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If you thought that funeral homes could only make for grim plots in movies, then you've got a real surprise coming! "The Loved One" portrays a young Brit Dennis Barlow (Robert Morse) coming to the Los Angeles and getting involved in a funeral parlor, with some very zany results. It's the sort of wacky humor that pervaded comedy flicks in the 1960s, right down to the giant cast (aside from Robert Morse, there's Jonathan Winters, Anjanette Comer, Dana Andrews, Milton Berle, James Coburn, John Gielgud, Tab Hunter, Liberace, Roddy McDowall, Robert Morley, Lionel Stander and Rod Steiger).

Anyway, this movie really does have something to offend everyone. Goofy but lovable, it's not to be missed.

It is hard to place any kind of meaningful description to this film because it takes cultural, social, and moral ideals and stomps on them. Additionally, the casting of the film goes against type, with Jonathan Winters, for example, as a dark, imposing religious force. The acting is superb, intense and, at times, intentionally campy and over-the-top. Each scene seems outrageous and, at times, ridiculous but inexorably moves the characters, and the audience, to a lip-biting conclusion.

Terry Southern, one of the credited screen writers, was also responsible for Kubrick's Dr Strangelove, Barbarella, Candy, Easy Rider, The Magic Christian, and many other wacky films. Knowing this may help to place it in some familiar context. Of all his films, though, this is the darkest.

If you are disturbed or offended by the funeral business, death in general, dead pets, or slightly veiled hints at necrophilia then you might want to give this one a miss. If you're brave and open-minded, however, I highly recommend this truly strange and wonderful film.

Tony Richardson's "The Loved One" was seen recently courtesy of TCM. The film seems to have been forgotten by MGM, who didn't promote it the way it deserved when it was released. It's a tribute to Mr. Richardson that "The Loved One" should be discovered by appreciative fans that haven't have a chance to see this masterpiece by one of the cinema's most under appreciated master: Tony Richardson.

This acerbic satire about the funeral business was written by Evelyn Waugh, an Englishman who saw the excesses about the art of preparing "the loved ones" for their final send off into eternity. The magnificent screen play is credited to Terry Southern and Christopher Isherwood, although other writers were also involved in its adaptation. The brilliant black and white cinematography by Haskell Wexler still has original crispness in the copy that was shown, which might have been because of a DVD format we saw.

The story is seen through Dennis Barlow,a young Englishman who comes to L.A. for a visit. He looks for his uncle, Sir Francis Hinsley, who works for a movie studio. Sir Francis moves among the English expatriates that had a love/hate relationship with the film industry, but who had better lives than in England. At least, in Los Angeles, they were seen as a rarity with tremendous panache, in sharp contrast with the uneducated heads of studios and so-called stars.

When Sir Francis dies in tragic circumstances, the Brits decide to appoint young Dennis to select the proper way to bury him. That's how Dennis comes to Whispering Glades, the ultimate resting place for the privileged and the famous. To say he suffers culture shock, is to put it mildly. Nothing prepares him for the excesses he sees in the place, that is being run by the mysterious Rev. Wilbur Glenworthy. It's here that he meets and falls in love with Aimee, the girl that is promoted to be the first woman embalmer. He is shown about what to order by the unctuous Mr. Sarles who wants him to pick the best the place has to offer. Dennis is also puzzled by the way the embalmer, Mr. Joyboy, has prepared Sir Francis for his friends to see him at the place.

Dennis, not having a job, is recruited by Henry Glenworthy in helping with the pet cemetery. He meets enough weirdos to last a lifetime. Henry, a businessman himself, decides to add a novel way to send the pets skyward by hiring young Gunther. The devilish Rev. Wilbur sees the invention and wants it for Whispering Glades. In an incredible finale, young Gunther achieves greatness by creating the send off to end all send offs.

The amazing thing about "The Loved One" is the performances Tony Richardson got out of all the actors in the film. Robert Morse is Dennis, a naive in the land of fantasy. Jonathan Winters playing dual roles of Henry and Wilbur Glenworthy, is in top form. Rod Steiger as the mad embalmer, Mr. Joyboy, has one of the best moments of his career. Anjanette Comer shows an affinity for Aimee. John Gielgud makes a wonderful Sir Francis. Paul Williams is young Gunther. But Liberace, who wasn't known as an actor, makes a devastating appearance as the salesman in the Whispering Glades showroom, the man who wants to offer nothing but the best for "the loved one" in his final appearance.

One can only wish "The Loved One" is seen by a lot of movie fans, as this is a tribute to the man who directed it: Tony Richardson.

Several of you youngsters have added comments here to the effect you wanted to know how this film was received in 1965. Here is the lowdown.

