Apartment For Peggy

It's been quite some time since I could post but I am back and ready to get the ball rolling again with one of my favorites Apartment For Peggy. This is an excellent post WWII era film starring William Holden, Edmund Gwenn and Jeanne Crain in the title role. I like this film for several reasons one being that there are thousands of films about war but very few showing what happens when the troops come home. Peggy gives a rare glimpse into the post war period immediately following the war.

The movie starts with the revelation that retired Professor Henry Barnes (Gwenn) plans to kill himself after finishing up some bits of work. He feels he is of no use to anyone. He tells his close friend Professor Bell about his plans and Bell naturally advises against it. Next Peggy comes upon Henry sitting in the park. She is a spitfire rambling off new age slang which captures his interest. She tells him that she and her husband Jason (Holden), a war vet using his GI Bill to attend the university, are about to become homeless. Henry tells her to get in touch with his friend Bell who runs the university housing. As she confides in him he confides in her his feeling of uselessness. She tells him in no subtle terms he needs to live; with a capital L. Once Peggy gets in touch with Bell he realizes that Henry has an attic available for use and suggest they live with him to try and help him out. Though Henry resists at first Peggy uses some of her made up statistics to sway him. From there we get the heart of the film with many twists along the way.

While the film may feel dated in places; some of Peggy's slang terms for example, it still has a story that could easily be made today and seem fresh. Of course there is very little "fresh" left in Hollywood today. Crain's Peggy is a refreshing character to see in all her make up statistics as you go glory. Her chemistry with Gwenn is excellent and you get a true feel that they are helping each other. Apartment For Peggy is a true gem that deserves more attention than it receives. Then again there are tons of quality films from that era so sometimes these diamonds fall through the cracks. I highly recommend this film,