Ball of Fire is a 1941 American romantic comedy movie directed by Howard Hawks and was based on the short story "From A to Z". It stars Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Dana Andrews, Henry Travers, Tully Marshall, Aubrey Mather, Allen Jenkins, Kathleen Howard, Mary Field and was distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. It was nominated for 4 Academy Awards in 1942 and was remade as "A Song Is Born" by 1948 with Howard Hawks returning as director.