It was skewered by the few uptight critics who got it, and passed off as sheer nonsense by the ones who didn't. It had a big, big promotional sendoff on television and in the newspapers, featuring its over-the-top ending that is commented on elsewhere in these archives. That, in fact, is the single characteristic placing this film in the history books as one of the first real anti-war, anti-establishment, anti-bourgeois relics of popular culture just at the cusp of an entirely new epoch.

I am still dumbfounded that it went generally over the heads of most people in 1965. (Well, at least I am bemused by it.) "Dr. Strangelove" received much the same treatment. It was as if the country was still on overdrive after the assassination of President Kennedy, numb and oblivious as to what was about to happen. Only the very young, influenced as they were by the Beatles and other revolutionary pop music icons, seemed to have a clue. But they were powerless within the political vacuum that led up to the war in Vietnam, and by the time all the turmoil of 1968 came along, this movie had been long forgotten.

This is one fan, however, who still regards this wonderful satire as one of the top ten of the 20th century, right up there with the best of Chaplin, the Marx Brothers, and Saturday Night Live (in its better days, of course).

As a follow-up to the hugely popular "Tom Jones" the iconoclastic director Tony Richardson chose a modern Evelyn Waugh darkly satiric novel that was ostensibly about the funeral business but in Richardson's (& Terry Southern's) hands became a savagely funny commentary on Hollywood and America as well. The cast is awesome--even disregarding some of the cameos like Milton Berle, Liberace, and Tab Hunter--particularly good are Gielgud, Jonathan Winters in a fabulous dual role, Rod Steiger as the immortal Joyboy, and Roddy McDowell. Hilarious! The leads are strangely effective: Bobby Morse doing the knowing nebbish character that he perfected in the mid-60s, and Anjanette Comer as the aptly-named Amy Thanatogenis. One of my alltime favorite comedies, I've seen it close to 20 times since 1965...For anyone who ever had to save up for "Mom's big tub." Increpitable!

MY RATING: 6.4

I've watched this one last night on tv, and I must say its's quite an odd mov. It's a comedy, a black comedy as many say, yet it's not for all tastes since cause it contains an amount of strange characters and situations. Some good points for the presentation of the eternal rest of the loved ones and that horrid mother of Rod Steiger, who is probably the best character on the film. Also starring Robert Morse as the brit who has just arrived from London, John Gielgud as his gay uncle, a dual role for Jonathan Winters, Roddy McDowall, Robert Morley and the irritating voice of Anjanet Comer. Really an mov with some importance in the 60's, but nothing special now.

Colorful cast ends up flailing about in this pushy mishmash of darkly comic ideas, written by Christopher Isherwood and Terry Southern from Evelyn Waugh's novel. Slim plot concerns young Robert Morse, newly arrived in Los Angeles to live with his uncle, suddenly faced with burying the man after his uncle unexpectedly commits suicide. What begins as a savage satire on the movie industry turns too soon into a spoof of the mortuary business, with all the pungency and bitter wit left behind in the story's first-act. Despite some smashing performances (particularly by John Gielgud and Liberace) and many offbeat ideas, the film fails to hang together. Director Tony Richardson, perhaps attempting to replant mod British irreverence in '60s California, gets an early rhythm going that is quite wonderful, but that promise continually leaks away until the film becomes ugly and ungainly. ** from ****

I was one who saw it in 1965, and GOT IT. I have waited lo these many years for a video copy. I am only disappointed that the quality of the print is so fuzzy. Why has it not been digitally remastered?!! Sir Francis's cottage and pool were so much more evocative when we could see them. Are you listening, Ted? (but don't colorize it. It's perfect in B&W)My teenage son asked if anyone was doing a remake. Perish the thought! How could anyone improve on Jonathan Winters, Bobby Morse, Rod Steiger and Liberace? Or any of the many cameos? This is truly Terry Southern's finest screen writing, and the acting is unparalleled. Robert Morely's funeral recitation still cracks me up. The world's greatest black comedy!

Really looked forward to seeing this based on the cast and some of the comments posted on this very site - but it was quite a disappointment. Obviously, it's trying to be another Super Bowl-scaled, stinging satire along the lines of "Doctor Strangelove", but it's a mostly indifferent misfire - and by no means terribly funny. (And why is it that with EVERY comedy, somebody will ALWAYS proclaim it's the "funniest movie ever made!"? The truth is, the overwhelming majority of motion picture comedies are at best moderately funny, or sporadically amusing. The "There's Something about Mary's" are few and far between.)

