What Is Alimony About?
The premise of Alimony in 286 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In a bustling 1940s New York where glossy nightclubs sit beside courtroom corridors, the city’s glittering promise hides a shadowy trade: alimony racketeers who turn personal heartbreak into profit. The film immerses the viewer in a world where ambition can be bought, love is a commodity, and the legal system feels both a shield and a weapon. A sleek, noir‑tinged atmosphere—rain‑slicked streets, smoky lounges, and the hush of a judge’s gavel—creates a mood that is simultaneously seductive and unsettling, hinting that every sincere desire might be leveraged for ulterior gain.
Paul Klinger arrives in the metropolis driven by a desperate need to find his missing daughter, a quest that leads him to the doorstep of Dan Barker, a talented young composer on the brink of his breakthrough. Dan’s life is a rhythm of melodies and rehearsals, his aspirations echoing through the city’s vibrant music scene. Yet beneath the notes lies a personal tug‑of‑war between his artistic dreams and the steady devotion of his wife, Linda Waring.
Enter Kitty Travers, a strikingly charming and fiercely ambitious woman whose allure captivates those around her. She navigates the same glittering circles Dan inhabits, her presence a potent mix of charisma and calculated intent. While she appears to be drawn to Dan’s burgeoning talent, her deeper motivations involve the same lucrative entanglements that sustain the alimony racket, offering a tantalizing glimpse of how desire and exploitation intertwine.
The film sets these characters on intersecting paths, each driven by longing—whether for family, fame, or financial security. Their relationships pulse with tension, promising a story where love, ambition, and the murky mechanics of a profit‑driven legal landscape will test loyalties and reshape futures, all while the city’s seductive glow refuses to dim.
What Happens in Alimony?
The complete story of Alimony, from the first scene to the last, in 499 words (about 2 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 5 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
Paul Klinger James Guilfoyle is on a desperate search for his lost daughter, Kate Martha Vickers, and travels to New York to seek out Dan Barker John Beal, a songwriter who knew Kate in the city. Dan’s tale unfolds as he recalls the woman who became central to so many lives, a figure who would later be known as Kitty Travers, and how her choices drew in a web of ambition, love, and reckoning.
Dan explains that Kate changed her name to Kitty Travers and then shares what he remembers about Kitty. He first met her when she was seeking work as a model and ended up at the same boarding house as his girlfriend Linda Waring Hillary Brooke. A friend steered Kitty toward a dangerous line of work—co-respondent in alimony cases where the man could be framed for a larger settlement. Kitty began working for the lawyer Burton Crail Douglass Dumbrille, and soon she found herself drawn into a major scandal, posing in a photograph with a married man.
Kitty showed a natural knack for manipulation and money, gathering a significant payout from her involvement. Just as Dan was about to break through as a songwriter, she entered his life with an intoxicating mix of charm and ambition. Dan fell in love with Kitty and wrote her a song, which helped him end his relationship with Linda. The romance blindsided Kitty as she realized Dan’s prospects depended on luck and timing, so she left him and he returned to Linda. The couple married, and then Dan’s moment of true success finally arrived when the song he’d written for Kitty became a national hit.
Kitty’s appetite for power didn’t fade. She returned, demanding a share of the fame and insisting she sing the song on Dan’s nationwide tour. Once again, Dan fell under Kitty’s spell and left his wife. Yet the marriage did not endure the ebb and flow of the music business, and Dan eventually went back to Linda, who took him back again.
Kitty’s next move was to marry a wealthy man, George Griswold [Ralph Graves], while secretly continuing to work for Crail. Crail arranged for Griswold to be photographed with another woman in an apparent bid to manufacture a settlement, but the scheme backfired when it’s revealed Griswold had set a trap of his own by sending a double, Curtis Carter. Both Crail and Kitty find themselves entangled in a larger fraud, arrested along with several accomplices.
Dan finishes his story, and as the tale ends, Paul receives a troubling update: his daughter Kate, now out on parole from prison, has been involved in a car crash and lies in a hospital. Paul rushes to the hospital to be with her, and the two finally reconcile. In the quiet aftermath, Paul commits to helping Kate build a new, better life, offering steady support as she starts anew. The case leaves a lasting impression of how ambition, love, and forgiveness intersect, shaping the futures of everyone involved.
Alimony Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
12 key events in the order they happen, from “Paul's search for Kate in New York” to “Reconciliation at the hospital”. 12 events name a place, across 9 locations.
- 1
Paul's search for Kate in New York
Paul Klinger, desperate to locate his missing daughter Kate, travels to New York to pursue any lead. He hopes that a face-to-face search will finally bring him closer to the truth about her fate.
