Ball of Fire

Billy Wilder seems to have written this vehicle especially tailored to the talents of BARBARA STANWYCK and GARY COOPER because they never had roles in romantic comedies that suited them as well.

Babs is a sassy stripper on the lam from the law and sheltered by seven old men (and one young professor) assigned to work on a dictionary of slang. She teaches them a thing or two with her own street talk and soon insinuates herself into their affections, much the way Snow White did with the Seven Dwarfs.

It's farce all the way, broadly played by the delightful cast of men, including S.Z. SAKALL, OSKAR HOMOLKA, RICHARD HAYDYN, HENRY TRAVERS, and DANA ANDREWS as her henchman lover.

But it's her chemistry with Cooper that practically glows on screen, giving her character the softer touch and taking the brassiness out of her "Sugarpuss" characterization.

Although the material is strictly "cornball" by today's standards, it's still a lot of fun to watch Cooper fall under her spell--and to watch Dana Andrews (in a good early role) getting his comeuppance.

"Sugarpuss" and "Potsie" are quite a pair!! Howard Hawks' direction makes the most out of a witty, gag-filled script.