Thirty years after being insulted by the Marx Brothers, Margaret Dumont is back in her final role as one of the most obnoxious mothers in screen history. She's so obnoxious and such a fish-wife that her husband (who never speaks a word) simply slides into the couch until he disappears. They somehow managed to squire Shirley MacLaine, and this poor girl gets the instant attention of two men: wealthy Dean Martin and hard-working but poor Dick Van Dyke. MacLaine doesn't want to marry for money no matter what the former Mrs. Flagstaff insists. "Money is the Root of All Evil", she has engraved on a pillow, but as MacLaine explains, that meant "Money is All".
The audience is first introduced to the overly dressed MacLaine as a widow escorting the coffin of her most recent dead husband down her mansion steps, and in flashback, we learn of her humble upbringings, her marriage to a poor man who became wealthy, a struggling artist who became successful, a wealthy businessman who retired to the farm to get away from her "curse", and finally a poor dancer who becomes a big movie musical star. "On Our Little Houseboat Built For Two" has MacLaine dancing for the only time with Gene Kelly, and even if you can't stand this movie, you can't help but adore the cleverness of this number which comes out of nowhere.
The other men in her life are Paul Newman (as the artist) and Robert Mitchum (as the retired businessman). This black comedy is of course, about death, and each of the men die hysterically in ways that must be seen to be believed. Obviously, this is not a film for all tastes, and some may be offended by it. MacLaine gets to wear the most outrageous of outfits throughout with hairstyles to match, giving way to her characters in later artistic flops like "Woman Times Seven" and "The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom", but also comparable to the deliciously tacky costumes and wigs for Rosalind Russell in "Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet, and I'm Feeling So Sad".
This is a film which needs to be seen either on the big screen or in the DVD wide screen release. It is not meant to be seen at all in pan and scan as that looses most of the cinematic color of it and makes it a total blur. It is obvious that MacLaine and her many co-stars (which includes Robert Cummings as an amorous psychiatrist) had a ball in this. If you put aside your fear of "tacky", you too will have a great time as well.
The audience is first introduced to the overly dressed MacLaine as a widow escorting the coffin of her most recent dead husband down her mansion steps, and in flashback, we learn of her humble upbringings, her marriage to a poor man who became wealthy, a struggling artist who became successful, a wealthy businessman who retired to the farm to get away from her "curse", and finally a poor dancer who becomes a big movie musical star. "On Our Little Houseboat Built For Two" has MacLaine dancing for the only time with Gene Kelly, and even if you can't stand this movie, you can't help but adore the cleverness of this number which comes out of nowhere.
The other men in her life are Paul Newman (as the artist) and Robert Mitchum (as the retired businessman). This black comedy is of course, about death, and each of the men die hysterically in ways that must be seen to be believed. Obviously, this is not a film for all tastes, and some may be offended by it. MacLaine gets to wear the most outrageous of outfits throughout with hairstyles to match, giving way to her characters in later artistic flops like "Woman Times Seven" and "The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom", but also comparable to the deliciously tacky costumes and wigs for Rosalind Russell in "Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet, and I'm Feeling So Sad".
This is a film which needs to be seen either on the big screen or in the DVD wide screen release. It is not meant to be seen at all in pan and scan as that looses most of the cinematic color of it and makes it a total blur. It is obvious that MacLaine and her many co-stars (which includes Robert Cummings as an amorous psychiatrist) had a ball in this. If you put aside your fear of "tacky", you too will have a great time as well.