Ball of Fire starring Gary Cooper
Director: Howard Hawks

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Offering a screwball twist on the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, this delightful comedy has grown dated since its release in 1941, but that only adds to its everlasting charm. Written by the ace screenwriting team of Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett and directed by Howard Hawks, the movie presents a breezy case of opposites attracting when nightclub singer "Sugarpuss" O'Shea (Barbara Stanwyck) is recruited to teach jazzy slang to a group of culturally isolated professors. Gary Cooper plays Bertram Potts, the straight-laced scholar who's compiling slang for a new encyclopedia, and his equally stodgy colleagues are fascinated when Sugarpuss and "Pottsie" seem to be warming up for romance. Complications ensue when the savvy singer must distance herself from her mobster fiancé (Dana Andrews), and Ball of Fire takes a wacky turn when the klutzy intellectuals take on the mobster's henchmen. It's all a bit quaint by today's standards, but the movie's got a wealth of witty dialogue and sassy appeal, with Stanwyck leading the way in a role that's equal parts tough exterior and soft-hearted vulnerability. As a bonus, she performs a pair of rousing nightclub numbers (including a lively rendition of "Drum Boogie") with hopped-up drummer Gene Krupa and his orchestra. Ball of Fire was remade in 1948 as the Danny Kaye musical A Song is Born. This one's a real treat for fans of vintage Hollywood comedies. Don't miss it!

Synopsis
A stiff-necked professor writing a book about slang encounters Sugarpuss O'Shea, a beautiful, tough-talking night club entertainer. After her performance, Professor Bertram Potts invites O'Shea to contribute to the encyclopedia he and his colleagues are researching. O'Shea turns out to be just what the boys from the Ivory Tower needed until her gangster boyfriend starts calling the shots.
Video Description
When Cooper and his sheltered, highbrow colleagues begin work on a new encyclopedia, he enlists the aid of Stanwyck to help explain slang, unaware that she is on the run from her gangster boyfriend. Stanwyck's earthiness soon captivates the prissy professor, who must eventually fight the bad guys to keep her. Billy Wilder and and Charles Brackett were deservedly nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Story. Academy Award Nominations: 4, including Best Actress--Barbara Stanwyck, Best Original Story.

 

 

 

 

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