Episode 567: Ball of Fire (1941)

Special Guest: Joseph McBride
Guest Co-Hosts: Kat Ellinger, Maitland McDonagh

We are kicking off a month of screwball comedy discussion with a look at Howard Hawks’s 1941 film Ball of Fire. Written by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett, the film stars Gary Cooper as one of an octet of professors who are writing an encyclopedia. Cooper is writing an article on slang only to find that he’s very deficient. In an effort to bolster his research he comes across Sugarpuss O’Shea (Barbara Stanwyck). The moll of a vicious gangster, she’s on the lamb and holes up with the professors. And, of course, hilarity ensues.

Kat Ellinger will be around all month. Maitland McDonagh guest hosts on this episode and Professor Joseph McBride dishes about his books on director Howard Hawks.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 567: Ball of Fire (1941)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth
Buy Ball of Fire on DVD
Buy A Song is Born on DVD
Buy Hawks on Hawks by Joseph McBride
Buy Focus on Howard Hawks by Joseph McBride
Subscribe to Maitland McDonagh's substack

Music:
"Drum Boogie" - Gene Krupa

Watch:

Symphony in Slang from Lee Presson on Vimeo.

Episode 391: The Big Sleep (1946)

Special Guest: Dahlia Schweitzer
Guest Co-Hosts: Terry Frost, Eric Cohen

We continue our #Noirvember coverage with a discussion of The Big Sleep (1946). The first proper Philip Marlowe book by Raymond Chandler, it was the second appearance of Marlowe on screen, this time portrayed by Humphrey Bogart.

Eric Cohen and Terry Frost join Mike to discuss the pre-release version of Howard Hawks's film, how Bogart portrayed Marlowe, and the 1978 re-interpretation of the source material by Michael Winner.

Dahlia Schweitzer returns to The Projection Booth to discuss her upcoming book, L.A. Private Eyes.

Listen/Download Now:

Listen to "Episode 391: The Big Sleep (1946)" on Spreaker.

Links:
Buy The Big Sleep (1945/1946) on DVD
Buy The Big Sleep (Annotated Version) by Raymond Chandler
Buy The Big Sleep (1978) on Blu-Ray
Read more about Bogart and Hawks

Music:
"Du plomb dans la cervelle" - Max Steiner
"And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" - Anita O'Day

Watch: