Tipping the Fella'

There are tons and tons of awesome scenes in "Ball of Fire" (one of Howard Hawks' very best). But, if I was forced to pick just one, I think that I'd have to go with the one in which Barbara Stanwyck first tried to kiss Gary Cooper and was thwarted because of his height. She can't reach the guy and so, yes, she puts this book down, steps on it, and she still can't reach him! She puts a second one down and, finally, this one turns the trick. It's an absolutely hilarious scene (Cooper, of course, adding excellent fodder) and one that only Barbara Stanwyck (one of the most versatile actresses in cinematic history - remember, only 2 years later she was turning the femme fatale in "Double Indemnity") could have pulled off. I mean, seriously, can you at all imagine Cameron Diaz......