruction guides still in use today. The script could have become a bit too sentimental and sappy with the themes of possible homelessness and threats of suicide but that never happens, resulting in a film unique for its era that stands the test of time.

Gwenn Eerie; Crain Annoying

[ccthemovieman-1 · 3/10 · 27 November 2006]

I've almost always enjoyed the performances of actor Edmund Gwenn. Generally-speaking he was a fun guy to watch and was excellent in comedies. He had a unique voice, too. This was the most unusual role I ever saw him play, and I can't say I appreciated it, although he was interesting, as always.

It was kind of eerie to see him play a man who was contemplating suicide and then attempting to rationalize his act. From a secular viewpoint, some of it made sense. He was through with his job and felt he had done everything he wanted to do in life, so why not end it all before sickness and disease set in? Sounds good on the surface, but is a very selfish outlook, of course. I won't get into the arguments against that here but it would make for interesting discussions.

What turned me off in this film wasn't Gwenn but Jeanne Crain's character "Peggy." She talked non-stop. Puh-leeze....give my ears a break! Maybe that non-stop chatter was supposed to be funny but I found it only one thing: annoying. That yak-yak-yak act wore thin quickly and I would think it would drive anyone crazy. I know it drove me to finally take the tape out of the VCR and tape some other film over it.

An "Apartment for Peggy" fun for all who see it...

[Stormy_Autumn · 19 January 2006]

(Filmed in 1948) Just imagine: You're a young newly-wed woman named Peggy, married to a veteran named Jason, he's just recently returned from the Navy after World War II. He has gone through some very rough experiences. He's going to the University and housing there is greatly in demand. This scenario happened to many vets who tried to get back into civilian life after up to 4 years of war (1941 to 1945).

What's a wife to do? Especially when she's pregnant with their first child and the trailer they are now occupying will soon be reoccupied by the former tenants who are away having their own baby.

In Peggy's case she is lucky enough to meet retired Professor Henry Barnes in a campus park. His desire is to be left alone as he feeds the birds, contemplates his loneliness, uselessness and desires to commit suicide. Her desire is to talk, tell him her troubles and see if he can help or knows anyone who can...and use lots of not so reliable statistics.

Professor Barnes makes the mistake of mentioning the name of a friend, a fellow professor who had been in charge of campus housing at one time. He's hoping to distract Peggy and send her on her way. Which works, sort of.

Imagine the Professor's surprise when Peggy shows up on his doorstep wanting to see his attic because she has been told it was used as housing for single men on campus at one time? This is just his good friend's way of getting even for being put on the spot like that. And he, also, realizes that his friend, Henry, is lonely and needs some distraction.

It takes awhile but she talks herself past him and up the stairs. Then with more fast talking, warm smiles and lots of interest in 'Pops' (as Peggy has decided to call him), she wins him over. She and Jason get the attic.

After Peggy and Jason move in Henry begins to feel more useful. He has family. But he...no, I won't tell you what he's up to...get the movie!

Peggy involves 'Pops' and his band of retired cohorts in many projects where they use their educational training with others in mind. She is a fountain of thoughts and suggestions. They are willing vessels.

Then a series of situations happen that turn all their lives around. Get it, see it, enjoy it!

The cast alone makes it worthwhile. It stars Jeanne Crain as Peggy; William Holden as Jason; Edmund Gwen as Professer Henry (Pops) Barnes with the lovable Gene Lockhart (Cratchett in the original "Christmas Carol"), Griff Barnett and a cast of several young and old.

Heartwarming story that isn't mush. Go for it!

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 30 August 2013]

I really wasn't expecting much from this film; the description sounded rather mundane. But what I discovered was a film with more depth than one might expect, and it's utterly charming.

It's the story of a retired college professor (Edmund Gwenn) who, after he finishes his book, is going to commit suicide. Then, as it is right after the war, Peggy (Jeanne Crain) and her husband (William Holden) comes into the professors life as she sort of forces their way (in an innocent way) into his attic as a temporary apartment. Essentially, the film is about them becoming a family.

While Jeanne Crain is billed as star, along with William Holden, make no mistake, this is very much Edmund Gwenn's film. It's just a year after his wonderful role as Santa Claus in "Miracle On 34th Street", and although that is his signature film, I'm not sure that he isn't even better here. Jeanne Crain is Peggy, of course, but she seems different here...not sure quite how to explain it. But she is as lovely and wholesome as ever. William Holden doesn't have much to do in the first half of the film, but has more scenes in the latter half of the movie. The supporting actors all do their parts satisfactorily, but none get enough screen time worth mentioning...although you'll recognize some favorite faces in the character actors (including Gene Lockhart).

