Neglected Gem: What a Way to Go! with Shirley MacLaine, Paul Newman, and Dick van Dyke
Posted on March 18, 2017 at 8:00 am
I don’t know why “What a Way to Go!” is not considered a classic. It is smart, colorful, and very funny, written by the people behind “Bells are Ringing” and with a once-in-a-lifetime all-star cast: Shirley MacLaine, Dick van Dyke, Dean Martin, Gene Kelly, Paul Newman, and Robert Mitchum. Which one of those stars does she get romantically involved with? All of them! This is a movie about a woman who just wants a simple, happy life, but who accidentally keeps marrying men who become hugely successful. Each marriage is portrayed in a different movie style. Husband number one is hometown boy Dick van Dyke (seen as a silent movie farce), followed by American in Paris Paul Newman (arty French film), industrialist Robert Mitchum (opulent, big-budget glamorous Hollywood romance), and small-town song-and-dance man Gene Kelly (big Hollywood musical). The costumes by Edith Head are wildly over the top.
The People and Movies That Inspired “Hail, Caesar!”
Posted on February 7, 2016 at 3:57 pm
The Coen brothers love old movies, and we see evidence of that in many of their films, including “Barton Fink,” about a hapless playwright who come to Hollywood to write movies in the 1940’s, and with their remakes of the heist films “The Ladykiller” and “Gambit.” With “Hail, Caesar!” they pay loving tribute to the last days of the Hollywood studio era in the 1950’s, where studio executives controlled — or tried to control — every element of their stars’ lives and especially the way those stars were covered by the press. The characters in the film are fictional and the stories are exaggerated, but many of the details and all of the films we see in production are based on real life examples.
There really was a well-known studio executive named Eddie Mannix, the name of the character played by Josh Brolin in the film. His story is told in Karina Longworth‘s terrific Hollywood history podcast, “You Must Remember This.” And, like the character in the film, he did make deals with cops, scandal magazines, and gossip columnists on behalf of the studio.
Tilda Swinton plays twin gossip columnists based on Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper (played by Helen Mirren in last year’s “Trumbo”), who wielded enormous power through their columns. Scarlett Johansson plays a musical swimming performer inspired by Esther Williams, one of the biggest stars of the era, with films like “Million Dollar Mermaid” and “Duchess of Idaho.” She introduced the Oscar-winning classic “Baby It’s Cold Outside.”
She was so popular that she inspired an affectionate parody sung by Janis Paige in the Cole Porter musical remake of “Ninotchka,” “Silk Stockings.”
Alden Ehrenreich plays singing cowboy star Hobie Doyle, inspired by Gene Autry, Tex Ritter, and especially Roy Rogers.
George Clooney plays a leading man currently filming one of the Biblical epics that were very popular in this era, along the lines of “The Robe,” “Ben-Hur,” and “The Silver Chalice” (and a lot like the upcoming “Risen” with Joseph Fiennes, the brother of Ralph Fiennes, who plays a director in “Hail, Caesar!”).
Channing Tatum plays a Gene Kelly-like musical star currently filming a sailor story.
One hundred years ago, one of the movie’s most enduring stars was born. Gene Kelly made dancing look athletic and he made it look just plain fun. He was also an innovator in Hollywood who always wanted to try something new. His centenary is a great reminder to share his classic films with your friends and family. This is from It’s Always Fair Weather, which also has a great dance number with garbage can lids.
As we wait for this acrobatic remake from the director and star of “Resident Evil,” we can revisit some of the best of the previous versions. Here’s Gene Kelly showing off his athletic skill in one of the sword fights from the 1948 version.
I’m not a fan of the 1993 version with Charlie Sheen and Chris O’Donnell. My favorite is still the sumptuous and unbridled 1973 version directed by Richard Lester.
, which also has a great dance number with garbage can lids.
, MovieFone’s 
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