''Apartment for Peggy'' is a 1948 American

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film directed by

George Seaton George Seaton (April 17, 1911 – July 28, 1979) was an American screenwriter, playwright, film director and producer, and theatre director. Life and career Early life Seaton was born George Edward Stenius in South Bend, Indiana, of Swedish des ...

and starring

Jeanne Crain Jeanne Elizabeth Crain (May 25, 1925 – December 14, 2003) was an American actress. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her title role in '' Pinky'' (1949). She also starred in the films ''In the Meantime, Darling'' (1944 ...

William Holden William Holden (born William Franklin Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor, and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film ''Stalag 17'' (1953) ...

, and

Edmund Gwenn Edmund Gwenn (born Edmund John Kellaway; 26 September 1877 – 6 September 1959) was an English actor. On film, he is best remembered for his role as Kris Kringle in the Christmas film ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (1947), for which he won th ...

. The plot is about a depressed professor whose spirits are lifted when he rents part of his home to a young couple. It was based on the novelette ''An Apartment for Jenny'' by

Faith Baldwin Faith Baldwin (October 1, 1893 – March 18, 1978) was an American writer of Romance novel, romance novels and other forms of fiction,

. Campus exteriors were filmed at the

University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12, ...

Plot

Just after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, retired philosophy professor Henry Barnes (Gwenn) confides in his friend, law professor Edward Bell (Lockhart), that he is planning to commit suicide. He has reached this decision calmly and logically, feeling that having been forced to retire by the college, he is no longer useful, and he should not stay alive and use up the world's scarce resources. It is later revealed to the viewer that Henry's wife has died and his son was killed in the war. Edward tries to talk Henry out of his plan and contacts Dr. Philip Conway, who examines Henry and finds him in very good health. Henry asks the doctor to prescribe him sleeping pills, but Dr. Philip will only give him two at a time to prevent Henry from committing suicide by overdose. Jason Taylor (Holden) is a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

veteran who survived the sinking of the USS ''Vincennes'' and is now attending college on the

G.I. Bill The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...

, hoping to become a chemistry teacher. He and his young, pregnant wife Peggy (Crain) live in a cramped camper while she seeks a better apartment for them, where Jason can concentrate on his studies without anxiety. The post-World War II housing shortage is affecting many G.I. Bill students who have brought wives and families with them;

quonset hut A Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanized steel having a semi cylindrical cross-section. The design was developed in the United States, based on the Nissen hut introduced by the British during World War I ...

s have been set up in every spare space, and Edward, who is also serving as VA housing administrator, is swamped with paperwork and requests. Peggy and Henry randomly meet on a campus bench and Henry is fascinated by her youthful slang and enthusiasm. She tells him all about Jason and their housing dilemma. When she complains about the unresponsive "creep" housing administrator, Edward, Henry reveals that Edward is his good friend. Peggy then goes to Edward's office to pressure him. Edward discovers that Henry has a spare attic and assigns Peggy and Jason to live with Henry. The young couple move in and disrupt the usual peace and quiet of Henry's home. At first Henry is upset by the noise and chaos, but they all work through the tensions and end up making an impromptu family. Jason and Peggy help with the house chores and Peggy starts calling Henry "Pop". Peggy also finds new work for Henry, having him teach a free class for the G.I. Bill students' wives, who are worried about being left behind by their newly educated husbands. However, Henry is still planning to commit suicide on March 1, saving up the pills he gets two at a time from the doctor. Meanwhile, Jason, who is having trouble in his chemistry class and is worried about money, is considering quitting school to take a job selling used cars in Chicago. Peggy then suddenly has a miscarriage, saddening them all. Henry tells Peggy that he had planned to commit suicide, but has changed his mind. Jason quits school and moves to Chicago to sell cars, leaving a depressed Peggy behind to recover at Henry's house. Dr. Conway tells Henry that Peggy's illness is not health-related but rather stems from her disappointment that Jason gave up his dream. Henry contacts Jason and tries to talk him into returning to school. Henry thinks his efforts have failed, but unbeknownst to Henry and Peggy, Jason secretly returns to try to pass his exams. He does well on them all, except his most difficult subject, chemistry. Halfway through the exam, he almost gives up in frustration, but is talked out of it by his chemistry professor, who turns out to also be a Navy veteran. With the professor's encouragement, Jason passes the chemistry exam. Meanwhile, Henry, having told Peggy that his home is her home, has decided to commit suicide after all and takes his saved-up stash of pills. Peggy calls Dr. Conway and finds out that the doctor did not give Henry sleeping pills, but instead substituted a different non-lethal pill. Jason comes home and he and Peggy give Henry coffee and help him walk off the effects of the pills. Jason tells Henry that he knew many men who died during the war—perhaps even Henry's son—who would love to have Henry's option to continue to live. In the end, Henry is happily reunited with Jason, Peggy and his professor friends, and Peggy announces she and Jason plan to have another baby.

Cast

as Peggy Taylor *

as Jason Taylor *

as Professor Henry Barnes *

Gene Lockhart Edwin Eugene Lockhart (July 18, 1891 – March 31, 1957)"Gene Lockhart"
''The ...

as Professor Edward Bell *

Griff Barnett Griff Barnett (born Manley Griffith, November 12, 1884 – January 12, 1958) was an American actor.(17 January 1958) ''The New York Times'' Barnett was born in Blue Ridge, Texas in 1884. In the early 20th century, Barnett was a member of the ...

as Dr. Philip Conway *

Randy Stuart Randy Stuart (born Elizabeth Shaubell; October 12, 1924 – July 20, 1996), was an American actress in film and television. Early years Stuart's parents, John and Gladys Shaubell, were itinerant musicians in the American South and the Midd ...

as Dorothy *

Betty Lynn Elizabeth Ann Theresa Lynn (August 29, 1926 – October 16, 2021) was an American actress. She played Thelma Lou, Deputy Barney Fife's girlfriend, on ''The Andy Griffith Show''. During the 1940s and 1950s, she appeared in many films, including ...

as Wife *

Marion Marshall Marion Marshall (June 8, 1929 – September 24, 2018) was an American actress. Career Marshall's first film appearances were in the 20th Century Fox films ''Gentleman's Agreement'' and ''Daisy Kenyon'' in 1947 (although they were both uncredit ...

as Ruth *

Pati Behrs Pati Behrs Eristoff (February 13, 1922 – July 4, 2004) was a Russian American prima ballerina and actress. Biography Pati Behrs Eristoff was a prima ballerina and a grandniece of Leo Tolstoy. She is perhaps best known as the first of John De ...

as Jeanne

References

External links

* * * {{George Seaton 1948 films 1948 comedy-drama films 20th Century Fox films American comedy-drama films American pregnancy films 1940s pregnancy films Films based on American novels Films based on works by Faith Baldwin Films directed by George Seaton Films set in universities and colleges Films shot in Nevada Films produced by William Perlberg 1940s English-language films 1940s American films