Where:New York City
- 2
Paul meets Dan Barker and learns Kate's new name
In New York, Paul seeks out Dan Barker, a songwriter who once knew Kate. Dan reveals that Kate changed her name to Kitty Travers and begins to recount Kitty's tangled past.
Where:New York City
- 3
Kitty's boarding house beginnings and alimony scandal
Dan recalls Kitty staying at a boarding house while looking for work as a model. He explains how a friend steered Kitty toward alimony fraud and how she was photographed with a married man, triggering a scandal.
Where:Boarding house
- 4
Kitty works for Crail and a controversial scheme
Kitty starts working for lawyer Burt Crail and becomes involved in a scandal by posing with a married man. The episode helps Kitty profit from a controversial scheme that inflates settlements.
Where:Burt Crail's office
- 5
Dan falls for Kitty and pens a song
Kitty's influence helps Dan become a rising songwriter; he falls in love with Kitty and writes her a song. He breaks up with his girlfriend Linda Waring as their romance deepens.
Where:New York
- 6
Kitty leaves Dan; Dan weds Linda; later breakthrough
Kitty learns Dan won't achieve quick success and leaves him, returning to Linda. Dan resumes his relationship with Linda, they marry, and his real breakthrough comes later when the song he wrote for Kitty becomes a hit.
Where:New York
- 7
Kitty returns to sing on tour; romance rekindled and fades
Kitty returns and demands to sing the song on Dan's tour, reigniting their romance. Dan leaves his wife again for Kitty, but the relationship lasts only as long as the royalties fund it, and Kitty eventually abandons him.
Where:Tour across the country
- 8
Dan reconciles with Linda; marriage restored
Dan reconciles with Linda and the couple remarries, supporting Dan's career as it continues to grow. Kitty's influence fades as Dan achieves success with Linda by his side.
Where:Linda's home
- 9
Kitty's marriage to Griswold and Crail's scheme
Kitty marries millionaire George Griswold, while secretly working for Crail again. Crail arranges for Griswold to be photographed with another woman, but Griswold has set up a double, Curtis Carter, to thwart the scheme.
Where:Griswold estate and Crail's office
- 10
Fraud exposed; arrests
Crail and Kitty are arrested for fraud along with several accomplices, marking the collapse of Kitty's criminal life. The arrest exposes the fraud network surrounding their liaison.
Where:Police precinct / courthouse
- 11
News of Kate's parole and hospital accident
Paul receives the news that Kate, now out on parole, has been involved in a car crash and lies in the hospital. He is stunned by the turn in her life and its impact on him.
Where:Hospital
- 12
Reconciliation at the hospital
Paul goes to the hospital to visit Kate, and they reconcile after years apart. He promises to help her start a new and better life, offering a chance at redemption.
Where:Hospital
Who Are the Main Characters in Alimony?
10 characters, among them Paul Klinger (James Guilfoyle), Katie Klinger (Martha Vickers) and Dan Barker (John Beal): who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
- PK
Paul Klinger (James Guilfoyle)
Played by James Guilfoyle
A desperate father on a quest to locate his lost daughter, Paul travels to New York to piece together Kitty Travers's past. He shows steady determination and a willingness to confront painful truths to help his daughter rebuild life. His resolve drives the narrative toward a hopeful reconciliation.
- 🧭 Determined
- ❤️ Family
- 🤝 Reconciliation
- KK
Katie Klinger (Martha Vickers)
Played by Martha Vickers
Katie, also known as Kitty Travers, is the daughter at the center of the alimony scandal. She displays ambition and charm, using relationships to advance her position and financial gain. Her path threads through modeling, romance, and fraud, drawing others into a web that ultimately attracts legal consequences.
- 💃 Seduction
- 💰 Ambition
- 🕵️♀️ Manipulation
- DB
Dan Barker (John Beal)
Played by John Beal
A songwriter who becomes entangled with Kitty, experiencing love and heartbreak as his career hinges on her actions. He writes a hit song that reshapes his fortunes and relationships, then faces the consequences of his choices as the affair unfolds. His loyalties shift between Kitty and Linda, driving personal conflict and ambition.
- 🎵 Creative
- 💔 Romantic
- 🕵️♂️ Deception
- LW
Linda Waring (Hillary Brooke)
Played by Hillary Brooke
Linda is Dan's former girlfriend and later wife, caught in the crossfire of Kitty's scheming. She embodies loyalty and resilience, navigating shifting loyalties as Dan's career and life are upended by the drama. Her presence anchors the romantic tension and moral conflict within the story.
