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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Richard Brooks (writer)
Release Date:
4 September 1970 (Finland) more
Tagline:
Marriage is a 30 billion dollar business! And that's just to get married. more
Plot:
A middle-aged woman walks out on her husband and family in an desperate attempt to find herself. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
Barbra Streisand A Surprise Guest At A.M.P.A.S. Tribute To Marilyn And Alan Bergman
(From CinemaRetro. 8 June 2009, 4:35 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
"Vodka and Seconal: Marriage on the rocks!" more (13 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Jean Simmons | ... | Mary Wilson |
 | John Forsythe | ... | Fred Wilson |
 | Lloyd Bridges | ... | Sam |
 | Teresa Wright | ... | Mrs. Spencer |
 | Dick Shawn | ... | Harry Bricker |
| Nanette Fabray | ... | Agnes |
| Bobby Darin | ... | Franco (as Robert Darin) |
| Tina Louise | ... | Helen Bricker |
 | Kathy Fields | ... | Marge Wilson |
| Gail Hensley | ... | Betty |
| Shirley Jones | ... | Flo |
 | Eve Brent | ... | Ethel |
| William O'Connell | ... | Minister |
| Barry Cahill | ... | Handsome Man |
| Miriam Blake | ... | Cindy |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
117 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Iceland:L | Finland:K-12 | USA:M (original rating) | USA:PG
Company:
Fun Stuff
Quotes:
Agnes: If sex were the only thing that really mattered, the whole world would be run by rabbits! more
Movie Connections:
Features Father of the Bride (1950) more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (13 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Happy Ending (1969)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Oscar nominations! | nickrogers1969 |
| 'When Did Mr. Brooks Meet My Parents'? | kurtnelsen |
| Where can it be found? | Anaxareta |
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| Come Back, Little Sheba | Our Little Girl | Love Actually | A Streetcar Named Desire | Eyes Wide Shut |
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Writer/Director Richard Brooks made some well respected films like In Cold Blood and The Blackboard Jungle, as well as this unintended camp fest. Like Brooks' Sweet Bird of Youth and Looking for Mr. Goodbar, The Happy Ending is an elaborately misconceived mess but, a lot more fun.
An apparently sincere attempt to portray middle-age unhappiness: infidelity,emptiness, aging, pills, and booze. Talented Jean Simmons (Great Expectations, Spartacus, Elmer Gantry) stars as an alcoholic Denver housewife along with a host of second string actors like Bobby Darin, Tina Louise, Nanette Fabray, Dick Shawn, and Shirley Jones who recite their laughable dialog as if it was profound. My favorite piece of imparted wisdom is delivered by Nanette Fabray: "If sex were the only thing that really mattered, the WHOLE WORLD would be run by rabbits!"
The Happy Ending may be best remembered for its Oscar-nominated theme song "What Are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life?" that's heard several times throughout the film. The film has an effective ending, fine cinematography from Conrad Hall, and as he did in Looking for Mr.Goodbar and In Cold Blood, Brooks uses extensive flashbacks and flashy editing. Jean Simmons, nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Hamlet in 1948, received her second Oscar nomination(Best Actress) for this film. She and director Brooks were married at the time. Released the same year as Easy Rider, The Wild Bunch, and Midnight Cowboy, The Happy Ending pretty much disappeared without a trace. Because it takes its subject seriously, the film becomes seriously funny. It does for desperate Denver housewives, what Valley of the Dolls did for ladies in showbiz. Hard to find but, worth catching.