 | |
List Price: $14.98 | | Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Salesrank: 6575
Released: May 22, 2007 |
| Our Price: $8.56 |
| Used Price: $9.51 |
|
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
|
Editorial Review:
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"!System Requirements:Run Time: 111 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 027616075161 Manufacturer No: M107518
Description of Ball of Fire:
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! --Jeff Shannon
Ball of Fire Reviews:
Nice Try, But No Cigar 
2009-11-09 - BALL OF FIRE---(1941)---Barbara Stanwyck, Gary Cooper, Dan Duryea, Dana Andrews, S. Z. Sakall, Oscar Homolka, Richard Haydn, Henry Travers.
A variation on the, "Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs(Dwarves--SP.?)" fairy-tale. As much as I love Barbara Stanwyck, this film just didn't age very well given its preoccupation with outdated American slang and the barely credible(even for the movies) "love-story" between Stanwyck and Cooper. Duryea and Andrews, who are both good actors, just don't "cut it" in their roles.
Has A Lot Going For It 
2009-01-26 - Wow, what a cast! Let's see, there's Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Richard Haydn, Oscar Homolka, Henry Travers, S.Z. Sakall, Tully Marshall, Dana Andrews, Allen Jenkins and more! Classic film fans know all these names. Also, when you have directors and writers such as Howard Hawks and Billy Wilder behind the film, you know it's probably a winner.
What's more, it's a fun movie, fun to see and especially fun to hear. Stanwyck is her usual fascinating self, but in this movie it's the men - the seven old bachelors and the younger Cooper in the "club" - that are the most entertaining.
Because the story dealt with a bunch of encyclopedia writers trying to find out the latest slang words, the dialog in here is really funny. The expressions of the day are dated and humorous and there are so many you can't count them all. Some are stupid; some are hilarious...which is what you get with most comedies anyway. Not every line hits the mark, but a lot do in this one.
Tack on some action and some romance and it's corny-but-cute film , entertaining all the way. This has been a tough DVD to find, but it's finally available, which is good news to anyone who needs a laugh!
EXCELLENT.
2009-01-12 - IF YOU ENJOY OLD MOVIES YOU'LL LIKE THIS ONE. VERY ENTERTAINING FULL OF GOOD CLEAN FUN.
Cooper Was Not A Comedian
2008-12-12 - This movie has a great cast but turns out to be a hoakie romp. Barbara is hot and Gary is made up to be a lint ridden, aged beyond his years, professor. The movie lost some of the humor with poor timing and too much time spent making Cooper to appear old.
Directing made it better than it should have been. It's cute but don't wait for the sequel.
A sweet old comedy 
2008-11-21 - Very corny but sweet black and white movie. A very enjoyable movie on a rainy afternoon.
