Ball of Fire is the more grown up, risqué version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; even during the opening scene the film's cast of professors are seen walking in tandem through Central Park like the seven dwarfs as they adhere to a strict daily seclude in an attempt to compile an encyclopaedia of all human knowledge. The film plays off the public perception of bureaucrats, bankers, librarians and people in other such mundane professions. Are they such sheltered, socially awkward individuals who are in bed at 9 every night and have likely never been in a relationship? The recurring Howard Hawks' theme of male bonding is ever present in Ball of Fire, although here it is all the more goofy with a cast of characters playing nerds. Regardless there still remains one very poignant scene in which Professor Oddly (the only bachelor of the group) recounts about his past wife and the men start singing.There are few other character entrances in film more entertaining than that of Barbara Stanwyck as Sugarpuss O'Shea (a not so innocent name by today's standard) as she enters the picture singing and dancing with Gene Krupa and his orchestra - could the character's fast-living personality be summed up in a more entertaining manner? Likewise, that dress! No wonder Edith Head had decades working in the industry. Notice it's nonstop sparkling every moment it's on screen, making Stanwyck look all the more tantalising. Almost all the outfits worn by Stanwyck in Ball of Fire are clearly designed to make her look as sexually appealing as possible. When Professor "Potsy" Potts (Gary Cooper) and Sugarpuss are alone, the sexual sparks fly and when she holds up a leg she gives a group of socially awkward, sheltered middle-aged to old men a sexual awakening. It's all the more poignant that the man she seduces is played a Gary Cooper; a contrast to his boy scouty screen image. Here Cooper is a nerd, and while he did play tough guys on screen, he will always be that boy next door. Ball of Fire is full of lines and moments which wouldn't feel out of place in a film made before the production code. At the beginning of the film, we even see Professor Potts arousing the funder of the encyclopaedia project by merely talking to her in an attempt to convince her to keep the project running.Ball of Fire is worth watching multiple times for all the lines you can easily miss out on. For example, when a garbage man (Allen Jenkins) comes into the house to ask the men for assistance on radio quiz, one of the questions regards the correct way to state a mathematical problem: "2 and 2 is 5, 2 and 2 are 5, 2 or 2 makes 5". Cooper states the correct answer is "2 and 2 are 5" however the mathematician of the group then states "2 and 2 are 4" followed by the garbage man responding, "that's a good one, nobody's gonna get that". Am I detecting a sneaky Orwellian statement pre-1984?

After patiently sitting through 1941's "Ball Of Fire" - I found that I could not believe that the likes of that total zero-charisma actor, Gary Cooper, was actually considered to be one of that era's top, male, Hollywood stars.In my opinion - This drab, stuffy doofus (with his unconvincing performance) almost single-handedly brought this potentially promising (but decidedly contrived) Rom/Com (that involved a gangster's ho with a heart of gold) down a few, good notches by his dreary presence.In fact - Upon watching "Ball Of Fire" - I've now made up my mind to avoid ever viewing another picture with the likes of this totally irksome lunkhead, Cooper, in it, ever-ever again.... Hey! I ain't kidding here.Put plain and simple - Gary Cooper was utterly awful. He had absolutely no appealing screen-presence, whatsoever - (Unless, of course, you happen to like watching a clueless jughead who barely appears to be able to remember his lines).I'll bet you that this pathetic-excuse-for-a-leading-man actually required cue-cards in order to get himself through his roles.... (Sheesh!)

BALL OF FIRE is one unassailable and enjoyable to watch comedy. Director Hawks surprised me with his moderation. Honestly I was expecting an explosion of "something", but I think that in this case made a real impact as well. Perhaps overly potentiation (sexual) attraction between opposite character (in this case professor and entertainer) and sudden marriage at first sight. Cute is a parody of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Older professors are dwarfs, the youngest of them is prince, singer or entertainer is a princess and evil witch is ruthless gangster.Gary Cooper as Professor Bertram Potts was re-coiled and very intelligent. Some kind of genius. Maybe socially inept, but very gentle and honest character. Range humor is what adorns Cooper through this genre. Barbara Stanwyck as Katherine "Sugarpuss" O'Shea She found herself in a similar role as The Lady Eve. Again, a strong female character who is tough and feminine at the same time. She again plays on sexuality. Just to mention a scene in which her foot after she pulled the sock, ended in Cooper's arms.Ball of Fire is light and entertaining comedy. Maybe it does not belong to classics, but is certainly enjoyable to watch.

Howard Hawks' Ball of Fire is one of the best love stories that I have ever seen in a long time since Some Like It Hot (1959), and The Apartment (1960) because this movie has all the perfect ingredients to tell this kind of story. The movie stars Gary Cooper as an English Professor named Bertram Potts who is working with a group of other professors on finishing an encyclopedia (which Potts estimates that it will take at least 3 years to finish) even while Potts is on an "investigation" on modern slang throughout town in order to learn more about it, then Potts ends up going to a nightclub where he meets a singer and burlesque girl named Sugarpuss O'Shea (played by Barbara Stanwyck in an Oscar nominated performance) who is singing a slang song called "Drum Boogie" which gives Potts a fine opportunity to write the slang words in the song on a page in his notepad. Then after the concert is over he heads to O'Shea's dressing room where he meets he in order for her to give more slang ideas and is sent out in a hurry using slang which was pretty funny to see, then that same night O'Shea goes to the bachelor house where Potts lives and they start an instant relationship and have their fun until the mob takes her away from him and she ends up getting forced to marry a mob boss named Joe Lilac (played by Dana Andrews) but Sugarpuss already knows that Potts wouldn't her get away with Lilac. The casting for this movie was excellent especially the supporting cast besides Andrews, also includes Henry Travers, Oskar Homolka, S.Z. Zakall, and so much more, and especially the wonderful screenplay by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder, and last but not least Howard Hawks's excellent direction for the movie. For which this movie teaches an important lesson which is that if people want to marry one another the couple who are engaged to one another whoever it may be have to be committed to one another at least for a long time.