You are hereBall of Fire
Ball of Fire
Director: Howard Hawks Writers: Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, Billy Wilder, Thomas Monroe
Runtime: 111
Color: Black and White
| Gary Cooper (I) | Prof. Bertram Potts | |
| Barbara Stanwyck | Katherine 'Sugarpuss' O'Shea | |
![]() | Oskar Homolka | Prof. Gurkakoff - Mathematics |
![]() | Henry Travers (I) | Prof. Jerome - History |
![]() | S.Z. Sakall | Prof. Magenbruch - Physiology |
![]() | Tully Marshall | Prof. Robinson - Law |
![]() | Leonid Kinskey | Prof. Quintana |
![]() | Richard Haydn (I) | Prof. Oddly - Botany |
![]() | Aubrey Mather | Prof. Peagram - Literature |
![]() | Allen Jenkins | Garbageman |
| Dana Andrews (I) | Joe Lilac | |
![]() | Dan Duryea | Duke Pastrami |
![]() | Ralph Peters (I) | Asthma Anderson |
![]() | Kathleen Howard | Miss Bragg |
![]() | Mary Field (I) | Miss Totten |
| Charles Lane (I) | Larsen - Miss Totten's Assistant | |
![]() | Charles Arnt | McNeary - Lilac's Lawyer |
![]() | Elisha Cook Jr. | Nightclub Waiter (as Elisha Cook) |
![]() | Alan Rhein | Horseface |
![]() | Eddie Foster | Pinstripe |
| Aldrich Bowker | Justice of the Peace | |
![]() | Addison Richards | District Attorney |
![]() | Pat West (I) | Bum |
![]() | Kenneth Howell | College Boy |
![]() | Tommy Ryan (II) | Newsboy |
![]() | Tim Ryan (I) | Motor Cop |
![]() | William A. Lee (I) | Benny the Creep (as Will Lee) |
![]() | Gene Krupa | Orchestra Leader |
![]() | George Barton | Garbageman (uncredited) |
![]() | Doria Caron | Girl in Subway (uncredited) |
![]() | Eddy Chandler | Cop on Garbage Truck (uncredited) |
![]() | Ken Christy (I) | Cop with Miss Bragg (uncredited) |
![]() | Edward Clark (I) | Motor Court Proprietor (uncredited) |
![]() | Chet De Vito | Tollkeeper (uncredited) |
![]() | Geraldine Fissette | Hula Dancer (uncredited) |
| Pat Flaherty | Deputy (uncredited) | |
![]() | Catherine Henderson | College Girl (uncredited) |
![]() | Otto Hoffman | Stage Doorman (uncredited) |
![]() | June Horne | Nursemaid at Park (uncredited) |
![]() | Merrillee Lannon | Girl in Subway (uncredited) |
![]() | Ethelreda Leopold | Nursemaid at Park (uncredited) |
![]() | Lorraine Miller (I) | Girl in Cafe (uncredited) |
![]() | Mildred Morris | Chorus Girl (uncredited) |
![]() | Edward Mundy | Spieler (uncredited) |
![]() | Jack Perry (I) | Fighting Bum (uncredited) |
![]() | Lee Phelps (I) | Cop (uncredited) |
![]() | Gerald Pierce | Delivery Boy (uncredited) |
![]() | Dick Rush | Cop (uncredited) |
![]() | Francis Sayles | Taxi Driver (uncredited) |
![]() | Helen Seamon | College Girl (uncredited) |
![]() | George Sherwood | Deputy (uncredited) |
![]() | Walter Shumway | Garbageman (uncredited) |
![]() | Oscar Chalkee Williams | Cop (uncredited) |
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"!
8 Professors are in the 9th year of a 12 year encyclopedia writing project. The youngest is Bertram Potts who specializes in language and grammar. When Professor Potts discovers that his section on slang is outdated, he sets out to research the topic. Nightclub performer Sugarpuss O'Shea is engaged to gangster Joe Lilac. When she discovers that the police are after her, she must find a place to lay low. Then Potts meets Sugarpuss. He is impressed with her slang and wants to study it further. Sugarpuss uses his study as an excuse to invite herself to stay with the 8 Professors at their residence--a perfect hideout. She wins over the older Professors teaching them how to do a Conga Line and earns a marriage proposal from 'Pottsie' by showing him 'yum-yum'. However, Joe Lilac resurfaces with other plans for Sugarpuss.
- 1941
- bachelor
- backstage
- breakfast-in-bed
- broken-engagement
- broken-heart
- car-accident
- central-park-new-york
- Comedy
- conga
- contest
- corrupt-lawyer
- crime-boss
- crush
- dance-lesson
- deceit
- delivery-boy
- district-attorney
- el-train
- encyclopedia
- English
- extortion
- fainting
- farce
- fistfight
- fugitive
- gangster
- garbage-collector
- garbage-truck
- george-washington-bridge
- globe
- grammar
- hostage
- houseguest
- housekeeper
- jazz
- justice-of-the-peace
- kiss
- love-triangle
- machine-gun
- manhattan
- marriage-proposal
- matchbox
- microscope
- mistaken-identity
- moll
- motel
- new-jersey
- new-york-city
- nightclub
- painting
- paperboy
- pencil-sharpener
- philanthropist
- police-officer
- pool-hall
- professor
- railway-station
- refraction
- research
- Romance
- screwball
- singer
- singing
- skylight
- slang
- target-shooting
- taxicab
- tickling
- USA
- wedding
- wedding-ring
- widower




















