{"id":45431,"date":"2019-11-15T16:15:25","date_gmt":"2019-11-15T23:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=45431"},"modified":"2021-09-02T13:47:09","modified_gmt":"2021-09-02T20:47:09","slug":"ball-of-fire-1941","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=45431","title":{"rendered":"Ball of Fire (1941)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;That is the kind of woman that makes whole civilizations topple!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Poster-214x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"214\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-45434\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Poster-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Poster-91x128.jpg 91w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Poster.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen the nightclub-singing moll (Barbara Stanwyck) of a gangster (Dana Andrews) goes on the lam, she lands at the home of a group of professors working on a new encyclopedia. Soon she and Professor Potts (Gary Cooper) begin having romantic feelings for one another, which complicates her original plan of returning to Andrews as soon as it&#8217;s safe to do so.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Barbara Stanwyck Films<\/li>\n<li>Character Arc<\/li>\n<li>Dan Duryea Films<\/li>\n<li>Dana Andrews Films<\/li>\n<li>Gangsters<\/li>\n<li>Gary Cooper Films<\/li>\n<li>Howard Hawks Films<\/li>\n<li>Professors<\/li>\n<li>Richard Haydn Films<\/li>\n<li>Romantic Comedy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/\n<strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary doesn&#8217;t review Howard Hawks&#8217; <em>Ball of Fire<\/em> (1941) &#8212; scripted by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder, and loosely based on the tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs &#8212; in his <em>GFTFF<\/em>, but he nominates it as one of the Best Movies of the Year in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42173\"><em>Citizen Kane<\/em><\/a> wins), and names Cooper and Stanwyck as Best Actor and Actress of the Year. He points out that they each starred in three films that year: Cooper in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=75670\"><em>Sergeant York<\/em><\/a> (for which he won the actual Oscar), Stanwyck in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21123\"><em>The Lady Eve<\/em><\/a>, and both in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=16314\"><em>Meet John Doe<\/em><\/a> &#8212; but he votes to award them for their work in this romantic screwball comedy about a &#8220;sassy, sexy nightclub entertainer, whose ambition is to marry&#8230; rich gangster Joe Lilac (Dana Andrews)&#8221; but who falls for Potsy (Cooper) because &#8220;he&#8217;s the kind of guy who gets drunk on a glass of buttermilk&#8221;. Despite &#8212; or perhaps because of &#8212; its zany premise, this film offers an unexpectedly wild cinematic ride, including a most-enjoyable musical interlude with Gene Krupa&#8217;s orchestra, a rafter of memorable supporting performances, and some truly zinger lines: &#8220;I shall regret the absence of your keen mind; unfortunately, it is inseparable from an extremely disturbing body.&#8221; Speaking of the script, my favorite throwaway line is by Aubrey Mather as Professor Peagram: &#8220;No, no, no, no&#8230; I insist that the happiest marriages are those which produce three children at intervals of not less than two or more than three years.&#8221; (!!!) (My three kids were born 20 months and 29 months apart &#8212; they almost qualify for these precise criteria, but not quite.)<\/p>\n<p>In <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>, Peary writes that Cooper&#8217;s Potsy is &#8220;extremely likable, genuinely funny, and much more aggressive and chatty than some of his most annoying innocents&#8221; &#8212; a point well-taken. He adds that Potsy &#8220;is Cooper&#8217;s sweetest character (even Mr. Deeds kept slugging people). Here&#8217;s a man who has had so few perks in his life that he gets excited just hearing Sugarpuss deliver slang&#8221; &#8212; and while he &#8220;thinks it&#8217;s only the phrases that thrill him&#8230; of course she has a lot to do with it.&#8221; Meanwhile, he writes that Stanwyck was &#8220;never sexier, more vivacious, or more energetic&#8221; than when she played Sugarpuss O&#8217;Shea, the &#8220;title character, who sets a fire in the boring, secluding lives of Potsy and his equally sweet collaborators and housemates&#8221; (who she describes as &#8220;eight squirrelly cherubs&#8221;). He points out that Stanwyck &#8220;zips around the frame with unbridled energy and quick, nonstop talk&#8221;, offering &#8220;opinions, information, slang, [and] wisecracks&#8221; while singing, dancing, and being extremely &#8220;fetching in both glittery bare-midriff costumes and casual dress&#8221;. Indeed, Cooper and Stamwyck make an ideal odd couple: it&#8217;s easy enough to invest in their happiness together despite her ongoing initial deception. By the climactic finale, we&#8217;re genuinely rooting for these two and their future.  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Barbara Stanwyck as Sugarpuss O&#8217;Shea<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Stanwyck.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Stanwyck.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"656\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-45435\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Stanwyck.png 656w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Stanwyck-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Stanwyck-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Gary Cooper as Professor Potts<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Cooper.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Cooper.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"656\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-45442\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Cooper.png 656w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Cooper-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Cooper-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine performances by the ensemble supporting cast &#8212; especially Mary Field as Miss Totten, Richard Haydn as Professor Oddly, and Dana Andrews as Joe Lilac<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Field.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Field.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"656\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-45439\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Field.png 656w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Field-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Field-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Haydn.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Haydn.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"656\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-45440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Haydn.png 656w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Haydn-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Haydn-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Andrews.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Andrews.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"656\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-45436\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Andrews.png 656w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Andrews-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Andrews-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The &#8220;Drum Boogie&#8221; music sequence with Gene Krupa and his orchestra<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Boogie.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Boogie.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"656\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-45437\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Boogie.png 656w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Boogie-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Boogie-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Gregg Toland&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"656\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-45438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Cinematography.png 656w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Cinematography-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Ball-of-Fire-Cinematography-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder&#8217;s script: &#8220;Well, patchy my panty-waist!&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a most enjoyable romantic comedy. Nominated as one of the Best Movies of the Year in Peary&#8217;s <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>. Selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2016. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1784#classic\">Genuine Classic<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0033373\/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.com\/movies\/ball-of-fire\/review\/102632\/\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.combustiblecelluloid.com\/classic\/balloffire.shtml\">Combustible Celluloid Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/68020\/ball-of-fire#articles-reviews\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1942\/01\/16\/archives\/ball-of-fire-a-delightful-comedy-with-gary-cooper-and-barbara.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/NZeqz3JWFl4\">Tired Old Queen at the Movies Video Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;That is the kind of woman that makes whole civilizations topple!&#8221; Synopsis: When the nightclub-singing moll (Barbara Stanwyck) of a gangster (Dana Andrews) goes on the lam, she lands at the home of a group of professors working on a new encyclopedia. Soon she and Professor Potts (Gary Cooper) begin having romantic feelings for one another, which complicates her original plan of returning to Andrews as soon as it&#8217;s safe to do so. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Barbara Stanwyck&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=45431\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45431"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75690,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45431\/revisions\/75690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}