A post-war comedy about a serviceman (William Lundigan) who thinks he's returning home for a blissful reunion with his wife (June Haver). Instead he finds that she has bought a run-down apartment building, and along with it, a long list of expensive repairs and crazy tenants. Complicating matters, the husband wants his "old army buddy" to move into one of the apartments - but neglects to tell his wife that the "buddy" is a seductive ex-wac played by none other than
Marilyn Monroe! Then, a con-man who's wanted by the FBI moves into the building, ensuring that there isn't a moment of peace and quiet for anyone who lives there. When a series of hilarious domestic fights result over the unwelcome residents, there's absolutely no place like this home!
The film began shooting under the working title “A WAC in His Life”.
During production, the studio threw an exhibitors’ party at the Café de Paris (Twentieth Century-Fox commissary). When Marilyn arrived one-and-a-half hours late, all eyes were immediately drawn towards the breathless blonde in a black strapless cocktail gown. Aware of the impact, Fox president Spyros Skouras took her by the arm and sat her down by his side at the head table. The next morning, following Skouras’s reasoning that, “If the exhibitors like her, the public likes her”, production chief Darryl F. Zanuck arranged a new seven-year contract for her “the most exciting personality in Hollywood in a long time”. Commencing on May 11th, 1951, this latest contract raised Marilyn’s salary to $500 a week.
Love Nest co-star Jack Paar later observed, “Looking back, I guess I should have been excited, but I found her pretty tiresome. She used to carry around books by Marcel Proust with their titles facing out; but I never saw her read one. She was always holding up shooting by talking on the phone. Judging from what’s happened, though, I guess she had the right number”.
This was June Haver's only full-length film in black and white. Her other 14 releases between 1943 and 1953 were shot in three-strip Technicolor, something of a record for a Hollywood Golden Age actress.
Love Nest was the only June Haver feature not to garner a contemporary New York Times review.
The bathing suit Marilyn Monroe wore was so risqué (for the time) and caused such a commotion on the set, director Joseph M. Newman had to make it a closed set while she was filming.
Love Nest was the final film appearance for both Frank Fay and Leatrice Joy.
The Persian rug maker Charley refers to is Omar Khayyam and the quote is from "The Rubaiyat of Omart Khayyam".
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