''Alimony'' is a 1949 American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by

Alfred Zeisler Alfred Zeisler (September 26, 1892 – March 1, 1985) was an American-born German film producer, director, actor and screenwriter. He produced 29 films between 1927 and 1936. He also directed 16 films between 1924 and 1949. Selected filmogr ...

and starring

Martha Vickers Martha Vickers (born Martha MacVicar; May 28, 1925 – November 2, 1971) was an American model and actress. Early life Vickers was born Martha MacVicar in Ann Arbor, Michigan; her father was an automobile dealer. She began her career as a mo ...

Plot

Paul Klinger is on a desperate search for his lost daughter, Kate. He goes to see a man in New York, Dan Barker, a songwriter who knew Kate in the past when she lived in the city. Dan tells Paul that Kate changed her name to Kitty Travers, and then continues to tell the story of what he knows about "Kitty": Dan met Kitty when she was looking for work as a model and she happened to stay at the same boarding house as he and his girlfriend Linda Waring. A friend of Kitty's told her she could work as co-respondent in alimony cases where the man was framed to up the settlement sum. She started working for a lawyer Burt Crail and became involved in a big scandal, posing in a picture with a married man. Kitty apparently showed an aptitude for the work and made a good chunk of money. In the end she became interested in Dan, just when he was about to break through as a songwriter. Dan fell in love with Kitty and wrote her a song, breaking up with his girlfriend Linda. When Kitty found out that Dan wasn't going to be the success they expected, she left him and he resumed his relationship with his ex Linda. They married, and then came his real breakthrough, when the song he wrote for Kitty became a successful hit. Kitty returned and wanted a piece of the cake, demanding to sing the song on Dan's tour around the country. Again, Dan fell in love with Kitty and eventually left his wife. The relationship only survived long enough for the royalty money to be spent and then Kitty left Dan again. He again returned to Linda, who took him back. Kitty went on to bigger fish, marrying a millionaire named George Griswold, but secretly working for Crail again. Crail arranged for Griswold to be photographed with another woman, but before they got a settlement, it turned out Griswold had set them both up by sending a double, Curtis Carter. Both Crail and Kitty were arrested for fraud, together with several other accomplices. This concludes Dan's story about Kitty. When he is done, Paul gets news that Kate, who is out on parole from her prison sentence, has been involved in a car crash and lies in a hospital. Paul goes to the hospital and visits his daughter. They reconcile and he promises to help her start a new and better life.

Cast

as Kitty Travers aka Kate Klinger * John Beal as Dan Barker *

Hillary Brooke Hillary Brooke (born Beatrice Sofia Mathilda Peterson; September 8, 1914 – May 25, 1999) was an American film actress. Career A 5′6″ blonde from the Astoria neighborhood of New York City's borough of Queens, Brooke, who was of Swedish an ...

as Linda Waring *Laurie Lind as Helen Drake *

Douglass Dumbrille Douglass Rupert Dumbrille (October 13, 1889 – April 2, 1974) was a Canadian actor who appeared regularly in films from the early 1930s. Life and career Douglass Dumbrille ( ) was born in Hamilton, Ontario. As a young man, he was employed ...

as Burton (Burt) Crail *James Guilfoyle as Paul Klinger *

Marie Blake Edith Marie Blossom MacDonald (August 21, 1895 – January 14, 1978), also known as Blossom Rock, was an American actress of vaudeville, stage, film and television. During her career she was also billed as Marie Blake or Blossom MacDonald. He ...

as Mrs. Nesbitt *

Leonid Kinskey Leonid Kinskey (1893/1894 – September 8, 1998) was a Russian-born American film and television actor, best known for his role as "Sascha" in the film ''Casablanca'' (1942). His last name was sometimes spelled Kinsky. Life and career Kinskey ...

as Joe Wood *

Ralph Graves Ralph Graves (born Ralph Horsburgh; January 23, 1900 – February 18, 1977) was an American screenwriter, film director and actor who appeared in more than 90 films between 1918 and 1949. Biography Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Graves had alre ...

as George Griswold / Curtis P. Carter *

William Ruhl William Harris Ruhl (October 25, 1901 – March 12, 1956) was an American character actor of the 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950s. Early life Born on October 25, 1901, in Colfax, Washington, Ruhl entered films in the small role of a shopper i ...

as Fred Richards *

Harry Lauter Herman Arthur "Harry" Lauter (June 19, 1914 – October 30, 1990) was an American character actor. Early years Lauter was born in White Plains, New York. He worked as a model for a professional photographer and was a rodeo rider before m ...

as Doctor

Soundtrack

* Martha Vickers - "That's How Dreams Are Made" (Written by

L. Wolfe Gilbert Louis Wolfe Gilbert (August 31, 1886 – July 12, 1970) was a Russian Empire–born American songwriter of Tin Pan Alley. He is best remembered as the lyricist for "Ramona" (1928), the first movie theme song ever written. Biography Born i ...

and Alexander Laszlo) * Martha Vickers - "You Are All the World to Me" (Written by L. Wolfe Gilbert and Alexander Laszlo) * John Beal - "Lullaby" (Written by L. Wolfe Gilbert and Alexander Laszlo)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alimony 1949 films 1949 crime drama films American black-and-white films Film noir Films directed by Alfred Zeisler Eagle-Lion Films films American crime drama films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films