Gets off to a promising start, mostly thanks to the breezily superb performance of John Gielgud as an artistic, contented has-been blissfully employed by some second rate movie studio. The film's best sequence is when he reports for work one morning, walks into his office, finds some stranger in there practicing his golf putting, apologizes happily, then goes and mentions this rather curious development to his slob of a boss, played by Roddy McDowall. He can't for the life of him understand that he's been let go after 31 years, and when it finally does sink in, the look on Gielgud's face as he turns to give the building a grim, parting glance is the overlooked soul of what could have been a much better film.

Good work is also turned in by Anjanette Comer as an innocent enveloped by an L.A. culture of everything as shallow Show Biz (even death); Robert Morley as the penultimate stuffy Englishman (Ambrose Ambercrombie - great name); Paul Williams (!) and Liberace (!!!!!). They make significant, clever contributions, but once Gielgud is off screen (after 20 minutes) the movie self-destructs. Initially, the scenes at the monstrously over-sized, multi-themed funeral home show some wit and imagination, but it soon grows tiresome, as if the film-makers thought that the setting and concept were "brilliant" enough to offset a static narrative (they're not).

And Robert Morse, the lead, is the weakest link of all. He's supposed to anchor the film, but he's a strangely charmless, hollow actor whose only talent seems to have been a sort of obnoxious flippancy. He's a lot like Chris Elliott in that he's never able to find the humanity in the comedy, the way the best comedic actors are able to do. You just don't CARE about his plight, because he doesn't seem to CARE about anything. And perhaps it was intentional, but his British accent is incredibly feeble.

Many of the other big names in the cast are wasted. I mean, why bring Dana Andrews and Milton Berle on board if you are not going to give them anything to do? Jonathan Winters, in dual roles, is okay, but he doesn't project the menace or mystery necessary to play the evil cult leader. Rod Steiger? He tries, but his character isn't nearly as pivotal as he should have been. His Doctor Joyboy is the sort of Frankenstein creation that should have swallowed up the rest of the movie, but it never happens.

Ultimately, the most intriguing themes and relationships are left unexplored and too much screen time is devoted to silly cameos and purposeless dialogue. In fact, it all leads up to a ho-hum ending that is the cinematic equivalent of a shrug.

There are few films I can recommend this highly. Morse is memorable as the hapless Englishman, trying to understand this peculiar American commercial funeral institution and the nearly fanatical devotees to the Jonathan Winters' Blessed Reverend.

The tawdry nature of the corporate funeral industry gradually unfolds in this fantastic study of our fixation with marketing everything, even death.

Jonathan Winters, Rod Steiger is brilliant as Mr. Joyboy, the effete chief embalmer, and the film features such huge talent as John Gielgud and Robert Morley as well as a cameos by Milton Berle, Roddy McDowell, Tab Hunter, and Liberace as the smarmy casket salesman. Look for a very young Paul Williams and...is that James Coburn? Yes, yes it is.

Be advised that there are some dubbing and sound issues common to films of this era, but if you're more concerned with a/v than story and humor, you should be off looking at...I dunno, something from George Lucas.

This film's greatest flaw is that it's hard to find on VHS and doesn't exist on the DVD.

Saw it in a theater & subsequently on smaller screens It is not a perfect comedy, but about as scathing satire as every came out of Hollywood Richardson worked with the Hollywood Machine on this one & much of the film's charm & power comes from this usually unhappy alliance, though Waugh allegedly tried to disown it Terry Southern & Christopher Isherwood wrote a trenchant screenplay, if taking liberties in the adaptation A team work from Haskell Wexler whose wondrous photography caught Los Angeles perfectly & aggressive editing (despite the length) from Hal Ashby combined with a stellar cast were woven into this broad adaptation of Waugh's novel. The subject is less about funerals & more extremes of Americana through a West Coast lens. While long, there was much to be said & while some notions may make some wince given contemporary standards, I don't find this as peculiar now as I recall on first viewing. Perhaps at times too broad, but such is the nature of sarcasm, which rarely holds up as well as this flick. Very black comedy from another age & very worth seeing for fans of such

What an odd film. I really didn't know what to expect when I started watching. Didn't expect the name Evelyn Waugh to appear, nor Christopher Isherwood, nor Haskell Wexler, nor Hal Ashby, nor the various cast members... Presumably the reason this all passed me by is that The Loved One is, as I said, an odd film, and odd films just don't become famous. So here I was struggling with the open credits, and I just had this feeling. You know, lots of famous names, good score on the IMDb, but not that well known... it just felt like disaster was looming. The fact that it was in black and white really didn't help - an Englishman coming to LA in the mid-sixties and the world is black and white? Just doesn't work. Surely it has to be vibrant color. Another strike against it: if you're going to use "America the Beautiful" (or any such tune) in an ironic way, you have to earn it, as in, say, Silver City; you can't just fling it in at the start - it's a little too knowing. And yet another strike against it: it seems at first to have no clear idea what it's about. Starting out as some sort of Hollywood satire, it takes a loooong time before there's any hint as to why it might be called The Loved One.

