The Stork Club (1945)

Director:

Hal Walker

Writers:

Buddy G. DeSylva (screenplay) and
Jack McGowan (screenplay)

Release Date:

28 December 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

It's a WONDERFUL Story ... About the GRANDEST people ... Having the LOVELIEST Time at ... New York's Most GLITTERING Night Spot!

Plot:

A hat-check girl at the Stork Club (Hutton) saves the life of a drowning man (Fitzgerald). A rich man...

Plot Keywords:

Hat Check Girl | Department Store | Benefactor | Veteran | Public Domain

Cast

Betty Hutton	...	Judy Peabody
Barry Fitzgerald	...	Jerry B. 'J.B.' / 'Pop' Bates
Don DeFore	...	Sgt. Danny Wilton
Robert Benchley	...	Tom P. Curtis
Bill Goodwin	...	Sherman Billingsley
Iris Adrian	...	Gwen
Mikhail Rasumny	...	Mr. Coretti
Mary Young	...	Mrs. Edith Bates
Andy Russell	...	Jim Jones
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jean Acker	...	Dress Saleslady (uncredited)
Sam Ash	...	Ringsider (uncredited)
Mae Busch	...	Vera (uncredited)
Anthony Caruso	...	Joe - Fisherman (uncredited)
Frank Chalfant	...	Messenger with Bates' Gift for Judy (uncredited)
Edwin Chandler	...	Deb's Escort (uncredited)
Charles Coleman	...	MacFiske (uncredited)
Catherine Craig	...	Louella Parsons (uncredited)
Mary Currier	...	Hazel Billingsley (uncredited)
Steve Darrell	...	Stork Club Captain #3 (uncredited)
John Deauville	...	Yorke Towers Elevator Operator (uncredited)
Bruce Donovan	...	Bill - Stork Club Starter (uncredited)
Gloria Donovan	...	Barbara Billingsley (uncredited)
Jimmie Dundee	...	Fred - Fisherman (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Nightclub Diner (uncredited)
Jack Gargan	...	Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
Diane Garrett	...	Cigarette Girl (uncredited)
Dorothy Garrett	...	Cashier (uncredited)
William Haade	...	Army Sergeant Dancing with Judy (uncredited)
William Halligan	...	Barney - Theatrical Agent (uncredited)
Reed Howes	...	Patron (uncredited)
Darrell Huntley	...	Chuck - Fisherman (uncredited)
Mary Icide	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
Jerry James	...	Canteen MC (uncredited)
Roberta Jonay	...	Molly - Hat Check Girl (uncredited)
Colin Kenny	...	Nightclub Dance Extra (uncredited)
Audrey Korn	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
Perc Launders	...	Tom - Saxophone Player (uncredited)
Vivian Mason	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
Georgia McCready	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
William Meader	...	Bates' Chauffeur (uncredited)
Harry Hays Morgan	...	Diner at Stork Club (uncredited)
Joan Morton	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
Noel Neill	...	Jacqueline Billingsley (uncredited)
Roger Neury	...	Stork Club Captain #1 (uncredited)
William Newell	...	Higgins - Judy's Chauffeur (uncredited)
Tony Paton	...	Stork Club Dishwasher (uncredited)
Renee Randall	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
Jack Rice	...	Stork Club Captain #2 (uncredited)
Elaine Riley	...	Deb (uncredited)
Cosmo Sardo	...	Rocco - Stork Club Waiter (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Nightclub Dance Extra (uncredited)
Jackie Shannon	...	Cigarette Girl (uncredited)
Paul Stanton	...	Mr. Hanson - Locke's Credit Manager (uncredited)
Jane Starr	...	Miss Patten - Billingsley's Secretary (uncredited)
Grady Sutton	...	Peter - Salesman (uncredited)
Beverly Thompson	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
Alvina Tomin	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
Miriam Vance	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
Pierre Watkin	...	Mr. Gray (uncredited)
Audrey Westphal	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
Douglas Wood	...	Dr. Marston (uncredited)
Audrey Young	...	Jenny (uncredited)

Directed by
Hal Walker

Writing credits
Buddy G. DeSylva		(screenplay) (as B.G. DeSylva) and
Jack McGowan		(screenplay) (as John McGowan)

Produced by
Harold Wilson	....	associate producer
Buddy G. DeSylva	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Robert Emmett Dolan		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Charles Lang		(director of photography) (as Charles Lang Jr.)

