Which is your favorite faboo Edith Head costume that Shirley MacLaine wore in this sequence?

Alas, Shirley MacLaine was too plain-faced to make any glamorous look truly work.

Such a stupid movie, yet so watchable!

Just a parade of fashions and hot men, the perfect thing to watch when you don't have a lot of brain cells working.

R2 Exactly. It was on Fox Movie Channel this morning. But for some reason I can't get closed-captioning on that channel.

r1 Apparently it was originally planned for Marilyn Monroe, but after she died, Liz Taylor was briefly attached. So Shirl was definitely not the first choice.

the yellow gown and shoulder wrap with faux (i hope) fur and translucent sleeves.

I loved the white Zsa Zsa icy in furs look when she's getting out of the car. I thought, 'That is some chandeliers in the bathroom hair!' I liked the green gown, the red latex looking thing she scootched along in, the split front gown out of which she dangles her gams while sitting on the piano, and everything in the scenes with that round bed! Want! Also the post making out scene in the champagne glass, hahahaha! Robert Mitchum is early in his decline and is holding onto the last of his good looks. There were lots of excellent runner-up looks, (silver sparkle gown) this was an enjoyable compilation. Going to look this up and see if I can watch the whole film cause I have never seen it.

The G-R-E-E-N!!!

What kind of car was that?

Shirl had to get back in shape for this number.

I don't have a fave but Paul was the HILF.

Yeah, Paul actually had abs, which were not yet a thing in the '60s.

I think the backless number with the giant pearls is pretty hot. You practically can see her butt crack.

Marilyn would've look fabulous in all those gowns. Shirley just looks silly, but the comedy works.

[quote]What kind of car was that?

The white one at the beginning? It was a Lincoln with suicide doors.

Apparently Shirley was supposed to appear in this costume toward the end of the movie (but it caused the movie set to burn down).

Shirley MacLaine is about as sexy as a can of spinach. The studio must have been desperate for a star to give her this role.

They considered this hat but the chicks proved to be too much.

It was scheduled for Marilyn Monroe, it was part of the contract she signed after being rehired to complete "Somethings Got to Give." It was to be filmed Spring/Summer of 1963, but August 5th 1962 intervened. You can absolutely see Marilyn in this role, turning it out!

R17 Yup, Marilyn would have been perfect for this movie.

Too bad Edith Head never got to dress Marilyn Monroe. It would have been interesting to see what she would have come up with. But Marilyn was not easy to work with. Oh, she got along pretty well with Billy Travilla He knew what she wanted (to look as sexy as possible) and he gave it to her, so she was satisfied with his creations But Edith Head would have had her own ideas about what looked sexy and they probably would have differed from Marilyn's. Orry Kelly, who created the memorable costumes for Marilyn in "Some Like It Hot", couldn't stand her. She was, as they say, "difficult." He later said "I would rather go to Coney Island and open up a hot dog stand than dress that woman again!"

The first outfit was the best. Valentino is using those hats this year. Shirley had an incredible body back in the day.

lots of skirts Twirling Up!

Although not a beauty, Shirley MacLaine would have had an interesting body to dress; tall, with long legs, a dancer's body. By the way, she and Robert Mitchum had a real life affair; although she knew it wasn't going to last she considered it one of great love affairs.

Is there a front to that white backless dress? It looks like she's topless.

r8, the first two were Lincoln Continentals. The thrd one was a Cadillac.

R19, Did Edith Head only dress Bette Davis for "All About Eve"?

R23, if the dress existed in real life I'd assume it had a halter top with something barely visible holding it in place around the neck.

But as it wasn't real life, I assume the front was held in place with duct tape or something.

Wow! Hadn’t seen this film or even heard of it - looks silly as fuck! - but great frocks!

Shirley might not be beautiful - but she’s pretty and cute and a smile always seems to be on the verge of turning into a giggle - and sure plenty of straight men would give their eye teeth to hit that! And as someone else pointed out - the body! Legs that go on forever - didn’t realise she was that fit and athletic! Looks as good as the legendary Doris Day bod!

The gowns are pretty fab too. Head’s my least favorite Golden Age studio designer - but she can sure churn out great looking generic stuff - most of em woukd look still look great - and much better than a lot of stuff today! - on an Oscar red carpet. Will have to seek this bit of fluff out and view... thanks OP! (Think I like the white one with the enormous muff! But so hard to chose!)

"What A Way To Go!" is a fun, silly movie. It's good entertainment. And those costumes! God , how much they must have cost. I don't think Marilyn Monroe, with all her neuroses, could have done a move like this. All those actors, all those situations, all those costumes...it would have been too complicated for poor Marilyn. She wouldn't have had the stamina, mentally or physically, to do it.

This was cut from the movie at the last minute.

I LOVE THIS THANK YOU FOR SHARING, OP.

This one is from another segment of the movie, when she's married to Gene Kelly, who plays Pinky Benson (hence the color of the outfit and the hair.)

This one is my favorite of all -- I think it's from the segment where she's married to Paul Newman, who plays an artist living in Paris.

[quote]Think I like the white one with the enormous muff!

You boys had better stop talking about my muff!

I don't think I've ever seen so many wigs in one movie! Drag queens don't have that many wigs!

I think the pink one is my favorite, dark hair or pale blonde hair never suited MacLaine. And this color actually became fashionable about fifty years after the film was made.

I'm old enough to have seen this movie at my neighborhood cinema when I was 12 and Paul Newman's shirtless scene made a gayling's day.

It was before the moving ratings, but it was considered an adult movie and not for children.

A film classic in any language.....

Shirley was fine, but Marilyn in any of those forgotten pieces would have made history.

r28 Monroe was also too haggard and old-looking by 1962 to carry these flamboyant looks well. MacLaine is no great beauty, but at least she was still young enough then to make the crazy styling less pathetic.

Thanks for posting OP!

I love this silly movie!

This and Woman X 7 are fun movies...I vote for the Yellow fur and Green gowns for best. But her gown in WX7 at the Opera is incredible. Shirley is cute. But I still hate her. A phoney through and through.

r41=Sachi Parker

Yes, this movie was considered quite risque and not a kiddy movie at all. Look at those skimpy costumes she wears! You can almost see her butt crack in one of them. I saw this movie a long, long time ago but I also seem to recall a scene where the filthy rich character Robert Mitchum plays is lying on a massage table (I think) surrounded by a bevy of women. One of them kisses him passionately and he says to her "what are you doing after the orgy?" It least I seem to remember him saying that. Anyway, it was definitely a scene not meant for children.

Call me extra old fashion, but I prefer Edith's designs in the 50s to those seen in this film.

I like the brown suit with fur trim shown at 56:25

I vote for the white mink number at the beginning. I saw this movie at a drive-in as a teenager, then on TV many years later. It was a pleasant movie and I would enjoy seeing it again. Definitely the costumes are great.

Edith Head gives good costumes.