What a Way to Go! (1964)

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 ... See full summary »

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:

psychiatrist | black comedy | marriage | check | rowboat | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

12 May 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

I Love Louisa

Filming Locations:

Stage 9, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, 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

Initially intended as a vehicle for Marilyn Monroe. Producer Arthur P. Jacobs was Monroe's publicist, and J. Lee Thompson was on her list of approved directors.

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Goofs

When Louisa joins Rod Anderson on the flight deck of the airplane, it obviously is not one of a 707, as the exterior shots establish. There is no flight engineer position, and the control yokes appear to be from a Douglas airplane. In addition, there are a number of instruments behind the pilot's position.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Spoofs My Fair Lady (1964)

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Soundtracks

"Musical Extravaganza"
Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Music by Jule Styne
Performed by Gene Kelly, Shirley MacLaine and dancers.

User Reviews

The Power of MacLaine in the 60's

In the 1960's, you could not argue with the star power of Shirley MacLaine. She was probably in at least twenty movies in that decade. This is a worthy showcase to her talent and hold ups well for the most part. The movie is very funny in parts and when its not out-and-out funny, you are still smiling. Its nice to see Paul Newman and Robert Mitchum in a light comedy, and Dean Martin and Dick Van Dyke were good also.

Margaret Dumont as Shirley's mother was very funny and I was sorry she was not in more scenes. All those years of sharing a screen with the Marx Brothers certainly rubbed off.

I would love to know which men were offered parts but did not appear in the movie - like, where is Jack Lemmon and Frank Sinatra and Peter Lawford?

Edith Head must have billed 20th Century Fox for a million hours of OT. She creates about six hundred costumes for Shirley and the guys. I think she got a nomination for this, but then again, in her case that's not saying anything special.