"Ball of Fire" opened in the U.S. on Dec. 2, 1941. Europe had been at war for more than a year, and in just five more days Japan would bomb Pearl Harbor, bringing the U.S. into the war. Hollywood made many comedies during the depression to help lift spirits; and now it was doing the same thing to help ease tensions and lift the spirits on the home front.
This wonderful comedy has several big name stars, some music and rhythm by Gene Krupa and his band, and a great supporting cast. That includes some of the best supporting actors of the time. Several were foreign- born, all from nations at war. One can imagine the emotion they must have felt. And, how they may have viewed their profession as important for lifting the spirits of the Allies and the hopes of their people back home. The names of many characters are hilarious.
Seven of the support cast are professors working with Gary Cooper who plays Prof. Potts. They include Oskar Homolka, born in Vienna, Austria, as Prof. Gurkakoff; S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall from Budapest, Hungary, as Prof. Magenbruch; Leonid Kinskey from St. Petersburg, Russia, as Prof. Quintana; and three from England, including Richard Hadyn as Prof. Oddly, Henry Travers as Prof. Jerome and Aubrey Mather as Prof. Peagram. One was U.S.-born – Tully Marshall as Prof. Robinson.
The film has several other big name actors. Frequent leading man Dana Andrews plays the boss of the bad guys, Joe Lilac. His gang includes Dan Duryea as Duke Pastrami and Ralph Peters as Asthma Anderson. Allen Jenkins is the garbage man.
"Ball of Fire" received four Oscar nominations, including best actress for Barbara Stanwyck as Sugarpuss O'Shea. It is a very funny film, with much witty, clever dialog. But, this type of comedy may not be for everyone. Much of the humor develops around language and words. So, those who don't like language and fun with words aren't likely to get much out of this film. But all others should enjoy it immensely. Some of the slang words in the script were a far stretch even for the time of the movie.
In a late scene, Duke Pastrami is talking to Sugarpuss: "Now meantime, lay low and stay close to the Ameche." Sugarpuss: "Okay! The what?" Pastrami: "The telephone." Later, she uses it as a slang question to Prof. Potts, whom she calls "Pottsy." When he asks what that is, she explains that it's the name of the inventor of the telephone. He interrupts to say that the inventor of the phone was Alexander , but she interrupts to explain that Ameche played the inventor in the movie. That was a 1939 biopic with Don Ameche, Henry Fonda and Loretta Young. A nice little jab here at the intelligence of those Americans who "learn" their history from the movies.
Here are some more funny lines and exchanges from the film. Sugarpuss picks up a book and says, "Oh, Greek philosophy. I've got a set like this with a radio inside." She turns to Potts and says, "Well, how do we start professor? You see, this is the first time anybody moved in on my brain."
Potts: "Living in this house, cut off from the world, I've lost touch. And it's inexcusable. That man talked a living language (slang). I embalmed some dead phrases. 'Slang,' as the poet Carl Sandberg has said, 'is language which takes off its coat, spits on its hands and goes to work.'"
Sugarpuss: "Who was that guy learned so much from watching an apple drop?" Prof. Gurkakoff: "Isaac Newton, 1642 to 1727, the law of gravity." Sugarpuss: "Yeah, that's him. And I want you to look at me as another apple, Professor Potts. Just another apple."
Potts: "For four days we have been drifting, Miss O'Shea. The needle of the compass no longer points to the magnetic pole. It points, if I may say so, to your ankle. I shall regret the absence of your keen mind. Unfortunately, it is inseparable from an extremely distracting body."
Sugarpuss: "Don't tell me the jive session has beat off without baby."
Potts: "Miss O'Shea, the construction 'on account of because' outrages every grammatical law." Sugarpuss: "So what? I came on account of because I couldn't stop thinking about you after you left my dressing room. On account of because I thought you were big and cute and pretty."
Prof. Magenbruch: "I thought you meant to leave us in protest, Miss Bragg." Miss Bragg: "A nurse does not quit her post when an epidemic reaches a crisis."
Sugarpuss reads the inscription inside a ring: "Richard ill. Who's Richard ill?" Potts: "Richard the Third."
Joe Lilac on the phone: "Where are you? We're not down here to enjoy ourselves. This is a wedding."
Sugarpuss: "Eight squirrelly cherubs, right out of this world." Prof. Magenbruch: "Did you hear, Potts? I'm a squirrelly cherub?"
Potts: "Now let's have it out. I made an ass of myself and I know it." Prof. Jerome: "Oh well, we all have." Potts: "Yes, but I was the lead donkey."
Prof. Oddly, a widower the past 20 years, offers some courtship advice to Potts: "Being a botanist, I find an astonishing parallel between a woman's heart and the wind flower, or anemone nemorosa. Perhaps you know the plant, how it waits for the warm sunshine and soft winds before it unfolds its petals. Sensitive and delicate. One rough, impetuous bee can completely destroy the blooms."
