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Ball of Fire
UNITED STATES · 1941

Ball of Fire

Howard Hawks
academia vs. street life slang and language evolution fish out of water romance across social classes sheltered innocence
Stream on Criterion → ▶ Trailer

Synopsis

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 When one of them discovers that his entry on slang is hopelessly outdated, he ventures into the wide world to learn about the evolving language.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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