Ball of Fire (1941) - watch any time in July

Plus Barbara Stanwyck's Vegetable Meatloaf Recipe

Stand by for an earworm! If you are anything like me, you’ll be blurting out the word BOOGIE apropos of nothing on a regular basis after watching Ball of Fire. You might be tempted to throw in a few hip bumps as you do it too.

You might start introducing some interesting turns of phrase into your conversations, such as:

What’s buzzin’ cousin?

a nice putdown could be

Stay in the icebox like a cool little salad.

and when someone asks you if you’d like some breakfast, you can say…

I’ll have it right here in the snooze den.

If you have friends over to watch this one, why round the evening off by having a conga? It gives you the chance to yell the following at any party poopers who aren’t joining in,

Come on, hook on!

It’s also worth having a box of matches around the place for after-dinner entertainment.

BARBARA’S SIGNATURE DISH

This recipe for meatloaf appeared in a book of movie star favourites compiled by a mysterious woman called Fannie Sniff (I am not kidding) in 1938. Adding in a can of vegetable soup might sound like an odd idea, but it actually makes for a really nice texture, and you get some of your five a day too.

Here’s how mine turned out. It was DELICIOUS.

MINDFUL WATCHING TIPS

Are phones off, chatterboxes banished, salty snacks and beverages within arms reach, a last-minute wee done, pillows plumped? Then relax and enjoy the movie.

EXTRA GLAMOUR

This month’s extra content is a kitchen video demonstration of a Barbara Stanwyck canapé and a Sugarpuss O’Shea cocktail. Dropping into paid subscriber inboxes on Friday.

Fireball is a new discovery for me, and it seems easy to get hold of here in the UK, I hope it’s the same where you are. If not, you could experiment with something else that has a cinnamon flavour.

Shopping list for the extra treats

For the cocktail

Fireball (liquer blended with cinammon and whisky)

Southern Comfort

Tabasco

Cocktail cherry

For the canapés

Pimientos (I use Pepperdew peppers)

Green pepper

Pineapple

Blanched almonds

White cabbage

French dressing

Lettuce

Mayonnaise

If you take pix of your meatloaf, cocktails or canapés, do hashtag me on social media - #silverscreensuppers #dinnerandamovie

YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE FILM AND MOVIE STAR VITTLES?

You can add your thoughts in the comment box of this post or in the app.

Think of our app space as your own private cinema club where you can discuss the movie with other lovely people as you drink ice-cold cocktails in sequins with your fringe curled under.

We’ll be chatting about important matters such as our favourite lines of dialogue, whether Gary Cooper is a regular yum-yum type, and who was our favourite professor.

WHERE IS THE FILM PLAYING?

UK - Amazon Prime

USA - TV Guide

If you are elsewhere, search for - Ball of Fire streaming - then your country name for the swiftest results.

LINKY-LINKS

Please see this page if you need more info about how the Silver Screen Suppers Club works.

Eighteen years of movie star recipe experiments can be found on the Silver Screen Suppers website.

Here are links to my themed cookbooks featuring the favourite recipes of tonnes of movie stars. If you prefer not to buy from Amazon, all are available to order from bookshops except Cooking with Joan Crawford. This is currently only available via Blurb, but a new, more affordable version, is coming soon.

OUR NEXT MOVIE

Keep your eye on your inbox on Sunday, 3rd September, when our next movie will be announced. I hope this is the style in which you’ll be watching it.

Dinner and a Movie will be on holiday in August, so if you need time to catch up on the movies that have gone before, now’s your chance. So far, we have enjoyed All About Eve, Sunset Boulevard, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Many more to come!