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.