.....here's one example of the kazillions of lesser-known musicals that were cranked out in WWII-era Hollywood. Some were wonderful, a lot were awful, and several fell in between---as does this one. The first 45 minutes are quite good, with Barry Fitzgerald's cranky Irish millionaire playing well off Betty Hutton's hat-check-girl-with-a-heart-of-gold. After that, the plot becomes less believable and needlessly complicated---as with many such stories, the misunderstandings could be explained in less than 30 seconds---and stretching it out for another hour was a mistake. Other minuses include the poorly written role given to Hutton's romantic lead, Don DeFore (his character has the personality of a redwood) and underuse of one of the Golden Era's best wise-cracking second bananas, Iris Adrian---here, she's toned down from 10 to 2, apparently so as not to compete with the already frenetic Betty Hutton. (Adrian's trademark blonde hair is swapped for brunette, as well.) But what stops the film from sinking is the interplay between Hutton and Fitzgerald. While nowhere near the top of the musical heap, you may well find something to like in it, so give it a watch.
Review of The Stork Club
