"You're not her father.""You're getting warm. I'm her daddy."
Cinemas
A group of academics have spent years shut up in a house working on the definitive encyclopedia. When one of them discovers that his entry on slang is hopelessly outdated, he ventures into the wide world to learn about the evolving language. Here he meets Sugarpuss O’Shea, a nightclub singer, who’s on top of all the slang—and, it just so happens, needs a place to stay.
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Cast & crew
6What people say
Absolutely fantastic. One of those screenplays where I start smiling about 20 minutes in as I fully “get” what’s gonna happen and it makes me all giddy inside. I love the professors so much, especially the slender, white-mustachioed one that looks like a Marx brother and talks like the Tootsie Pop Owl. Hoytoytoy!
A LITTLE SUN IN MY HAIR AND YOU HAVE TO WATER YOUR NECK 😩
Common questions
What is Ball of Fire about?+
A linguistics professor studying slang ventures out of his sheltered life among seven scholars to learn from a nightclub performer who brings chaos and romance into their world.
Who directed Ball of Fire?+
Howard Hawks directed this 1941 film, which was co-written by Billy Wilder.
Has Ball of Fire won any awards?+
The film received four Academy Award nominations, including a Best Actress nomination for Barbara Stanwyck.