- 💔 Love
- 🧭 Loyalty
- 🎭 Rivalry
- BC
Burton Crail (Douglass Dumbrille)
Played by Douglass Dumbrille
A crafty lawyer who orchestrates Kitty's alimony fraud, Crail is the architect of the scheme and its exposed flaws. He combines legal savvy with ruthless manipulation, driving the plot toward exposure and arrest. His role illustrates the dangers of exploiting legal systems for personal gain.
- ⚖️ Law
- 🕵️♂️ Manipulation
- 💼 Scheming
- GG
George Griswold (Ralph Graves)
Played by Ralph Graves
A millionaire husband who becomes entangled with Kitty's schemes. His wealth and status make him a prime target for manipulation, and his actions help reveal the plot's complexity. The relationship with Kitty and the subsequent double-cross wide open questions of trust and motive.
- 💸 Wealth
- 🎭 Deception
- 🤝 Trust
- D(
Doctor (Harry Lauter)
Played by Harry Lauter
A physician who tends to Kate after the car crash, providing medical presence in the hospital arc. His role underscores the film's pivot toward healing and closure amid turmoil. The doctor's involvement helps frame the emotional stakes of Kate's recovery and Paul's reconciliation.
- 🏥 Medical
- 👨⚕️ Authority
- 🩺 Care
- MN
Mrs. Nesbitt (Marie Blake)
Played by Marie Blake
A supporting figure within the social circle surrounding the central alimony scheme. Her presence contributes to the web of relationships and legal intrigue that drives the plot. She represents the broader community entangled in the scandal.
- 👥 Supporting
- 🧭 Social
- 🕵️♀️ Intrigue
- JW
Joe Wood (Leonid Kinskey)
Played by Leonid Kinskey
A character in New York connected to Paul's search, though the summary does not detail his exact role. He appears as a named figure within the network of people involved in the events he described, contributing to the film's city-centered intrigue.
- 🕵️♂️ Supporting
- 🗺️ City Life
- 🎭 Drama
- HD
Helen Drake (Laurie Lind)
Played by Laurie Lind
A character in the cast whose specific on-screen role is not detailed in the summary, but who interacts with the central figures within the New York social circle. She adds to the ensemble dynamic surrounding the alimony scandal and family reconciliation.
- 👥 Supporting
- 🧭 Social
- 🎭 Drama
Where and When Is Alimony Set?
Alimony is set in New York City. Here is why the place matters to the story.
Where
New York City
The story unfolds in New York City, providing a bustling urban backdrop for a web of alimony schemes and personal vendettas. Boarding houses, lawyers, and the fast-paced social scene frame Kitty Travers's rise and fall. The cityscape intensifies the drama as truth and deceit collide, culminating in an arrival at a hospital where family ties are repaired.
- 🗽 City
- 🕵️♀️ Scandal
- 🎭 Drama
What Are the Themes of Alimony?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Deception, Family and Justice.
-
01
Deception
The plot centers on calculated lies and manipulative schemes driven by money and desire. Kitty's romantic intrigues and Crail's legal maneuvering reveal how appearances can mask corruption. As the truth slowly surfaces, the audience witnesses the personal and social costs of deceit. The narrative uses suspense to show that fraud cannot stay hidden forever.
-
02
Family
Paul's unwavering search for his daughter Kate anchors the film in the value of family bonds. The hospital reunion with Kate offers a chance at forgiveness and a fresh start. Fractured relationships are tested, but love and responsibility push toward reconciliation. The story suggests that family can endure scandal and emerge with renewed hope.
-
03
Justice
Fraudsters are exposed as law and social order close in on them. The arrests of Crail, Kitty, and their accomplices demonstrate accountability beyond personal ruin. The resolution emphasizes that crime against families and reputations carries real consequences. Truth and responsibility guide the characters toward a morally restorative end.
What Kind of Film Is Alimony?
Dark in tone, with steady pacing and a moderate story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Dark
- Pacing
- Steady
- Story
- Moderate
- Intensity
- Medium
- Ending
- Bittersweet
A cynical and tense crime drama that unfolds through flashbacks, detailing how a manipulative femme fatale exploits the legal system, leaving a trail of betrayal before a final, hard-won shot at redemption.
- cynical
- deceptive
- melancholic
- manipulative
- greedy
- tense
- alimony racket
- infidelity
- financial scam
- manipulation
Content notes: financial exploitation, emotional manipulation, infidelity.
Quiz
How well do you remember Alimony? Test yourself on the story.
