Starring Miss Barbara Stanwyck: Ball of Fire
Barbara Stanwyck and director Howard Hawks
You belong to me 1941.Columbia
Director:
Wesley Ruggles
Cast:  Barbara Stanwyck  (Helen Hunt)
        
Henry Fonda, Edgar Buchanan, Roger Clark,
          Ruth Donnelly, Melville Cooper

Costumes:
Edith Head

Barbara O'Neil, Barbara Stanwyck
                               
Henry Fonda,, Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck, Marjorie Main
Third film of the  Fonda-Standwyck  collaboration, "You belong to me" was not quite up to the caliber of "The Lady Eve".
It was nevertheless a delightful comedy and enjoyed some succes.
Ball of fire 1941.RKO
Director:
Howard Hawk
Cast:  Barbara Stanwyck  (Sugarpuss O'Shea)
        
Gary Cooper, Oscar Homolka,
           Henry Travers, Dana Andrews,
           Dan Duryea, Elisha Cook

Costumes:
Edith Head

Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Travers, Aubrey Mather, Oscar Homolka, Leonid Kinsky, S.Z. Sakall, Tully Marshall, Richard Haydn
Gary Cooper , Barbara Stanwyck
Stanwyck is a burlesque entertainer hiding from the police is hired by reclusive professors to help in  the writing of a dictionary of slang. Cooper played the youngest of them, the egghead who falls in love with
Stanwyck, the stripper. It was an outrageous role and Barbara reveled in it.   Whether she was dancing joyfully during her boisterous rendition of "Drum Boogie" (with Gene Krupa), leading the professors in an impromptu boogie, or shamelessly teasing Cooper with mock innocence.
Stanwyck won an Academy Award nomination for best actress, for her role.
Also nominated were Bette Davis for "The little foxes", Greer Garson for "Blossoms in the dust" Olivia De Havilland for "Hold back the down" and Joan Fontaine for " Suspicion"
The oscar went to Joan Fontaine ., in consolation for having lost the year before for her splendid role in "Rebecca".