Rating: 
Summary: Cooper and Stanwyck in the classic screwball comedy
Review: This classic screwball comedy offers a nice twist on the tale of Snow White, Prince Charming and the Seven Dwarves. Gary Cooper plays Professor Betram Potts, who is writing the definitive treatise on slang for an encyclopedia. Towards that end he elicits the help of burlesque stripper, Sugarpuss O'Shea, played by Barbara Stanwyck in her second Oscar-nominated role. Sugarpuss knows all about slang and moves in with the professor and the seven distinguished professors (Oscar Homolka, Henry Travers, Z. Z. Sakall, Tully Marshall, Leonind Kinskey, Richard Haydn and Aubrey Mather) helping Professor Potts with his research. Of Sugarpuss sets the stuffy household on its head, with the result that the professors are all totally smitten with her and the lady has to rethink marrying her gangster boyfriend (Dana Andrews) because she, of course, has fallen for Potts. This is a first rate screwball comedy and it is hard to believe that Cooper and Stanwyck had played opposite each other in Frank Capra's classic "Meet John Doe," since there is quite a difference between Capracorn and screwball comedy. For me, it is the seven dwarves, er, professors who steal the show with their ensemble responses to everything Sugarpuss says and does. Originally called "The Professor and the Burlesque Queen," Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder's Oscar nominated screenplay was based on an original story by Wilde and Thomas Monroe called "From A to Z." This 1941 film was directed by Howard Hawks, produced by Samuel Goldwyn, had Gregg Toland of "Citizen Kane" fame as the photographer and featured an Oscar nominated score by Alfred Newman. The song "Drum Boogie" was written by Gene Krupa and Roy Eldridge. Watch "Ball of Fire" as a double-bill with "Bringing Up Baby" and you can enjoy the two best screwball comedies ever made at one sitting.
Rating:
Summary: Cooper and Stanwyck in the classic screwball comedy
Review: This classic screwball comedy offers a nice twist on the tale of Snow White, Prince Charming and the Seven Dwarves. Gary Cooper plays Professor Betram Potts, who is writing the definitive treatise on slang for an encyclopedia. Towards that end he elicits the help of burlesque stripper, Sugarpuss O'Shea, played by Barbara Stanwyck in her second Oscar-nominated role. Sugarpuss knows all about slang and moves in with the professor and the seven distinguished professors (Oscar Homolka, Henry Travers, Z. Z. Sakall, Tully Marshall, Leonind Kinskey, Richard Haydn and Aubrey Mather) helping Professor Potts with his research. Of Sugarpuss sets the stuffy household on its head, with the result that the professors are all totally smitten with her and the lady has to rethink marrying her gangster boyfriend (Dana Andrews) because she, of course, has fallen for Potts. This is a first rate screwball comedy and it is hard to believe that Cooper and Stanwyck had played opposite each other in Frank Capra's classic "Meet John Doe," since there is quite a difference between Capracorn and screwball comedy. For me, it is the seven dwarves, er, professors who steal the show with their ensemble responses to everything Sugarpuss says and does. Originally called "The Professor and the Burlesque Queen," Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder's Oscar nominated screenplay was based on an original story by Wilde and Thomas Monroe called "From A to Z." This 1941 film was directed by Howard Hawks, produced by Samuel Goldwyn, had Gregg Toland of "Citizen Kane" fame as the photographer and featured an Oscar nominated score by Alfred Newman. The song "Drum Boogie" was written by Gene Krupa and Roy Eldridge. Watch "Ball of Fire" as a double-bill with "Bringing Up Baby" and you can enjoy the two best screwball comedies ever made at one sitting.
Rating: 
Summary: Who says scholarly reseach is cut and dried?
Review: When Gary Cooper (!) and the other scholars at work on the next issue of the encyclopedia realize that they need a consultant about slang, they are lucky enough to encounter showgirl Barbara Stanwyck, who tells them "all" about it. She's not on the level, though, and is playing Gary and the old boys for a bunch of patsies as she's on the lam. However, the power of love is a strange thing, and can even reform a slangy showgirl like Barbara. Cute movie, with very campy naive performance from Cooper.
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