Prof. Magenbruch: "Did you did you get the records?" Prof. Peagram: "Well, they were all out of 'Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar.' But I got 'Chicka Chicka Boom Boom' and 'Shoot the Sherbet to Me Herbert.'"
This wonderful comedy has several big name stars, some music and rhythm by Gene Krupa and his band, and a great supporting cast. That includes some of the best supporting actors of the time. Several were foreign- born, all from nations at war. One can imagine the emotion they must have felt. And, how they may have viewed their profession as important for lifting the spirits of the Allies and the hopes of their people back home. The names of many characters are hilarious.
Seven of the support cast are professors working with Gary Cooper who plays Prof. Potts. They include Oskar Homolka, born in Vienna, Austria, as Prof. Gurkakoff; S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall from Budapest, Hungary, as Prof. Magenbruch; Leonid Kinskey from St. Petersburg, Russia, as Prof. Quintana; and three from England, including Richard Hadyn as Prof. Oddly, Henry Travers as Prof. Jerome and Aubrey Mather as Prof. Peagram. One was U.S.-born – Tully Marshall as Prof. Robinson.
The film has several other big name actors. Frequent leading man Dana Andrews plays the boss of the bad guys, Joe Lilac. His gang includes Dan Duryea as Duke Pastrami and Ralph Peters as Asthma Anderson. Allen Jenkins is the garbage man.
"Ball of Fire" received four Oscar nominations, including best actress for Barbara Stanwyck as Sugarpuss O'Shea. It is a very funny film, with much witty, clever dialog. But, this type of comedy may not be for everyone. Much of the humor develops around language and words. So, those who don't like language and fun with words aren't likely to get much out of this film. But all others should enjoy it immensely. Some of the slang words in the script were a far stretch even for the time of the movie.
In a late scene, Duke Pastrami is talking to Sugarpuss: "Now meantime, lay low and stay close to the Ameche." Sugarpuss: "Okay! The what?" Pastrami: "The telephone." Later, she uses it as a slang question to Prof. Potts, whom she calls "Pottsy." When he asks what that is, she explains that it's the name of the inventor of the telephone. He interrupts to say that the inventor of the phone was Alexander , but she interrupts to explain that Ameche played the inventor in the movie. That was a 1939 biopic with Don Ameche, Henry Fonda and Loretta Young. A nice little jab here at the intelligence of those Americans who "learn" their history from the movies.
Here are some more funny lines and exchanges from the film. Sugarpuss picks up a book and says, "Oh, Greek philosophy. I've got a set like this with a radio inside." She turns to Potts and says, "Well, how do we start professor? You see, this is the first time anybody moved in on my brain."
Potts: "Living in this house, cut off from the world, I've lost touch. And it's inexcusable. That man talked a living language (slang). I embalmed some dead phrases. 'Slang,' as the poet Carl Sandberg has said, 'is language which takes off its coat, spits on its hands and goes to work.'"
Sugarpuss: "Who was that guy learned so much from watching an apple drop?" Prof. Gurkakoff: "Isaac Newton, 1642 to 1727, the law of gravity." Sugarpuss: "Yeah, that's him. And I want you to look at me as another apple, Professor Potts. Just another apple."
Potts: "For four days we have been drifting, Miss O'Shea. The needle of the compass no longer points to the magnetic pole. It points, if I may say so, to your ankle. I shall regret the absence of your keen mind. Unfortunately, it is inseparable from an extremely distracting body."
Sugarpuss: "Don't tell me the jive session has beat off without baby."
Potts: "Miss O'Shea, the construction 'on account of because' outrages every grammatical law." Sugarpuss: "So what? I came on account of because I couldn't stop thinking about you after you left my dressing room. On account of because I thought you were big and cute and pretty."
Prof. Magenbruch: "I thought you meant to leave us in protest, Miss Bragg." Miss Bragg: "A nurse does not quit her post when an epidemic reaches a crisis."
Sugarpuss reads the inscription inside a ring: "Richard ill. Who's Richard ill?" Potts: "Richard the Third."
Joe Lilac on the phone: "Where are you? We're not down here to enjoy ourselves. This is a wedding."
Sugarpuss: "Eight squirrelly cherubs, right out of this world." Prof. Magenbruch: "Did you hear, Potts? I'm a squirrelly cherub?"
Potts: "Now let's have it out. I made an ass of myself and I know it." Prof. Jerome: "Oh well, we all have." Potts: "Yes, but I was the lead donkey."
Prof. Oddly, a widower the past 20 years, offers some courtship advice to Potts: "Being a botanist, I find an astonishing parallel between a woman's heart and the wind flower, or anemone nemorosa. Perhaps you know the plant, how it waits for the warm sunshine and soft winds before it unfolds its petals. Sensitive and delicate. One rough, impetuous bee can completely destroy the blooms."
Prof. Magenbruch: "Did you did you get the records?" Prof. Peagram: "Well, they were all out of 'Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar.' But I got 'Chicka Chicka Boom Boom' and 'Shoot the Sherbet to Me Herbert.'"