Apartment for Peggy
| Apartment for Peggy | |
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| Directed by | George Seaton |
| Produced by | William Perlberg |
| Written by |
Faith Baldwin (story) George Seaton |
| Starring |
Jeanne Crain William Holden Edmund Gwenn |
| Music by | David Raskin |
| Cinematography | Harry Jackson |
| Edited by | Robert L. Simpson |
| Distributed by | Twentieth Century-Fox |
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Release date
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Running time
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96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2 million |
| Box office | $2,750,000 (US rentals) |
Apartment for Peggy is a 1948 American comedy-drama film 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. Campus exteriors were filmed at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Just after World War II, 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 veteran who survived the sinking of the USS Vincennes and is now attending college on the G.I. Bill, 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 huts 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 park 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.
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