A to Z

A Movie Review

Directed by Howard Hawks, Ball of Fire is a Brackett & Wilder variation on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Also known as the Professor & the Burlesque queen, the story concerns a group of eight clousterd professors (lead by Gary Cooper), who unknowingly harbour a gangsters moll (Barbara Stanwyck) while doing research on slang. Strongly example of the Lubitch/Sturges school of comedy, it marks the final film writen by Wilder, which he did not also direct. Suporting parts expertly played by such veterans as Henry Travers, Richard Haydn, & S. Z. "Cuddles" Sakall. Charles Lane has a minor role.