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.
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 1 win & 7 nominations total
Robert Cummings
- Dr. Victor Stephanson
- (as Bob Cummings)
Fred Aldrich
- Restaurant Patron
- (uncredited)
Leon Alton
- Awards Ceremony Guest
- (uncredited)
Don Anderson
- Awards Ceremony Guest
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe $211,586,000.79 that Louisa wants to donate to the United States government in 1964 would be worth more than $2 billion in 2023.
- GoofsLouisa is clearly hit by one of the robotic paint brushes in the painting sequence with Larry. It occurs when she is walking after him among the animated brushes and the contraption hits her on 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 creditsThe 20th Century Fox logo is shaded pink, Pinky Benson's favourite color.
- ConnectionsEdited into American Masters: Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer (2002)
- SoundtracksI Think that You and I Should Get Acquainted
Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Music by Jule Styne
Performed by Gene Kelly
Featured review
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
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•609
- gftbiloxi
- May 29, 2005
- How long is What a Way to Go!?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- I Love Louisa
- Filming locations
- 1800 Century Park East - Los Angeles, California, USA(Used as the IRS building)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $20,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 51 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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