The gist of the story, in a sense, is how people cope with the everyday issues of their lives. It's really quite charming and tells you quite a bit about post World War II America and college. Recommended.

The Way It Was

[LomzaLady · 8/10 · 7 October 2005]

This is a very sweet film, with wonderful performances. It tells a simple story of the GIs returning from WWII, eager to marry, start families, and "make something of themselves." Aside from being very entertaining, this film is a useful as an indication of the American mindset after that war. Working class men were given the opportunity to attend college for free on the GI Bill of Rights, and their wives also wanted to benefit from the educational experience they probably could not have even dreamed of having only five years earlier. The film tosses off messages of freedom, equality and democracy almost casually in the discussions the characters have among themselves. My favorite scenes are first, in the laundromat, where a painting of women at the riverside beating their clothing on rocks is prominently displayed; and then the first session of the wives' informal philosophy class, wherein the women get so excited to be exchanging ideas about the world's great thinkers and, ultimately, come up with some great ideas of their own. In its own small way, this is a groundbreaking film.

A lot left to give

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 26 August 2013]

In order to appear in Apartment For Peggy William Holden had to get release from both his studio contract masters Columbia and Paramount to appear in this 20th Century Fox film. Being that he was not in either of his home studios Holden took second billing to Jeanne Crain who was at the height of her career as Fox's girl next door. And her part is in fact the title role.

Holden and Crain are a pair of newlyweds, he an ex-GI going to school on the GI bill and looking for a decent place to live as millions of others were in those post war years. A chance encounter with philosophy professor Edmund Gwenn who is contemplating suicide by Crain nets them living space and a good deal more than that.

Gwenn was also good box office at the time being fresh off his Oscar win for Miracle On 34th Street. He's lost both his wife and son and sees little point in living. In his philosophical rational way Gwenn figures he hasn't much to contribute, but Crain shows him that there's a lot he can give.

Holden has one interesting scene that resonated with me telling Gwenn how when he was clinging to a raft in the Pacific and wondering what were the underlying reasons he was there and thereupon decided to learn and become a teacher. That exact thing happened to my professor of Far Eastern history who said that he resolved to learn all he could about the people shooting at him during World War II. I daresay it was an experience shared by many.

Crain's good cheer and peppiness never become maudlin and Apartment For Peggy holds up well for today's audience.

Charming, Just Charming

[syerramia-61598 · 8/10 · 2 April 2022]

Unsure whether to class this as a drama or a comedy, it's certainly a bit of both.

Jeanne Crain is charming as the fast-talking, statistics-cranking pregnant GI-wife eager for her husband to get his chemistry degree.

This is an enjoyable film, with some snappy one-liners, lots of laughs and great chemistry between the Crain, Holden and Gwenn.

A Heart-Warming Film Full Of Life Lessons

[atlasmb · 7/10 · 13 December 2015]

Professor Henry Barnes (Edmund Gwenn) is writing his final book. His life offers nothing else that warrants living. The curmudgeon is counting down his last days when he meets Peggy Taylor (Jeanne Crain), an exuberant, positive-thinking young wife, pregnant with her first child. She mystifies the professor with her younger generation jive, but he is intrigued despite himself. Before he knows it, their lives are intertwined.

Peggy's husband, Jason (William Holden), is a student under the G.I. Bill--dedicated to his goal of becoming a teacher, though there are shorter paths to better money.

The professor's life is anchored in the past, with his nostalgia and memories of his deceased wife. In contrast, Peggy's life is focused on the future, with dreams for her first child and her husband's career. Though the professor's field of study is philosophy, he finds that Peggy is a natural philosopher, focusing on the virtues of tolerance and kindness.

The story, adapted from a novel, is well written. The film packs a lot of ideas into its running time. It's celebration of teaching and learning reminds me of "Born Yesterday", which Holden appears in two years later.

The film has a horrible (and boring) title, but "Apartment for Peggy" might remind some viewers of "It's a Wonderful Life", with its affirmation of life and the value of good deeds.

One year before this film, another Christmas classic, "Miracle on 34th Street", also starred Edmund Gwenn. George Seaton, the director of this film, wrote both films.

Ditto and more

[cherimerritt · 10/10 · 26 August 2013]

Dougdoepke wrote exactly the review I would have written, only better (hence my review title "Ditto"). Please read it for my reactions.

I rated the film 10 out of 10, though, due to my own personal interest in gender difference issues. This film highlighted and illustrated some of them exquisitely.

