What a Way to Go! (1964)

What a lineup of top male stars to interact with Shirley MacLaine. There is Bob Cummings, as her psychiatrist, recommended after she tried to give the Feds a hundred million $ or so, that she could once again be poor and happy. She would periodically return to his couch, which could be elevated quite high(why?).....Dick Van Dyke plays her first husband. She married him because he had no ambition other than to remain the proprietor of a small store, and owns a simple little house. Shirley thought she would be happy in that life, with Dick home a lot with her. Her mother, played by Margaret Dumont, had wanted her to marry Lennie Crawley(Dean Martin) , but she didn't love him, and was afraid he would spend all his time trying to expand the local family business empire. For a while, life with Dick went as she hoped, until one day he suddenly got the ambition to greatly expand his business. Thereafter, he became rich, and bought out the Crawleys, but she saw little of him. Eventually, he died of a heart attack.....Next, she took up with a mad artist(Paul Newman), who invented a series of machines that did his primitive painting for him. Eventually, he became rich from these paintings, but then his machines rebelled and collectively beat him to death, leaving Shirley with another unwanted fortune. This was an especially interesting segment, Paul being very funny. Next, she marries a superrich guy(Robert Mitchum)(why?). Eventually, he decides he wants to live a simple farmer's life, and liquidates all his other properties. But, pretty soon, he meets with a fatal accident with his bull. .....Shirley surmises she must be a jinx, and swears she won't marry again. But, she runs into a struggling entertainer(Gene Kelly) and marries him. She gets to do some dancing and singing with Gene, showing off her long slim legs. Her association with Gene is one of the most interesting parts of the film. Gene's character is known as Pinky. Presumably, , this is the reason for the all pink images during the prologue and credits, including a slippery casket that careens around, chasing the pall bearers. Eventually, Gene attracts nationwide devotion. Unfortunately, at one event, the fans stampede and trample him to death......She returns to her hometown and meets up with Dean Martin(Lennie Crawley) again. He's been reduced to serving as a janitor. He's OK to do some farming and share a small farmhouse. But Shirley's now idealic life is almost destroyed by a sudden indication of wealth under their farm. But, it's a false alarm......Shirley wears a countless number of outfits and wigs throughout production......Margaret Dumont, who played Shirley's mother, was in her 80s, and would die the next year. Back in the '30s, she was often a foil for the Marx Brothers.

Another comedy Classic from the vault of the Channel 7 ABC 4:30 movie. A downtrodden defeated Louisa May Benson travels to Washington D.C. to intentionally surrender her life savings to the amount of several million dollars to the Internal Revenue Service. The tax person's at the bureau think she's off her rocker and swiftly send her off to a pill popping Psychiatrist Dr. Victor Stephanson played by the ageless Bob Cummings. His couch is unique as it travels north and south during the session which in this case is most of the picture as Shirley MacLaine, Louisa tells her story. Raised in a small mid western town Louisa was raised to not love the mighty dollar as she was told Money is the root of all evil. All Louisa wanted was a simple life. The wealthiest bachelor in town Lennie Crawley played by the dashing Dean Martin with (Mr. Whipple, The Charmin toilet tissue pitchman), Dick Wilson riding shotgun in his sports car. The Crawley's are the richest family in this small town complete with a department store. Crawley want to shower Louisa with gifts but Louisa has eyes for another fellow with a broken down general store complete with chicken wire Edgar Hopper (Dick Van Dyke). Despite the wealth of Crawley, Louisa marries Hopper and they live blissfully in squalor. One day Crawley pays a visit to the happy honeymooners and taunts Edgar Hopper. The words became a driving force and motivational device that starts the money train going for the newly focused EDGAR. He didn't come home and built up his business till he crushed the Crawley empire and also crushed his aorta as he dropped dead from exhaustion. My personal favorite Dick Van Dyke performance as the tireless Hopper. Our story continues as the newly widowed Louisa travels to Paris and meets an angry, bearded cab driver the likes of Larry Flint, (Paul Newman). I was impresses to hear Paul Newman's command of the French Language. Larry Flint besides being a Paris Cabby is a modern artist complete with robots with brushes and Frieda the chimp who paints and licks her paint brushes for flavor.Louisa is smitten and for a second time Marries Larry and lives in a starving artist quarter of Paris. One day while the robots who paint to sounds Louisa has the for-sight to put on a classical music record and the results cause an eruption in the art world as Larry becomes world renown and a millionaire painter overnight. Here we go again. Flint suddenly dies in a robot malfunction and Louisa is at the probate Lawyers office to collect the will earnings. Rushing to the Airport to catch her plane are dashed as she misses it but finds cold stoic playboy Rod Anderson Junior (Robert Mitchum). Personally I always liked the chemistry between the two in Two for The See Saw. Louisa figured that marring a Millionaire would change her fate of losing husbands but Poor Rod Anderson also confuses the sex of a bull on their farm. Finally Louisa stumbles into Small Diner and meets a charismatic singer and soft shoe clown faced Pinky Benson (Gene Kelly). You guessed it Husband number FOUR! Great dance number on a house boat. Miss MacLaine had so many costume changes. kudos to Edith Head for providing so many outfits which were very flattering to the young Shirley. An All- Star card of Hollywood leading men showcased with a great flowing story of hard luck and comedy sprinkled throughout.

'What A Way To Go' is one of those quirky comedies of the 60's that probably wouldn't work today, although it certainly did back then! Shirley MacLaine never looked lovelier as the girl who just dreams of a simple life, yet finishes up with riches beyond her dreams, because of the men she marries, who, apart from Robert Mitcham, start off poor, but somehow manage to make millions, then die from their obsession with money! Among the husbands, Dick Van Dyke, Robert Mitcham, Paul Newman, Gene Kelly, and, Dean Martin, not to mention the always marvellous Robert Cummings as Shirley's psychiatrist! An all star fun romp, not to be analysed, just sit back and enjoy the ride, and let these masters of their craft do their thing!

'What a Way To Go' centres on Louisa May Foster (Shirley MacLaine), a widow in black who is committed to a psychiatrist after trying to cash a million pound cheque. She tells the psychiatrist (Robert Cummings) about her 'curse' and bad luck with men, and the remainder of the film is in flashback.With co-stars like Dick Van Dyke, Robert Mitchum, Dean Martin, Paul Newman, and Gene Kelly, it is amazing that MacLaine still shows star quality throughout this film, but she does, and in some fantastic costumes and set-pieces.This is a delightful light comedy, full of colour, energy, and some inspired demises for MacLaine's hapless husbands. Highly recommended.