Jim Scott (William Lundigan) is a serviceman returning to his home of New York city after World War II. He has aspirations to be an author, but figures he’ll have to get a “real job” in the meantime.
His wife Connie (June Haver), however, has a different plan. Unable to find an apartment to rent, she decided to invest their savings and buy an entire apartment building. She’s been turning the basement into an apartment for she and Jim to share, and the rentals upstairs will bring in an income, so Jim can focus on writing.
Being a landlord isn’t as easy as Connie thinks it’ll be, though. Building repairs and tenant dramas complicate the Connie’s plan, and keep Jim too busy to make much progress on his book.
Love Nest was directed by Joseph Newman. The screenplay was written by I. A. L. Diamond from a novel by Scott Corbett.
I’ve seen plenty of films about the post-war housing crisis, but never one in which the apartment seeker’s solution was to buy a whole building! Connie couldn’t find a place for herself and her soon-to-return husband, so she decided to make them landlords.
Haver and Lundigan make an adorable pair. They have plenty of misadventures as newly-minted landlords, but their relationship remains solid through most of their struggles, excepting a brief bout of jealousy on Haver’s part when Marilyn Monroe becomes a tenant.
I love ensemble stories that show the lives of various characters. Though Connie and Jim are the central characters, the apartment building they run is a great setting for an ensemble story, and brings plenty of interest. The viewer’s attention is kept by side plots including tenant romances and police investigations.
Overall, Love Nest is a cute, easy-viewing movie. It has quite a bit of charm, plenty of likable characters, and a sweet leading couple. I enjoyed it!
The Motion Pictures 