What a Way to Go! (1964)

A four-time widow discusses her four marriages, in which all of her husbands became incredibly rich and died prematurely because of their drive to be rich.

Director:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers:

Gwen Davis (story), Betty Comden (screenplay)

Stars:

Shirley MacLaine, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Shirley MacLaine	...	Louisa May Foster
Paul Newman	...	Larry Flint
Robert Mitchum	...	Rod Anderson, Jr.
Dean Martin	...	Leonard 'Lennie' Crawley
Gene Kelly	...	Pinky Benson
Robert Cummings	...	Dr. Victor Stephanson (as Bob Cummings)
Dick Van Dyke	...	Edgar Hopper
Reginald Gardiner	...	Painter
Margaret Dumont	...	Mrs. Foster
Lou Nova	...	Trentino
Fifi D'Orsay	...	Baroness
Maurice Marsac	...	Rene
Wally Vernon	...	Agent
Jane Wald	...	Polly
Lenny Kent	...	Hollywood Lawyer

Storyline

This black comedy opens with Louisa Foster donating a multimillion dollar check to the IRS. The tax department thinks she's crazy and sends her to a psychiatrist. She then discusses her four marriages, in which all of her husbands became incredibly rich and died prematurely because of their drive to be rich.

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Plot Keywords:

black comedy | psychiatrist | marriage | widow | wealth | 

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Taglines:

What A Cast!... What A Past!... What A Show!...

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

21 August 1964 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

I Love Louisa

Filming Locations:

111 N Hope St, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Apjac-Orchard Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The set used as Luisa and Pinky Benson's Hollywood mansion was originally used as the home for the characters played by Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin characters in the unfinished film "Something's Got To Give".

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Goofs

The position of Louisa's hands and her facial reactions as Larry's artist friend shoots at the balloons tied to her canvas.

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Quotes

Larry Flint: The Louvre - It's the garbage pail of the arts.

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Crazy Credits

Opening Fox Fanfare is in the colour PINK.

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Connections

Referenced in Don't Say No Until I Finish Talking: The Story of Richard D. Zanuck (2013)

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Soundtracks

Spring Song
(uncredited)
Music by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy

User Reviews

"I'm reminding you to remind me to remind you..."

This was a film which, like many in the old days, used to come on 'regular' commercial television as a weekend matinée. Now, of course, it is nowhere to be found on television and is just itching to be released on home video. In retrospect, it impresses even more as a dark comedy; how much darker can you get when the central character is a four-time widow? And what a cast: Dick Van Dyke at the height of his TV popularity; Paul Newman (one of the biggest movie stars of the 1960's); and veterans Robert Mitchum, Dean Martin, and Gene Kelly. And the fantasy vignettes!! Some viewers have commented that they don't like them, but I think they add to the insane atmosphere of the film: MacLaine's union with Newman viewed as a black-and-white, slightly X-rated, Italian film or her life with Kelly imagined as a Hollywood musical (a clever way, incidentally, to show off her own talent as a dancer- not to mention those long, magnificent legs). My favorite one (isn't it everyone's?) is the fantasy sequence with husband Robert Mitchum- which shows off a spectacular Edith Head fashion show. I don't know who is sitting on the rights to this film, but it would be a wonderful gift for the movie-loving public to see this released to the masses ASAP.