"The Stork Club" is an old film that has somehow fallen into the public domain. Because of this, you can find it at the biggest repository for such films, archive.org. I wouldn't rush to do this, as the film is far from perfect, but it is enjoyable and fun.
When the film begins, Jerry Bates (Barry Fitzgerald) falls into the water and nearly drowns. However, a quick-thinking Judy (Betty Hutton) jumps in and saves his life. She assumes he was trying to kill himself and she doesn't realize that it was an accident and this man in shabby clothes is in fact mega-rich. Bates decides to reward her for her kindness and has his lawyer set her up with a fancy apartment and big expense account...with the stipulation that she never know her benefactor. However, when her boyfriend (Don DeFore) returns from his stint overseas, he assumes that his girlfriend MUST be up to some hanky-panky....and that is why she is living the high life. So it's up to Bates and Judy to somehow work all this out...as well as work out Bates' own relationship problems.
The film is enjoyable fluff. The film has two flaws, however. First, there are about one or two songs too many (especially the second one which Hutton practically screams) and the whole mess very easily could have been worked out and explained. In fact, the lawyer (Robert Benchly) even says "It's all very simple..."...too simple. But somehow they made it all needlessly complicated to pad out the story. Still, Hutton and Fitzgerald are very likable...hence my score of 6.
When the film begins, Jerry Bates (Barry Fitzgerald) falls into the water and nearly drowns. However, a quick-thinking Judy (Betty Hutton) jumps in and saves his life. She assumes he was trying to kill himself and she doesn't realize that it was an accident and this man in shabby clothes is in fact mega-rich. Bates decides to reward her for her kindness and has his lawyer set her up with a fancy apartment and big expense account...with the stipulation that she never know her benefactor. However, when her boyfriend (Don DeFore) returns from his stint overseas, he assumes that his girlfriend MUST be up to some hanky-panky....and that is why she is living the high life. So it's up to Bates and Judy to somehow work all this out...as well as work out Bates' own relationship problems.
The film is enjoyable fluff. The film has two flaws, however. First, there are about one or two songs too many (especially the second one which Hutton practically screams) and the whole mess very easily could have been worked out and explained. In fact, the lawyer (Robert Benchly) even says "It's all very simple..."...too simple. But somehow they made it all needlessly complicated to pad out the story. Still, Hutton and Fitzgerald are very likable...hence my score of 6.