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IMDbPro

What a Way to Go!

  • 19641964
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 51m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
5.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,044
1,673
Gene Kelly, Robert Mitchum, Paul Newman, Shirley MacLaine, Dean Martin, Dick Van Dyke, and Robert Cummings in 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.
Play trailer2:55
1 Video
99+ Photos
ComedyRomance
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
5.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,044
1,673
    • J. Lee Thompson
    • Gwen Davis(story)
    • Betty Comden(screenplay)
    • Adolph Green(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Shirley MacLaine
    • Paul Newman
    • Robert Mitchum
    • J. Lee Thompson
    • Gwen Davis(story)
    • Betty Comden(screenplay)
    • Adolph Green(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Shirley MacLaine
    • Paul Newman
    • Robert Mitchum
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 83User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:55
    Watch Trailer

    Photos165

    Shirley MacLaine and Dick Van Dyke in What a Way to Go! (1964)
    Shirley MacLaine and Dick Van Dyke in What a Way to Go! (1964)
    Dick Van Dyke in What a Way to Go! (1964)
    Mark Bailey in What a Way to Go! (1964)
    Robert Mitchum and Mark Bailey in What a Way to Go! (1964)
    Shirley MacLaine and Mark Bailey in What a Way to Go! (1964)
    Gene Kelly and Shirley MacLaine in What a Way to Go! (1964)
    Shirley MacLaine and Dean Martin in What a Way to Go! (1964)
    Shirley MacLaine in What a Way to Go! (1964)
    Shirley MacLaine and Dean Martin in What a Way to Go! (1964)
    Shirley MacLaine, Pamelyn Ferdin, Jeff Fithian, William Corcoran, and Joe Fithian in What a Way to Go! (1964)
    Shirley MacLaine and Dean Martin in What a Way to Go! (1964)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Shirley MacLaine
    Shirley MacLaine
    • Louisa May Foster
    Paul Newman
    Paul Newman
    • Larry Flint
    Robert Mitchum
    Robert Mitchum
    • Rod Anderson, Jr.
    Dean Martin
    Dean Martin
    • Leonard 'Lennie' Crawley
    Gene Kelly
    Gene Kelly
    • Pinky Benson
    Robert Cummings
    Robert Cummings
    • Dr. Victor Stephanson
    • (as Bob Cummings)
    Dick Van Dyke
    Dick Van Dyke
    • Edgar Hopper
    Reginald Gardiner
    Reginald Gardiner
    • Painter
    Margaret Dumont
    Margaret Dumont
    • Mrs. Foster
    Lou Nova
    Lou Nova
    • Trentino
    Fifi D'Orsay
    Fifi D'Orsay
    • Baroness
    Maurice Marsac
    Maurice Marsac
    • Rene
    Wally Vernon
    Wally Vernon
    • Agent
    Jane Wald
    Jane Wald
    • Polly
    Lenny Kent
    Lenny Kent
    • Hollywood Lawyer
    Fred Aldrich
    Fred Aldrich
    • Restaurant Patron
    • (uncredited)
    Leon Alton
    Leon Alton
    • Awards Ceremony Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Don Anderson
    Don Anderson
    • Awards Ceremony Guest
    • (uncredited)
      • J. Lee Thompson
      • Gwen Davis(story)
      • Betty Comden(screenplay)
      • Adolph Green(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      As a running gag that Larry Flint (Paul Newman) is a starving painter, in all his scenes he is eating something.
    • Goofs
      Louisa (Shirley MacLaine) clearly is hit by one of the robotic paint brushes in the painting sequence with Larry (husband #2; Paul Newman). It occurs when she is in the background walking after him amongst the animated brushes; the contraption hits her in the head.
    • Quotes

      Leonard 'Lennie' Crawley: What are you, an orthodox coward?

      Edgar Hopper: No, Lenny. I just believe in passive resistance.

      Leonard 'Lennie' Crawley: Oh, a Mahatma Hopper, I presume?

      Edgar Hopper: No, as a matter of fact, Gandhi and I both got it from this guy - Henry Thoreau.

    • Crazy credits
      The 20th Century Fox logo is shaded pink, Pinky Benson's favourite color.
    • Connections
      Edited into American Masters: Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer (2002)
    • Soundtracks
      I Think that You and I Should Get Acquainted
      Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green

      Music by Jule Styne

      Performed by Gene Kelly

    User reviews83

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Fun, Froth, and What Will She Wear Next?
    To describe WHAT A WAY TO GO as an ultra-light 1960s confection would be an understatement: frothy, foolish, and seeking no more than to be mildly entertaining, it is a classic of its kind and of its era.

    The plot is episodic. When multi-millionaire Louisa May Foster tries to give away her money she finds herself slapped onto a psychiatrist's couch--where she details the story of a little girl from the wrong side of the tracks who was only interested in marrying for love. But as fate would have it, every husband she touched turned to gold, and their successes spelled finish to the marriage in no uncertain terms, with each widowhood leaving Louisa even more fabulously wealthy than before. What's a poor little rich girl to do? The charm here is in the cast and the production values. Although she offered considerably more in her most celebrated films, Shirley MacLaine had a remarkable way with light comedy, and she pulls out all the stops as the eternal widow, at times sassy, at times silly, but never less than completely watchable. Her unlikely co-stars--Dean Martin, Dick Van Dyke, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Gene Kelly, Robert Cummings and (in her final film) the amazing Margaret Dumont--are also up to the task.

    The humor is both obvious and sly, lampooning various rags-to-riches (or in one case riches-to-riches) stereotypes with a wink, a nod, and now and then an unexpectedly sophisticated bit of wit. The film works best when it gently mocks both itself and the more obvious cinematic conventions of its day, as when Louisa recalls each of her marriages with the words "it was like one of those movies where..." Everything from silent film to musicals gets a poke, and over-budgeted romantic blockbusters suddenly become considerably more comic than you'd ever imagine.

    The production values are first rate, and to say there is always something to look at on the screen would be an understatement: they are deliberately and often deliciously over the top--and often as amusing as the performances. (The "Lush Budget" sequence, in which MacLaine changes gowns every few seconds, is particularly witty.) True, the movie is a no-brainer, but it is a fun one. Only a sour-puss could resist! Recommended.

    Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer
    helpful•52
    9
    • gftbiloxi
    • May 29, 2005

    FAQ3

    • Which actors here are look-alikes?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 26, 1964 (Canada)
      • United States
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • 1800 Century Park East - Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Apjac-Orchard Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 51 minutes
      • Color
      • Black and White

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    Gene Kelly, Robert Mitchum, Paul Newman, Shirley MacLaine, Dean Martin, Dick Van Dyke, and Robert Cummings in What a Way to Go! (1964)
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