Forced to retire from a long career as a successful college professor, Edmund Gwenn comes to an important decision. He really has no importance in the world anymore, so why should he stay in it? He announces to his co-worker Gene Lockhart of his intentions to commit suicide. Of course, that isn't going to happen, not when a young married couple (Jeanne Crain and William Holden) come into his lives. Gwenn encounters Crain in the park, and learning that she is on the verge of becoming homeless along with her former G.I. husband, refers them to Lockhart who is in charge of the college housing committee. Before he has even taken off his overcoat, Gwenn receives a visit from Crain who offers to rent the attic, and all of a sudden (after a bit of carping about it) he has some meaning in his life. Humor, compassion and some tragedy follow, making this one of the most tear-jerking and heart-warming comedies of the golden age of Hollywood.
All the actors do incredible jobs, but when you've got the recent Oscar Winning Santa Claus in the credits over the title, you know who the scene-stealer is going to be. Gwenn had been around in movies forever, but it took a long time for him to find his niche where the writers utilized him properly. Crain and Holden have individually great moments, one of them for Holden being during his re-examination after re-entering college getting that eternal grouch Charles Lane (as a stern chemistry professor) to actually crack a smile and show a bit of warmth. The highlight of the film is a scene where Gwenn and Holden try in vain to put together a baby bath with one of those confusing instruction guides still in use today. The script could have become a bit too sentimental and sappy with the themes of possible homelessness and threats of suicide but that never happens, resulting in a film unique for its era that stands the test of time.
All the actors do incredible jobs, but when you've got the recent Oscar Winning Santa Claus in the credits over the title, you know who the scene-stealer is going to be. Gwenn had been around in movies forever, but it took a long time for him to find his niche where the writers utilized him properly. Crain and Holden have individually great moments, one of them for Holden being during his re-examination after re-entering college getting that eternal grouch Charles Lane (as a stern chemistry professor) to actually crack a smile and show a bit of warmth. The highlight of the film is a scene where Gwenn and Holden try in vain to put together a baby bath with one of those confusing instruction guides still in use today. The script could have become a bit too sentimental and sappy with the themes of possible homelessness and threats of suicide but that never happens, resulting in a film unique for its era that stands the test of time.