Ball of Fire (1941)

Director:

Howard Hawks

Writers:

Charles Brackett (screenplay) &
Billy Wilder (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

2 December 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

A group of ivory-tower lexicographers realize they need to hear how real people talk, and end up helping a beautiful singer escape from the Mob.

Plot Keywords:

Pencil Sharpener | Railway Station | Crime Boss | Manhattan | Love Triangle

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars.

Cast

Gary Cooper	...	Prof. Bertram Potts
Barbara Stanwyck	...	Katherine 'Sugarpuss' O'Shea
Oskar Homolka	...	Prof. Gurkakoff - Mathematics
Henry Travers	...	Prof. Jerome - History
S.Z. Sakall	...	Prof. Magenbruch - Physiology
Tully Marshall	...	Prof. Robinson - Law
Leonid Kinskey	...	Prof. Quintana
Richard Haydn	...	Prof. Oddly - Botany
Aubrey Mather	...	Prof. Peagram - Literature
Allen Jenkins	...	Garbageman
Dana Andrews	...	Joe Lilac
Dan Duryea	...	Duke Pastrami
Ralph Peters	...	Asthma Anderson
Kathleen Howard	...	Miss Bragg
Mary Field	...	Miss Totten

Also Known As:

The Professor and the Burlesque Queen

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #7347)

Company:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Trivia:

When Gary Cooper is taking notes of the news boy's slang, the marquee on the theater across the street advertises Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), an inside joke that refers to the script's inspiration.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the "Drumboogie" sequence, the black jazz trumpet soloist Roy Eldridge disappears from the band between shots.

Quotes:

Sugarpuss O'Shea: [referring to her throat] A slight rosiness? It's as red as The Daily Worker, and just as sore!

Movie Connections:

References Sergeant York (1941)

Soundtrack:

Sweet Genevieve

Great Cast, Dated-But-Fun Dialog

Wow, what a cast! Let's see, there's Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Richard Haydn, Oscar Homolka, Henry Travers, S.Z. Sakall, Tully Marshall, Dana Andrews, Allen Jenkins and more! Classic film fans know all these names.

What's more, it's a fun movie, fun to see and especially fun to hear. Stanwyck is her usual fascinating self, but in this movie it's the men - the seven old bachelors and the younger Cooper in the "club" - that are the most entertaining.

When you have directors and writers such as Howard Hawks and Billy Wilder behind the film, you know it's a winner.

Because the story dealt with a bunch of encyclopedia writers trying to find out the latest slang words, the dialog in here is really funny. The expressions of the day are dated and humorous and there are so many you can't count them all. Some are stupid; some are hilarious...which is what you get with most comedies anyway. Not every line hits the mark, but a lot do in this one.

Tack on some action and some romance and it's corny-but-cute film , entertaining all the way.