Le club des cigognes

Betty Hutton works overtime at being indefatigable playing a hat-check girl/band singer who saves a bum's life, not knowing he's really a multimillionaire; he becomes her secret benefactor, much to the dismay of her jealous orchestra-leader boyfriend. Overwritten comedy from B.G. DeSylva and John McGowan is mercilessly talky and comically complicated, with bosses, lovers, husbands and wives all trying to fool one another into happiness. Hutton is remarkable, however; she's terribly aware of the camera and keeps playing to the collective funny bone, yet she radiates chummy charm and her musical numbers are memorably spirited. The excellent supporting cast includes Barry Fitzgerald, Robert Benchley, Don DeFore, and the wisecracking Iris Adrian, a stitch as Hutton's gal-pal. **1/2 from ****