Ball of Fire (1941): cast, story & where to watch
1941 · Film · ★ 7.4
Released in 1941, Ball of Fire is a comedy, crime and romance film directed by Howard Hawks, running about 111 minutes. ““I LOVE HIM because he doesn't know how to kiss—THE JERK!”” — that tagline sets the tone.
What it’s about. 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 When one of them discovers that his entry on slang is hopelessly outdated, he ventures into the wide world to learn about the evolving language.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.
Who’s in it. Ball of Fire stars Gary Cooper as Professor Bertram Potts, Barbara Stanwyck as Sugarpuss O’Shea, Oskar Homolka as Prof. Gurkakoff and Henry Travers as Prof. Jerome, among others.
How it landed. With an audience score of 7.4/10, Ball of Fire has been warmly received by audiences. It went on to earn $2.6M at the box office.
Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Amazon Prime Video, Philo and Amazon Prime Video with Ads and rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Ball of Fire page.
If you liked it. Fans of Ball of Fire tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Parasite, Life Is Beautiful and Fight Club.
Frequently asked
- Where can I watch Ball of Fire (1941)?
- In US, Ball of Fire is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, Philo and Amazon Prime Video with Ads, and rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home. Availability varies by country — check our where-to-watch page for every region.
- Is Ball of Fire worth watching?
- Ball of Fire holds an audience score of 7.4 out of 10, and is a strong pick if you enjoy comedy, crime and romance. Most viewers rate it highly.
- Who stars in Ball of Fire?
- Ball of Fire stars Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Oskar Homolka, Henry Travers and S.Z. Sakall.
- When was Ball of Fire released?
- Ball of Fire was released in 1941, with a runtime of about 111 minutes.