What a Way to Go!

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

1964 1h 51m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 111

ComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“What A Cast!... What A Past!... What A Show!...”

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Cast

Shirley MacLaine
Louisa May Foster
Paul Newman
Larry Flint
Robert Mitchum
Rod Anderson Jr.
Dean Martin
Leonard Crawley
Gene Kelly
Pinky Benson
Robert Cummings
Victor Stephanson
Dick Van Dyke
Edgar Hopper
Reginald Gardiner
Painter

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: J. Lee Thompson
Writers: Adolph Green, Gwen Davis, Betty Comden
Languages: English, French
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 66% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

62 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by J. Lee Thompson, shot by Leon Shamroy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Nelson Riddle. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Marjorie Fowler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Shirley MacLaine and Paul Newman and Robert Mitchum carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "What A Cast!... What A Past!... What A Show!...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

J. Lee Thompson directs. Leon Shamroy behind the camera. Nelson Riddle scores. Marjorie Fowler cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 66% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
262 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
4Directed by J. Lee Thompson, shot by Leon Shamroy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Nelson Riddle. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Marjorie Fowler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Shirley MacLaine and Paul Newman and Robert Mitchum carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "What A Cast!... What A Past!... What A Show!...".
9IMDB entry: tt0058743 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Leon Shamroy
Original score: Nelson Riddle
Editing: Marjorie Fowler
Costume design: Edith Head
Makeup / hair: Ben Nye
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $13,298,000
Return: 66% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: What a Way to Go! (1964)

Also by

J. Lee Thompson

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-12-02
★ 7/10
I recall a time when I saw Joan Collins in "Dynasty" (c. 1983) and her character was called "Alexis Carrington Colby Dexter"... I had never known a lady to keep the names of all of her husbands one after the other. Well, Shirley MacLaine beat her to it - by about 20 years - as her portrayal of "Louisa May Foster Hopper Flint Anderson Benson". The film begins as an elegantly dressed woman tries to give the IRS a cheque for a couple of hundred million dollars. They think she is bonkers and refer her to a shrink to whom she reminisces about her hitherto marital relationships. Dean Martin in the first local bigwig to take a shine to her, but she falls for local shopkeeper Dick Van Dyke who manages to turn his tiny shop into a thriving business emporium before disaster strikes. Next she meets struggling artist Paul Neman in Paris; then Millionaire Robert Mitchum as she leaves Paris, then Gene Kelly in a cheap and cheerful diner in which she tries to get away from it all - she even proposes to her shrink - before, well it sort of goes full circle. This is a fun exposé of MacLaine's skills - singer, dancer, bon viveur, - and the male stars are very much in her orbit. Newman is particularly good (and handsome) as her painter who uses automated painting techniques to create his masterpieces, and poor old Bob Mitchum who seems to offer title more than a private plane and an arm for her to hold as she parades a line of elegant line of couture that would rival any Milan or Paris catwalk. There's a decent, if maybe too long, song and dance routine with Kelly too! The comedy is a bit predictable, and the sound-stage look of the thing is a bit too static at times, but the compendium nature of the storytelling is engaging, as is the star, and it flew by. Not great, but good.

Production companies