Alimony

Alimony

Year: 1949

Runtime: 70 mins

Language: English

Director: Alfred Zeisler

CrimeDrama

Alimony racketeers prey on innocent dupe victims, exploiting the legal system for profit. When a promising young composer is lured away from his devoted wife by a scheming, fortune‑seeking woman who values his future earnings more than his love, he finds himself caught in a web of manipulation and betrayal.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline – Alimony (1949)

Trace every key event in Alimony (1949) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hospital

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 11:29

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Movies about betrayal and redemption like Alimony

Characters manipulated into crime, seeking a final chance at moral redemption.If you liked the story of manipulation and a chance at redemption in Alimony, you'll appreciate these movies. This thread gathers crime dramas and thrillers where characters are ensnared by greed or a manipulative partner, leading to a fall from grace and a difficult, often bittersweet, path toward making things right.

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Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread often follow a character who is morally compromised, usually through the influence of a cunning antagonist. The plot unravels the consequences of their actions, building toward a climax where the protagonist must confront their past and seize a final, difficult chance for personal redemption, rarely achieving a purely happy ending.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here because they share a core narrative of moral downfall followed by a quest for atonement. They consistently feature a dark tone, a focus on psychological manipulation, and an ending that balances the hope of redemption with the bitterness of irreversible consequences.

Femme fatale con artist movies similar to Alimony

Scheming seductresses who ensnare victims in elaborate financial or criminal plots.For viewers who enjoyed the manipulative central figure in Alimony, this thread collects movies with similar deceptive and greedy characters. These films typically involve sophisticated financial scams or alimony rackets, where the tension comes from watching the web of lies being spun and eventually exposed.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern revolves around a charismatic but ruthless manipulator who identifies and exploits a victim's weakness. The story methodically details the execution of the con, building tension as the victim becomes entangled. The conflict often involves an investigation or the victim's awakening to the deception, leading to a dramatic confrontation.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped by their central archetype—the manipulative con artist—and the specific vibe of calculated deception. They share a dark, tense tone, a steady pacing that reveals the scheme piece by piece, and themes of financial exploitation and emotional betrayal.

Unlock the Full Story of Alimony

Don't stop at just watching — explore Alimony in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Alimony is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Alimony Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Alimony, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Alimony Summary

Characters, Settings & Themes in Alimony

Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Alimony. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.

Characters, Settings & Themes in Alimony

Alimony Spoiler-Free Summary

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Alimony Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Alimony

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More About Alimony

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