Despite being one of Old Hollywood's most electrifying actresses, Barbara Stanwyck feels somewhat forgotten (apart from cinephiles) when compared to her contemporaries like Bette Davis, Joan Crawford or Ingrid Bergman. The one role that arguable does keep her immortal with the mainstream is the devilish Phyllis Dietrichson in Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity, the noir to end all noirs starring the greatest femme fatale of them all. Still, to believe that Stanwick was essentially a noir vixen is unfair to her grand legacy. More than many actresses of her time, she rejoiced in hopping from genre to genre, unencumbered by exclusive contracts to studios that might want to pin her down to one type of role.
Because of that, she was able to experiment with the extremes of Pre-Code libertinism (Baby Doll), weepy melodrama (Stella Dallas), historical epics (Titanic), tragic romances (There's Always Tomorrow) and even camp classics (Walk on the Wild Side). Her tonal flexibility was unparalleled as she was able to mold her trademark toughness and sexual confidence into almost any role conceivable. She was much more than just the venomous Mrs. Dietrichson, even though that is one of her greatest achievements. I'd go so far as to say that she was one of the great comediennes of her era, on par with Irene Dunne, Carole Lombard, and Jean Arthur. Just take look at her second Oscar nomination…
Barbara Stanwyck may have had an enviable filmography, but her refusal to chain herself to any particular studio made her a bit of a pariah when it came to the promotion of her stardom. In regards to Oscar, the big studios had a huge influence on the awards' early decades and they'd rather spend their resources on nabbing their household stars some nods than assuring recognition for a rebellious interloper like Stanwyck. Throughout decades of hard work of consistently high quality, the actress managed to conquer four nominations in total, but a win was always out of her reach. Still, the Academy's choices serve to highlight the variety of her talents.
There's 1937's Stella Dallas and its rhapsodies of self-sacrificing motherhood, the sociopathic calculations of 1944's Double Indemnity and the broad hysteria of 1948's Sorry, Wrong Number. In the middle of them, we can even find one of the actress's best comedic turns, as the 40s oversexed take on Snow White. The movie is Howard Hawks' Ball of Fire and the role is that of the improbably named Sugarpuss O'Shea, a showgirl running from the mafia who takes refuge among eight dotty scholars who are presently working on a new encyclopedia. Naturally, many ridiculous hijinks ensue and, by the end of the picture, she's stolen the heart of the hunkiest professor.
The role may seem trite and the plot wacky, but Ball of Fire is a delight from start to finish. It's true that much of the pic's success can be attributed to Hawks' direction, the hilarious script by the dynamic duo of Bracket and Wilder, as well as the stunning supporting cast. However, Stanwyck is the glue that holds it all together and the spice that, when added to the other ingredients, makes this cinematic recipe go from good to great. Slinky, confident, playing befuddlement but never dumbness, the actress makes the story's wild turns seem logical and its emotional arc feels true. More importantly, she delivers the humor perfectly.
From her sparkly entrance, while lips syncing to Martha Tilton to a troublesome wedding ceremony by the movie's climax, Stanwyck is as magnetic as she is funny. Everything can be used for comedy when she's around, from the way a book is held to the nervous mutterings when faced with matrimony to a criminal. It's especially impressive how Stanwyck never once appears to be making a great effort, always hiding the mastery of her acting, putting the film's success ahead of her own spotlight. Even when Ball of Fire threatens to overextend its welcome, she's ready to make potential script problems work onscreen, playing a sentimental conclusion with enough acerbity and dry humor to prevent it from becoming schmaltzy.
If you're interested in seeing with your own eyes how Barbara Stanwyck was a comedy goddess, Ball of Fire is available for streaming on the Criterion Channel. She's even better in Preston Sturges' The Lady Eve, which you can rent from Amazon or Youtube. Regarding her best comedies, there are few things more charming than the two Christmas classics she did in the 40s - Remember the Night, which you can stream on Direct TV and FlixFling, and Christmas in Connecticut, streaming on Direct TV and available to rent on Youtube and other platforms.