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Ball of Fire

  • 19411941
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 51m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
12K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
A group of professors working on a new encyclopedia encounter a mouthy nightclub singer who is wanted by the police to help bring down her mob boss lover.
Play trailer2:09
1 Video
61 Photos
  • Comedy
  • Romance

A group of professors working on a new encyclopedia while living in a Manhattan mansion take in a mouthy nightclub singer who is wanted by the police to help bring down her mob boss lover.A group of professors working on a new encyclopedia while living in a Manhattan mansion take in a mouthy nightclub singer who is wanted by the police to help bring down her mob boss lover.A group of professors working on a new encyclopedia while living in a Manhattan mansion take in a mouthy nightclub singer who is wanted by the police to help bring down her mob boss lover.

IMDb RATING
7.7/10
12K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Howard Hawks
  • Writers
    • Charles Brackett(screen play)
    • Billy Wilder(screen play)
    • Thomas Monroe(from an original story by)
  • Stars
    • Gary Cooper
    • Barbara Stanwyck
    • Oskar Homolka
Top credits
  • Director
    • Howard Hawks
  • Writers
    • Charles Brackett(screen play)
    • Billy Wilder(screen play)
    • Thomas Monroe(from an original story by)
  • Stars
    • Gary Cooper
    • Barbara Stanwyck
    • Oskar Homolka
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 110User reviews
    • 57Critic reviews
    • 78Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 4 Oscars
      • 1 win & 4 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:09
    Trailer

    Photos61

    Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
    Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
    Ball of Fire (1941)
    Dana Andrews in Ball of Fire (1941)
    Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
    Gary Cooper and Kathleen Howard in Ball of Fire (1941)
    Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
    Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
    Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
    Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
    Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)
    Gary Cooper and Kathleen Howard in Ball of Fire (1941)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Gary Cooper
    Gary Cooper
    • Prof. Bertram Pottsas Prof. Bertram Potts
    Barbara Stanwyck
    Barbara Stanwyck
    • Sugarpuss O'Sheaas Sugarpuss O'Shea
    Oskar Homolka
    Oskar Homolka
    • Prof. Gurkakoffas Prof. Gurkakoff
    Henry Travers
    Henry Travers
    • Prof. Jeromeas Prof. Jerome
    S.Z. Sakall
    S.Z. Sakall
    • Prof. Magenbruchas Prof. Magenbruch
    Tully Marshall
    Tully Marshall
    • Prof. Robinsonas Prof. Robinson
    Leonid Kinskey
    Leonid Kinskey
    • Prof. Quintanaas Prof. Quintana
    Richard Haydn
    Richard Haydn
    • Prof. Oddlyas Prof. Oddly
    Aubrey Mather
    Aubrey Mather
    • Prof. Peagramas Prof. Peagram
    Allen Jenkins
    Allen Jenkins
    • Garbage Manas Garbage Man
    Dana Andrews
    Dana Andrews
    • Joe Lilacas Joe Lilac
    Dan Duryea
    Dan Duryea
    • Duke Pastramias Duke Pastrami
    Ralph Peters
    Ralph Peters
    • Asthma Andersonas Asthma Anderson
    Kathleen Howard
    Kathleen Howard
    • Miss Braggas Miss Bragg
    Mary Field
    Mary Field
    • Miss Tottenas Miss Totten
    Charles Lane
    Charles Lane
    • Larsenas Larsen
    Charles Arnt
    Charles Arnt
    • McNearyas McNeary
    Elisha Cook Jr.
    Elisha Cook Jr.
    • Waiteras Waiter
    • (as Elisha Cook)
    • Director
      • Howard Hawks
    • Writers
      • Charles Brackett(screen play)
      • Billy Wilder(screen play) (from an original story by)
      • Thomas Monroe(from an original story by)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Sexy, wisecracking nightclub singer Sugarpuss O'Shea is a hot tomato who needs to be kept on ice: mobster boyfriend Joe Lilac is suspected of murder and Sugarpuss' testimony could put him away. Naive Professor Bertram Potts meets Miss O'Shea while researching an article on slang and in true romantic comedy fashion the two worlds collide. When Miss O'Shea hides out with Potts and his fellow professors, everyone learns something new: the professors how to cha-cha and Potts the meaning of "yum-yum"! —A.L.Beneteau <albl@inforamp.net>
    • screwball comedy
    • professor
    • encyclopedia
    • singer
    • nightclub
    • 136 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • "I LOVE HIM because he doesn't know how to kiss -- THE JERK!" (print ad - Lubbock Morning Avalanche - Tech Theatre - Lubbock, Texas - April 22, 1942)
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Romance
    • Certificate
      • Approved
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Kathleen Howard was left with a fractured jaw when the punch that Barbara Stanwyck threw accidentally made contact. Stanwyck was reportedly mortified by the incident.
    • Goofs
      A cop on the Washington bridge checkpoint says that a professor's driving license was issued in 1903. Driving licenses have existed in the USA only since 1910.
    • Quotes

      Sugarpuss O'Shea: [needing help with a stubborn zipper] You know, I had this happen one night in the middle of my act. I couldn't get a thing off. Was I embarrassed!

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits prologue: Once upon a time - in 1941 to be exact - there lived in a great, tall forest - called New York - eight men who were writing an encyclopedia.

      They were so wise they knew everything: the depth of the oceans, and what makes a glowworm glow, and what tune Nero fiddles while Rome was burning.

      But there was one thing about which they knew very little - as you will see . . .
    • Connections
      Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Une histoire seule (1989)
    • Soundtracks
      Sweet Genevieve
      (1869) (uncredited)

      Music by Henry Tucker

      Lyrics by George Cooper

      Performed a cappella by the professors

    User reviews110

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Stanwyck wakes up a bunch of geniuses...and one in particular
    Barbara Stanwyck plays a wise-cracking entertainer who moves in with 8 professorial types in "Ball of Fire," a marvelous Billy Wilder film, directed by Howard Hawks, that is loosely based on Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs! Only Wilder could come up with an idea like this and make it shine.

    And shine it does. Stanwyck is perfect as Sugarpuss O'Shea, whose boyfriend is a mobster sought after by the police. After a visit by Cooper, whose assignment is slang for the encyclopedia he and the others have been writing for only nine years, she drops in on him late at night, intending to hide out there so the police can't subpoena her testimony. Cooper falls for her while the other, older men develop paternalistic feelings for her.

    Stanwyck is gorgeous and gets to show off that fabulous body and great legs as well as her flair for comedy. She's in stark contrast to Cooper as a man who's been in his ivory tower too long. Cooper was one of the handsomest movie stars ever. Tall and gangly, slow-talking, with a boyish smile that lights up his face, it's no wonder the heiress funding the encyclopedia is crazy about him and that Stanwyck finds herself drifting into love with him.

    Dana Andrews has a good role as the mobster boyfriend, and one of his sidekicks is the always snarky Dan Duryea. The professors are all terrific. Highly entertaining fare from Billy Wilder, and the last film he ever wrote but didn't direct.
    helpful•39
    5
    • blanche-2
    • Dec 17, 2005

    FAQ1

    • What was the title of Howard Hawks' musical remake of this film?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 9, 1942 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Wirbelwind der Liebe
    • Filming locations
      • Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA
    • Production company
      • The Samuel Goldwyn Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 51 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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