Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper go for laughs in BALL OF FIRE (1941)

 Babs knows how to gain attention from a room full of men...

The divine Barbara Stanwyck and Coop re-team for this wonderful comedy classic. The two stars previously paired up in Meet John Doe earlier that year for Frank Capra. As good as that film was, I like Ball Of Fire even more. The story casts Coop as Bertram Potts a young professor who along with six other professors are compiling an encyclopedia of human knowledge. Potts is researching American slang. Things are going good until their financial backer, Miss Totten pressures them to hurry up and finish. So Bertram hits the streets to do some solo research and meets saucy nightclub singer Sugarpuss O'Shea (Stanwyck). O'Shea is at first reluctant to help Potts until  she needs a place to hide out from the police who are looking to question her about her boyfriend, mob boss Joe Lilac (played by Dana Andrews). 

Love hurts...

Soon Sugarpuss is teaching the guys how to conga and all kinds of slang. Of course Bertram ends up falling for her but has do deal with Lilac. Ball Of Fire is one awesome movie. Full of humor and a sizzling performance by Stanwyck. She struts across the screen like she owns it and she does. And Coop is solid as Potts. An enjoyable comedy film. Expertly directed by Howard Hawks.

But everything turns out ok in the end...

Barbara Stanwyck is The Mad Miss Manton (1938)

Barbara Stanywck is a delight as fun loving socialite Melsa Manton who, along with her debutante friends, hunt for a murderer while eating bonbons and having fun. Melsa also flirts with newspaper man Peter Ames (Henry Fonda). Stanwyck and Fonda get to trade barbs and engage in screwball hi-jinks while avoiding trying to fall in love. It's cool seeing the pair engage in comedy. They would later team up for the classic farce, The Lady Eve. Here in Miss Manton, things will remind you a lot of the Thin Man series as the film mixes mystery and comedy quite well. And the two leads are game enough to have a good time while pursuing a murderer. Co-starring Sam Levene, Hattie McDaniel, and Penny Singleton.

Screwball Quote Of The Day: THE LADY EVE

Jean Harrington: You see Hopsi, you don't know very much about girls. The best ones aren't as good as you think they are and the bad ones aren't as bad. Not nearly as bad.

- THE LADY EVE (1941)

Christmas In Connecticut (1945) is my favorite Christmas movie

If I had to choose one Christmas movie to watch during the holidays I would probably choose Christmas In Connecticut (1945). I know there have been countless blogs and posts written about this classic so I won't add another review of this by now familiar tale. Suffice to say, this film works because of just two little words: Barbara Stanwyck. She is positively amazing as columnist Elizabeth Lane, viewed today as the Martha Stewart of her day. Except for the fact that Ms. Lane's description of herself and her abilities is all lies. She can't cook, doesn't know a thing about decorating or antiques, and definitely does not live the family life on a farm in Connecticut as she has told all her loyal readers. Needless to say her lack of skills will be tested when her publisher puts her on the spot to cook a family Christmas dinner for a wounded returning soldier (Dennis Morgan). I simply think this is one of the best of the Christmas films from yesteryear. And when you think about it, the film really is not about Christmas per se, but it's story just happens to take place during Christmas. That won't stop anyone from enjoying this film though. But you will find hearty laughs and a nice comfort feeling while watching this film. As I stated before Barbara Stanwyck is definitely the star of this movie and she carries it like a seasoned professional. Her comic timing, which was not used nearly enough in her stellar career, is perfection. She looks absolutely stunning and plays off her fellow co-stars with ease. Delivering some of the best lines with that sly twinkle in her eyes. One of the scenes I love is when the owner of the magazine requests that she do her sensational high pancake flip that she is famous for. Of course Elizabeth has never tossed a pancake in her life, so the look of her face as she steps up to the stove and grabs the pan to flip the pancake looks like a person marching to the electric chair. I recommend Christmas In Connecticut as a perfect movie to view with friends and family over the holidays. You won't regret it.

The Lady Eve (1941)

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Very entertaining screwball comedy from Preston Sturges that teams Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda.
Fonda shines in a rare early comedy role, his second with Ms. Stanwyck. They paired up three years earlier in the delightful The Mad Miss Manton (1938). Here he plays Charles Pike, a young rich man, on his way back from a year long scientific research in the Amazon, aboard a cruise ship. Charles is accompanied by his bodyguard/friend Ambrose, played by Sturges regular William Demarest. Charles is promptly tagged by con artists Jean Harrington (Stanwyck) and Harry (Charles Coburn) who pretend they are father and daughter and who love take rich people to the cleaners, mainly through cards. Well on this rare occasion, Jean falls in love with Charles and is ready to settle down. But Charles finds out about her past and things turn sour fast.

Having being jilted by Charles, Jean tries to get back at him by pretending to be a English woman who is visiting Charles family. Of course Charles thinks it's Jean, but she tells him her name is Eve and he promptly falls in love with her. Cue screwball antics. I love this movie. It's one of my favorites of all time. Stanwyck and Fonda show that they can do more than just drama and thrillers and are perfect in this film. One of the funniest scenes to me in this film is when Jean is checking out Charles with her mirror on the ship and pretends to do the conversation she sees Charles having with a young lady. It's hilarious as all get out. I wouldn't be surprised if some of that was ad-libbed the way Barbara handles the scene. It's awesome. The duo get great support from Coburn and Demarest. One of the best screwball comedies ever made. And directed with the usual great flair by Preston Sturges.