Film Editing by
Gladys Carley

Art Direction by
Hans Dreier
A. Earl Hedrick		(as Earl Hedrick)

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Jerry Welch		(as Jerry D. Welch)

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alvin Ganzer	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Oscar Rudolph	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Gene Lauritzen	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Hugo Grenzbach	....	sound recordist
Walter Oberst	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	process photography
Gordon Jennings	....	special photographic effects (uncredited)
W. Wallace Kelley	....	process photography assistant (uncredited)
Paul K. Lerpae	....	special photographic effects assistant (uncredited)
Harry Perry	....	process photography assistant (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Guy Bennett	....	second camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
Billy Daniel	....	stager: musical numbers (as Billy Daniels)
Robert Emmett Dolan	....	musical director
Joseph J. Lilley	....	vocal arranger
Troy Sanders	....	music associate
Lloyd Akridge	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Sidney Cutner	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leo Shuken	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Philip Wisdom	....	music mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Buddy G. DeSylva	....	presenter (as B.G. DeSylva)
Leonard MacBain	....	technical advisor
Sam Ledner	....	dance supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• B.G. DeSylva Productions Inc.

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1945) (USA) (theatrical)
• Hollywood Classics (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Gotham Distribution (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (USA) (VHS)
• Hollywood's Best (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Hollywood's Best (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• Better Television Distribution (2006) (worldwide) (TV)
• VCI Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Critics' Choice Video (????) (USA) (DVD)
• M & A Alexander Productions Inc. (1950s) (USA) (all media) (re-release)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #10845)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

B.G. DeSylva Productions Inc.

Trivia:

For the week of March 2, 1946, Betty Hutton's jovial, racing rendition of "Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief" (music by Hoagy Carmichael, lyrics by Paul Francis Webster), via Capitol Records, sprinted to first place on the "Billboard" singles chart. Mr. Carmichael produced two best-selling takes on this number, one side in 1945for the short-lived ARA label (1944-1946), plus a second waxing in 1946 on Decca.

Quotes:

Judy Peabody:You know I think he's a bit screwy, he thinks a girl named Ruby Stevens is Barbara Stanwyck!

Movie Connections:

References The Gold Rush (1925)

Soundtrack:

Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief

Solid Vehicle For Betty Hutton That Gets a Big Boost From Barry Fitzgerald

This is a solid vehicle for Betty Hutton that gives her plenty of opportunities to use her singing ability as well as her upbeat, energetic acting style. It's far from flawless, but it gets a big boost from Barry Fitzgerald, and the sharp contrast between the two stars and their characters also lends some substance to the enjoyable but rather fluffy plot.

Hutton and Fitzgerald are certainly an intriguing pairing, with seemingly nothing in common. The story setup has Fitzgerald as a cranky, friendless millionaire whom Hutton's character rescues from drowning. The millionaire's determination to help the good-hearted hat check girl gets tangled up with her own misunderstandings and difficulties, creating an implausible but entertaining story. The setting in the popular Stork Club provides a suitable backdrop to the plot.

Hutton just has to be natural in the role, and she fits into the part well. Fitzgerald played this kind of role as well as any other character actor, past or present, and his style usually makes even the blandest lines of dialogue worth listening to. The cast also includes Robert Benchley, who adds his dry humor in the role of the millionaire's lawyer. Benchley is always amusing, and he gets some fine moments even though he is not on-screen all that often. The stolid Don Defore is well cast as Hutton's earnest but unimaginative boyfriend, and he serves as a good straight man for the others.

This probably would have been improved with a tighter script and a crisper pace. Its deliberately improbable story is fun to watch, but it's the kind of story that works best when the dialogue and action both move along briskly. With some of the slow stretches removed or shortened, this might be quite a good movie. But even as it stands, it's enjoyable enough as very light entertainment.