If you’ve ever fallen down a rabbit hole of Golden Age Hollywood cinema, you’ve probably bumped into the 1945 film The Stork Club. It’s one of those weird, sparkling artifacts of post-war optimism. People search for the Stork Club cast today because they want to know who that powerhouse singer was or why the guy playing the billionaire looks so familiar. Honestly, it’s a bit of a time capsule. This wasn't just a movie; it was basically a feature-length advertisement for Sherman Billingsley's legendary New York nightclub, wrapped in a Cinderella story.
The film stars Betty Hutton. She was the "Blonde Bombshell" with enough energy to power a small city, and in 1945, she was at the absolute peak of her Paramount fame. But the real magic of the Stork Club cast isn't just Hutton’s manic vibrato. It’s the weird, wonderful chemistry between a department store clerk, a grumpy millionaire in disguise, and a returning GI.
It’s a simple plot. Hutton plays Judy Peabody, a hat-check girl who saves a man from drowning. She thinks he’s a penniless old guy. He’s actually a multi-millionaire. Chaos ensues.
Who Really Made Up the Stork Club Cast?
When we look at the Stork Club cast, we have to start with Betty Hutton. She plays Judy Peabody. Hutton was famous for being loud. Like, really loud. Her performing style involved a lot of jumping around and facial contortions that would make a modern influencer blush, but she had heart. In this film, she’s slightly more restrained than usual, which actually makes her more likable. She gets to sing "Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief," a song that ended up being a massive hit. If you’ve heard that tune and wondered where it came from, this is the source.
Then there is Barry Fitzgerald. He plays J.B. Totten, the "penniless" man who is actually loaded. Fitzgerald had just come off an Oscar win for Going My Way (1944). He was the quintessential "lovable curmudgeon" of the 1940s. His presence in the Stork Club cast gives the movie its grounded, emotional core. Without him, it’s just a loud musical. With him, it’s a story about human connection and the assumptions we make about people based on their clothes.
🔗 Read more: The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads: Why This Live Album Still Beats the Studio Records
Don DeFore plays Danny Thompson. He’s the love interest, a bandleader returning from the war. DeFore is one of those actors you recognize from a dozen different things—later, he’d be a staple on Hazel and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. He represents the "everyman" soldier returning to a world that moved on without him, a very real theme for audiences in late 1945.
The Supporting Players and Cameos
The depth of the Stork Club cast goes beyond the leads.
- Robert Benchley plays Wilmer Hough. Benchley was a legendary humorist and member of the Algonquin Round Table. Sadly, this was one of his final roles; he died shortly after the film was released. He brings a dry, sophisticated wit that contrasts perfectly with Hutton's zaniness.
- Bill Goodwin plays Sherman Billingsley. This is a meta-moment because Billingsley was the real-life owner of the actual Stork Club. Having a fictionalized version of a real mogul played by a popular radio announcer like Goodwin was a classic Paramount marketing move.
- Iris Adrian plays Gwen. She was the queen of the "brassy blonde" supporting roles. If you needed a character who was cynical, chewed gum, and had a heart of gold, you called Iris Adrian.
Why Does This Specific Cast Matter Now?
You might wonder why a light musical from eighty years ago still gets searched for. It’s mostly about the preservation of a specific New York culture. The actual Stork Club was the place to be. It was the "it" spot for Hemingway, the Kennedys, and Grace Kelly. By putting the Stork Club cast into a fictionalized version of the venue, Paramount preserved the vibe of an era that was about to vanish.
The film was directed by Hal Walker. He wasn't an "auteur" in the sense of Hitchcock or Welles, but he knew how to manage big personalities. He’d worked with Hope and Crosby on the Road to... movies. He knew how to let Hutton be Hutton without letting the movie fly off the rails.
💡 You might also like: Wrong Address: Why This Nigerian Drama Is Still Sparking Conversations
There’s also the Technicolor factor. Seeing the Stork Club cast in vivid 1940s color is a trip. The costumes by Edith Head—yes, the Edith Head—are spectacular. If you look at the credits, the pedigree of the crew is just as impressive as the actors on screen.
Common Misconceptions About the Film
One thing people get wrong about the Stork Club cast is confusing this movie with the television show or other filmed versions of the club's history. There was a Stork Club TV show hosted by Billingsley himself in the 1950s, but that’s a different beast entirely.
Another mistake? People often think this was a biography of Sherman Billingsley. It isn't. He’s a side character in his own club’s movie. The film is a romantic comedy first and a musical second. The "cast of characters" at the real Stork Club was often more scandalous than anything Paramount would have dared to put on screen under the Hays Code.
The Cultural Impact of the Performances
The chemistry between Hutton and Fitzgerald is the reason the movie holds up. Usually, you’d expect the romance to be the lead, but the "father-daughter" dynamic between the hat-check girl and the millionaire is the real soul of the piece. It’s a "pay it forward" story before that was a cliché.
📖 Related: Who was the voice of Yoda? The real story behind the Jedi Master
- Betty Hutton's Energy: She was a precursor to performers like Lucille Ball. She wasn't afraid to look "ugly" for a laugh.
- Barry Fitzgerald's Nuance: He could say more with a tilt of his hat than most actors could with a page of dialogue.
- The Musical Numbers: They aren't just filler. They move the plot. "Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief" is the standout, but the orchestral arrangements throughout are top-tier for the era.
How to Watch the Stork Club Today
Finding the film can be a bit of a hunt. Because it fell into the public domain years ago, there are a lot of terrible, grainy versions floating around on YouTube and cheap DVDs. If you want to see the Stork Club cast the way they were meant to be seen, look for a restored version.
The film exists as a bridge. It’s a bridge between the wartime austerity and the looming consumer boom of the 1950s. You can see it in the sets, the clothes, and the way the characters talk about money.
Actionable Steps for Classic Film Fans
If you're interested in exploring the work of the Stork Club cast further, don't just stop at this one movie. There is a whole world of mid-century cinema that connects these actors.
- Check out Betty Hutton in The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. It’s directed by Preston Sturges and shows her incredible comedic range in a much sharper, satirical environment.
- Watch Barry Fitzgerald in Going My Way. It’s the role that defined him and explains why he was such a "get" for the Stork Club production.
- Look for Robert Benchley's short films. His "How to Sleep" or "The Romance of Digestion" shorts are masterpieces of deadpan humor.
- Research the real Stork Club. Understanding the actual history of the 3 East 53rd Street location makes the film’s glamorous sets even more fascinating.
The movie serves as a perfect entry point into the "Paramount Style" of the 1940s. It’s glossy, it’s fast-paced, and it’s unapologetically commercial. While it might not be a "high art" masterpiece like Casablanca, the Stork Club cast delivers a performance that is pure, distilled entertainment. It’s a reminder that sometimes, movies were just meant to make people feel good after a very long, hard war.
To get the most out of your viewing, try to find a print that hasn't been overly compressed. The Technicolor palette is essential to the experience. When you see the red of the Stork Club’s upholstery and the sparkle of Edith Head’s sequins, the 1940s suddenly don't feel so far away.