Stork Club

Rating:
Summary: get the DVD instead of the video
Review: I can't comment on the quality of this particular video transfer, but this is a pretty fun film. Singer/comedienne Betty Hutton stars as a gal working as a hat check girl in the hottest club in town, in the waning days of WWII. Being wholesome and all-American as she is, when Hutton spots a doddering old man falling into the ocean when she's out for a swim, she naturally saves his life and hauls him back onshore. What she doesn't know is that the old curmudgeon, played in a broad Irish brogue by a winsome Barry Fitzgerald, is really a misanthropic bazillionaire, who is naturally quite moved by her selflessness. He anonymously arranges for her to be provided for financially, but can't resist hanging around to see what happens when she's given all his dough. Complications ensue when her boyfriend comes back from the war and gets bent out of shape wondering who her new sugar daddy is, and she has to try to patch things up. At the heart of this movie is a fabulous performance by Betty Hutton (who's sister Marion was a featured vocalist in the Glenn Miller band, and who bears an uncanny resemblance to Joan Cusack, sister of John...) She is as cute and as charming as they come, and when she does her comedic song-and-dance numbers, she'll blow your mind. Hutton's vocal range and physical ability are both amazing -- how many people have you seen moon-walk in high heels while belting out a great tune like "Square In A Social Circle"? The other great performance is by the no-nonsense nightclub owner, played by Bill Goodwin, who gets off some crisp one-liners. The plot drags a bit, but this is still a nice wartime B-movie, and a must-see for any potential Hutton fans out there.

Rating:
Summary: I love this movie
Review: I live on TCM and while this isn't the best movie from that era I've seen, I do love it. I just love Betty Hutton. She's amazing and I just love her voice. Yes, the audio isn't perfect. Yes, some of the picture quality isn't there, but this was made in 1945 and it was a small budget movie. What do you expect. Just because it wasn't made in the same grandeur of Gone With The Wind or The Wizard Of Oz, doesn't make it a bad movie. Yes it's predictable. But aren't all love stories.
I love the fashion and hair styles of that era and this is a great visual pleasure for me. Lots of great hair styles, lots of great dresses.
I've watched this twice already. If you like old love stories and like to laugh, this is a good buy. God bless you Betty.

Rating:
Summary: Hmmmm....
Review: I suppose the other reviewer is right and that this particular version is a bad print of this film. Still, I have to say that this is a pretty fun film. Singer/comedienne Betty Hutton stars as a gal working as a hat check girl in the hottest club in town, in the waning days of WWII. Being wholesome and all-American as she is, when Hutton spots a doddering old man falling into the ocean when she's out for a swim, she naturally saves his life and hauls him back onshore. What she doesn't know is that the old curmudgeon, played in a broad Irish brogue by a winsome Barry Fitzgerald, is really a misanthropic bazillionaire, who is naturally quite moved by her selflessness. He anonymously arranges for her to be provided for financially, but can't resist hanging around to see what happens when she's given all his dough. Complications ensue when her boyfriend comes back from the war and gets bent out of shape wondering who her new sugar daddy is, and she has to try to patch things up. At the heart of this movie is a fabulous performance by Betty Hutton (who's sister Marion was a featured vocalist in the Glenn Miller band, and who bears an uncanny resemblance to actor Joan Cusack, sister of John...) She is as cute and as charming as they come, and when she does her comedic song-and-dance numbers, she'll blow your mind. Hutton's vocal range and physical ability are both amazing -- how many people have you seen moon-walk in high heels while belting out a great tune like "Square In A Social Circle"? The other great performance is by the no-nonsense nightclub owner, played by Bill Goodwin, who gets off some crisp one-liners. The plot drags a bit, but this is still a nice wartime B-movie, and a must-see for any potential Hutton fans out there.

Rating:
Summary: Average musical...
Review: If you've never heard of this film, there's probably a good reason why; it's average to the point of being dull. But that isn't to say that the film is not worth a look.

Betty Hutton and Barry Fitzgerald both serve admirably in this musical comedy, but there are few if any surprises that would make it stand out. As it is, the movie never really gets beyond predictable.

Hatcheck girl at the Stork Club and aspiring singer Hutton saves millionaire Fitzgerald from drowning, and assumes he's broke and down on his luck. But Fitzgerald decides to secretly be Hutton's financial angel, and help her live the high life. Problems ensue when Hutton's soldier boyfriend and aspiring band leader assumes that Hutton is a "kept woman," and has a jealous fit.

Robert Benchley plays Fitzgerald's lawyer with some humor, while Iris Adrian is fun as Hutton's best friend Gwen, but beyond them, the balance of supporting cast is fair to average. In fact, most of the comedy is derived from Fitzgerald's mugging over the painfully crazy spending habits of Hutton rather than the comedy of errors over who thinks who is supposedly seeing who on the sly.

The music in the film also ranges. Some of the songs are entertaining, if not memorable. "Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief" and "If I Had A Dozen Hearts" are both pretty good, but at least one number is really annoying. "I'm a Square in the Social Circle" is bothersome not because of the lyrics, but from the sheer volume blasting at you. The poor audio quality makes Hutton sound more like she's hollering than singing, and it's hard to tell if this was due to a bad recording session back in 1945, or a poor audio transfer to DVD.

The Stork Club itself is strangely only incidental to the story, although the famous nightclub was faithfully recreated on Hollywood soundstages. The sad thing is that the nightclub depicted in the movie has little to do with the actual club, and as such the movie lacks something the title implies.

The movie is only entertaining as far as it goes, so it isn't really a keeper. Still, it is a good example of a low-budget studio musical from the time, and has little or no objectionable material.

Rating:
Summary: 5 Star Movie with a 3 Star Treatment
Review: Just a quick note on the DVD quality of the Alpha Release. Print quality is completely watchable not great but if you love the movie its well worth the cheap price. Its one of the better Alpha releases. The contrast is a little light and during one of the songs the film is a little shakey. I've viewed this film on two tv's and 1 computer each with their own leval of visual clarity, with the computer being the best. The sound is pretty good it olnly gets a little hiss-y when the volume is turned up.

The songs sung by Betty Hutton are:
"Love Me"
"If I had A Dozen Hearts"
"Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief"
"In the Shade Of the Old Apple Tree"
"I'm A Square In the Social Circle"

I Hope this Helps................

Rating:
Summary: A surprisingly highly entertaining movie!!
Review: Ok, you can imagine that a dvd by this company and for this price ain't gonna be a big-budget deal. So what? I bought this because I saw one movie with Betty Hutton and really liked her, and for this price it was really a no-brainer.
I didn't expect to have so much fun and it being so entertaining. Betty Hutton is hilarious during all movie, there is NEVER A DULL MOMENT (something that can't be said about loads of so-called classics), and the supporting cast is up to it.
I don't think there is a character in this movie you won't like.
There are loads of standout funny moments, LOL for me, two of which include the mink fur.
The quality of the transfer is not great, for a couple of seconds it gets really out of focus, but it's over in a matter of seconds.
Money well spent!!!

Rating:
Summary: get the DVD instead of the video
Review: the vhs version leaves out the song.."doctor, lawyer, indian chief".... the picture and sound on the DVD is better although could be improved.......the dvd outshines the video by miles........i have both versions and i'm sorry i bought the video......betty hutton is great in the film....worth having in your collection just for her antics.........betty gets 10 stars by herself....