Ball of Fire 1941
7.7 / 10
Ball of Fire
A group of academics have spent years shut up in a house working on the definitive encyclopedia. When one of them discovers that his entry on slang is hopelessly outdated, he ventures into the wide world to learn about the evolving language. Here he meets Sugarpuss O’Shea, a nightclub singer, who’s on top of all the slang—and, it just so happens, needs a place to stay.
A group of academics have spent years shut up in a house working on the definitive encyclopedia. When one of them discovers that his entry on slang is hopelessly outdated, he ventures into the wide world to learn about the evolving language. Here he meets Sugarpuss O’Shea, a nightclub singer, who’s on top of all the slang—and, it just so happens, needs a place to stay.
Videos & Photos
All 1 Videos & 14 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... Professor Bertram Potts
... Sugarpuss O’Shea
... Prof. Gurkakoff
... Prof. Jerome
... Prof. Magenbruch
... Prof. Robinson
User reviews
See All 1 Reviews25 Jun 2022 by CinemaSerf
This is a cracking little comedy with Gary Cooper as the unlikely boffin "Prof. Potts" who, alongside a group of equally eminent academics has been working on an encyclopaedia for the previous 9 years - and they've only got to "S". Enter the mailman who is doing a radio quiz just as our professor is concluding his section on slang - only for him to realise that their studious isolation has left them so out of touch as to render his slang definition worthless. Off he sets into the city to learn more where he alights on night-club singer "Sugarpuss O'Shea" (Barbara Stanwyck) and her colleagues who offer him a fascinatingly new vernacular. Turns out that she is the moll of wanted gangster "Joe Lilac" (Dana Andrews) so she agrees to help them develop their book whilst using their dignified home as a hideaway. A bit like Greer Garson in "Goodbye Mr. Chips" (1939), only much feistier, she melts the hearts of the old starched shirts and soon Cooper has become totally smitten.... Both leads are on top form; the writing barely comes up for breath as this pacy, engaging comedy comes to a suitably Damoclean conclusion... Great fun!
Release Date:
Dec 02, 1941 (United States)
Run Time:
1hr 51`
MMPA Rating:
NR
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
Ball of Fire
This is a cracking little comedy with Gary Cooper as the unlikely boffin "Prof. Potts" who, alongside a group of equally eminent academics has been working on an encyclopaedia for the previous 9 years - and they've only got to "S". Enter the mailman who is doing a radio quiz just as our professor is concluding his section on slang - only for him to realise that their studious isolation has left them so out of touch as to render his slang definition worthless. Off he sets into the city to learn more where he alights on night-club singer "Sugarpuss O'Shea" (Barbara Stanwyck) and her colleagues who offer him a fascinatingly new vernacular. Turns out that she is the moll of wanted gangster "Joe Lilac" (Dana Andrews) so she agrees to help them develop their book whilst using their dignified home as a hideaway. A bit like Greer Garson in "Goodbye Mr. Chips" (1939), only much feistier, she melts the hearts of the old starched shirts and soon Cooper has become totally smitten.... Both leads are on top form; the writing barely comes up for breath as this pacy, engaging comedy comes to a suitably Damoclean conclusion... Great fun!
Cast & Crew of
Ball of Fire
Directors & Credit Writers
Cast
... Professor Bertram Potts
... Sugarpuss O’Shea
... Prof. Gurkakoff
... Prof. Jerome
... Prof. Magenbruch
... Prof. Robinson
... Prof. Quintana
... Prof. Oddly
... Prof. Peagram
... Garbage Man
... Joe Lilac
... Duke Pastrami
... Asthma Anderson
... Miss Bragg
... Larsen
... McNeary
... Waiter
... Miss Totten
AR
Alan Rhein... 'Horseface'
EF
Eddie Foster... Pinstripe
Produced By
ER
Earl Rettig... Unit Manager
... Producer
Videos & Photos of
Ball of Fire
Videos ( 1)
Photos ( 14 )
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