Once in a conversation with a female engineer over lunch, I was sharing about my efforts to open cereal boxes, etc., before my husband got to them because he would open the wrong end just tear into the box. She replied, "Oh, it's a 'dick' thing. Even the male engineers lack the patience to read the instructions through before starting to assemble stuff we receive. They always end up with pieces left over that were essential." There's a scene that perfectly plays this out. (I always do the assembling at our house.)

Peggy's perfect long-range view of their future together and her need for a shared vision and shared enthusiasm for that vision is perfectly female. Jason's internal pressure to be a better provider right now perfectly illustrates how money pressures too often distract men from the much more substantive essential of their wives' need to experience a well-discussed shared vision they can pursue together and adhere themselves to, no matter what difficulties arise.

And the young wives' (Peggy in particular) more sound ways of long-range-view reasoning about how to live and why, contrasted against, well, you watch the film and tell me what YOU think. Whether you are male or female, please don't miss these profound (I thought) aspects of this hidden gem of a film. For me, it was definitely a 10. I even located (inadvertently) Jeanne Crain's granddaughter online and emailed to her my reactions and appreciation.

Apartment for Peggy- There's A Vacancy with Bill Holden **1/2

[edwagreen · 6/10 · 16 November 2009]

Jeanne Crain and Edmund Gwenn give heartwarming performances in this 1948 film. Trouble is that Crain's movie husband, William Holden, of all people, is terribly miscast here. He is far too mature for the part, and at times, you would think he is doing a take-off on Walter Denton,(Richard Crenna) of "Our Miss Brooks Fame." It is only when the film takes a serious tone that Holden's acting improves. As in the case with Dana Andrews, comedies or musicals were not the strength of Holden.

The writing is quite good here. A retired philosophy professor contemplates suicide until he meets up with a struggling young couple, Crain and Holden, the latter a G.I. going to college on the G.I. bill.

The movie does do well in highlighting the problems of a housing shortage and the young married couples, where the husband is in college. I especially liked the part where Gwenn tries to educate the women philosophically speaking. Was this, however, a put-down on women's educational experience?

Totally unrealistic was when those college professors try to get Holden through the make-up exams.

Where is the I.W.W. when you need 'em?

[panchro-press · 9/10 · 10 July 2005]

This is a Hollywood attempt at 'writing between the lines' regarding the true under-pining of what this movie represented. The owning class did not want some G.I. who just scraped the French mud off him attending college. Yeah, perhaps it was important to beat the Germans and the Japanese but PLEASE do we really have to let them in OUR universities? Even the esteemed educator, Hutchings, objected to G.I. 'invading' his university when, clearly, they were not, 'university material'. This movie shows the struggle the working class had in getting a university education. Actually, it represents a form of bravery that this movie was ever produced. I wonder how it managed to evade HUAC's attention.

-30-

Wonderful post WWII story of young couple on the GI bill.

[cgvsluis · 7/10 · 7 September 2022]

This is a delightful 1940's comedy based on a Faith Baldwin novel this is the story of a young married couple in which the wife Peggy is pregnant and the husband Jason is going to college on the GI Bill post WWII, when there were housing shortages and a lot of young couples having to scrimp, save and make due. Getting kicked out of their temporary trailer, Peggy talks their way into a retired professor of philosophy's attic. Unbeknownst to Peggy, the professor who is played by Edmund Gwenn has plans to commit suicide in three weeks. Peggy and Jason bring so much life into the professors life, that it is not long before his entire life has changed.

This was such a sweet and funny film...definitely a time capsule of post WWII history. Edmund Gwenn really steals the show. He is so endearing as is Jeanne Crain as Peggy that this is a must see.

Santa wants suicide?

[HotToastyRag · 1/10 · 6 November 2020]

Edmund Gwenn starts the movie off as an old professor who believes he's outlived his usefulness. He sees the new generation and the young people who made it home from the war who need to use the country's valuable resources far more than he does, and so he plans to commit suicide after getting his affairs in order. A pregnant Jeanne Crain and her GI husband William Holden rent his apartment while they readjust to post-war life.

This premise in itself isn't very appealing, but since the old gentleman is played by Edmund Gwenn, it takes an extra turn for the worse. Does anyone really want to see Santa Claus contemplating suicide? I certainly didn't, and I found much of this movie far too depressing to sit through. Since I'm not a William Holden fan, many of the other scenes didn't catch my interest either. One notable aspect of the movie is the appearance of maternity smocks. Up until this point, pregnant women did not display any hint of bump or bulge. Unless you're really dying to see Jeanne Crain in a smock, you don't have to rent this movie.