Summary
In 'It Must Be Love,' Fernie Schmidt, a young girl living in a cramped, smelly deli backroom, harbors a deep-seated desire for a better life. Her world turns upside down when she meets Jack Dugan at a dance, sparking an immediate and passionate romance. However, the bond between Fernie and Jack is threatened when her father, Pop, demands that she marry Peter Halitovsky, who sells sausages. This sets off a series of conflicts and negotiations as Fernie navigates her love, her family's expectations, and her ambition for a more refined life. The film culminates in a memorable proposal and the revelation that Jack has purchased a deli, offering Fernie a future she had previously dismissed as beneath her.
Synopsis
Fernie Schmidt lived with her father and mother in back of their delicatessen store. Fernie hated delicatessen--and still more disliked the two rooms in which they lived. She felt that she could never invite friends to visit her in such a "smelly" home. Pop Schmidt didn't understand the young girl's need for a nicer home, and although Mom did, she couldn't persuade Pop to make the change. Pop had it all planned that she was to marry Peter Halitovsky, who sold sausages. Then, at a dance, Fernie met Jack Dugan. It was a case of love at first sight. But Fernie couldn't bring Jack home to meet her parents, because of those two ill-smelling rooms back of their business. So, when he returned home from the dance, Po, who had been inflamed by Peter's recital of Fernie's rejecting him, demanded why she hadn't brought her new friend home. She explained that she couldn't bring him to such a place. Infuriated, Pop put her out of his home. Fernie went to work in a department store. Her affair with Jack progressed, and one Sunday, at a picnic, he proposed. He was going to buy a business, he explained, so he would be able to take care of Fernie. Fernie accepted Jack. That same night, she went home to dinner at Pop's invitation. He had finally decided to buy a new home, but back of his decision lurked a wish for Fernie to marry Peter. Peter proposed, and Fernie was about to reject him, when Jack appeared unexpectedly. When he told her that he had bought a delicatessen store, Fernie was happy that she could help him. Pop and Mom were immediately won over by Jack's manliness, and Mom began to plan the wedding.
