Viudas adorables

A convivial 'feel-good ,optimistic' film.'Love Nest' makes you wish you could book-in to that brownstone building c.1951 for some immediate soul revival.Incongruously;the soundtrack contains humming acappella harmonising that confirms to you;it's 'a cinematic treat'.It's 1946:June Haver has invested every last dime in a New York apartment block,hubby William Lundigan returns to a mayhem of repair bills & squabbling tenants.Marilyn Monroe;his ex-army buddy infuriates his jealous wife & Frank Fay is a 'Gentleman Lothario con-man' operating from his apartment rooms.The incidental characters are impressionable.It's a recap of 'old style' values;whence one time.Utterly nostalgic.A DVD I can watch again & again.I can't decide if this is a 'June Haver' star vehicle or a 'Marilyn Monroe' star vehicle?.Hence:two for the price of one!.

I found "Love Nest" to be light,engaging, nicely moving romantic comedy.The two leads(June Haver& William Lundigan) are very likable and there's a fine supporting cast. Jack Paar is entertaining as a witty friend of the family. Marilyn Monroe does her talking mannequin thing and doesn't overstay.Frank Fay does a nice job as an old lady charmer(real & fake). The script, by Billy Wilder collaborator I.A.L.Diamond, has some good one-liners and some actual heart-felt moments; as a just furloughed G.I./writer and his young wife find them selves owner of a dilapidated apartment house in N.Y. city and all that goes with it (fussy tenants,building inspectors,kooky cat).It has a scratch your head ending, but it's a pleasant viewing experience.(note: the DVD has Marilyn Monroe plastered all over the cover.She's hardly in it.)

Love Nest concerns the struggles of a young couple to keep the brownstone they own in shape and their tenants happy. June Haver bought the building as an investment with what was probably William Lundigan's separation pay. They've got an interesting group of tenants among them Frank Fay a gentleman of leisure who doesn't work but seems to be well fixed.

That's because he's a conman who fleeces little old ladies, but he's actually fallen for Leatrice Joy of the silent screen era who is also a tenant.

Another tenant is Marilyn Monroe who knew Lundigan in the service when she was a WAC. June Haver notices, but Jack Paar a lawyer friend of their's also notices Marilyn.

Love Nest is a slight amusing comedy. But the thing that gets me is that for all their troubles that Brownstone in NYC especially Manhattan is probably worth a small fortune for the grandchildren of Lundigan and Haver. Hope they hung on to it.

Serviceman and aspiring writer Jim Scott returns home after the war to find his wife Connie had bought a rundown apartment building. With a large mortgage and no other income, the married couple work to fix up the old building. New renter Mr. Patterson seems rich but his many identities suggest a con man. He entices widow tennant Eadie Gaynor and an FBI agent comes asking questions. Jim's war buddy Bobbie rents an apartment. Connie is surprised to find the expected guy Bobbie turns out to be the sexy WAC Roberta Stevens (Marilyn Monroe). Scott friend Ed Forbes (Jack Paar) is taken with the former model. When the city orders the building to be rewired or be condemned, the Scotts face financial ruin.

Obviously, Marilyn Monroe is the big draw for modern audiences. At the time, she had caught the eye of the studios before hitting it big. She has the blonde look and the beautiful smile but she's not the breathy bombshell yet. It's really only a supporting role. It's great to see an earlier version of the iconic blonde. The plot isn't much. The lead couple is sweetly charming in a white bread way although he could be nicer to her. He's still a man of his times. The laughs aren't big but it's nicely easy. Nothing is outstanding except for sexy Monroe but that's all one needs anyways.

This is a cute typical comedy from 20th Century-Fox in the early 1950's. This movie is famous because it has an early, very good, normal supporting performance by Marilyn Monroe. The movie stars June Haver (wife of Fred MacMurray) and Willam Lundigan, a minor leading man of the period.

The cool thing is this film has supporting performances from three unusual actors: Jack Paar, in one of his few acting roles, Frank Fay, once married to Barbara Stanwyck, who was the most popular comedian and master-of-ceremonies of the entire Vaudeville era (he also the star of the original Broadway hit, "Harvey"), and Leatrice Joy, a famous silent actress in one of her final film roles.

For those performances alone, it's worth watching.