So, yes, a lot of strikes against it. But somehow it hangs together quite well, for which we can presumably thank the various talents involved. I can't say that I loved the movie, but I did enjoy it, perhaps more so from a technical point of view than anything else. It is very much of its time, released the year after Dr Strangelove and The Pink Panther. I mention these specifically because you could attempt (but ultimately fail) to pigeonhole it with either, but the Waugh source adds something else (although I can't say how much as I've never read the original, or much Waugh of any description). For some reason Mr Joyboy's mother had a kind of Dickensian appeal - a sort of antithesis of the Aged Parent from Great Expectations, perhaps? It's those sort of odd connections that make The Loved One worthwhile. Un-pigeonhole-able films: that's what we need more of.

How can you resist seeing a movie with that tagline at least once? Evelyn Waugh's "little nightmare" of Los Angeles gets the all-star treatment in skewering modern society's reduction of art, religion, even the rituals of marriage & death to a vast, industrialized hustle. Unemployed English poet Barlow (Morse, England's precursor to Robin Williams) turns up in L.A. and camps out with his uncle, artist and impresario Sir Francis (Gielgud, who brings Waugh's sad English gentleman to life as no one else could). Tragedy leads Barlow to the services of Whispering Glades, a huge necropolis theme park, a somber Disneyland of the Dead. He falls for ditzy but deadly serious mortuary cosmetologist Aimee (Comer, a scarier California babe than Buffy), but strikes out with her until finding she melts over poetry. Unable to resuscitate his own muse, he plagiarizes the masters to keep Aimee on the hook, especially after gaining a rival in Mr. Joyboy (Steiger), the cemetery's master embalmer, who uses Aimee's ambition in their shared craft to his own advantage. With so many stars in supporting roles, the film has even more subplots than the book did--a feature that even "The Godfather" can't claim. Like any good satire, the film is best appreciated for its individual parts rather than the whole story, which may wind up preposterous, as this one does. The stars each represent an aspect of Waugh's vision, a society cheapened by the illusion of equality conjured by reducing beauty to the lowest common denominator. Notable are neurotic studio exec DJ, Jr. (McDowell), drunken advice columnist Guru Brahmin (Stander), cowboy-actor-turned-James Bond Dusty Acres (the amazing Robert Easton), impatient socialite Kenton (Berle) and his melodramatic wife (Leighton), snobbish film star Sir Ambrose (Morley) and the phony dignity of coffin salesman Starker (Liberace, truly one of a kind). Winters is fine in a dual role as cemetery owner & rapacious real estate devloper The Blessed Reverend & his brother, a washed-up movie producer. Steiger has never been more bizarre and scenes with his gluttonous mother (Gibbons, fascinating in a stomach-turning role) will have even Tarantino devotees running for the porcelain shrine. But English high society doesn't escape the knife, as the opportunistic Barlow first woos Aimee with his plundered rhyme and then tries to sponge off her. The film is faintly misogynistic, like the book and much of Waugh's other work (except his reverent novella, "Helena"). Aimee is both crazy & shallow, a cardboard cutout of the advertising world's average American female, and her whole identity depends on illusions spun by Joyboy, Barlow and the "Guru Brahmin." Screenwriter Southern, much better at conceiving satire than polishing it, adds morbidly wacky and sometimes chilling scenes to a film that otherwise closely follows the book. There are more laughs in "The Loved One" than any but the most alert mind can take in with one viewing. But there's no gentleness, the cutting edge never lets up. This is not for the weak of mind or the weak of stomach, nor is it a fun, relaxing diversion. It's high culture sweeping low. Take wing with it, if you dare, or duck.

Made in 1965, "The Loved One," based on a novel by Evelyn Waugh, was highly publicized when it first came out.

Brilliantly directed by Tony Richardson and with a magnificent and bizarre cast, it's the penultimate black comedy. It totally sums up the '60s youth movement of anti-tradition, anti-war, and anti-establishment.

The basis of the story is that young Dennis Barlow (Robert Morse) comes over from England to visit his uncle (John Gielgud), a Hollywood studio artist who, shortly after Barlow's arrival, is fired by a clueless studio head (Roddy McDowell) and promptly hangs himself.

This leads Barlow to the Whispering Glades cemetery, where death is both an art form and a religion. Barlow becomes involved with a young cosmetician, Amy (Anjanette Comer) and meets some real characters, including the embalmer, Mr. Joyboy, who is saving up for a big tub for his big mother.

This is a satire with lots underneath it and probably one of the most off-beat casts ever assembled, everyone from Liberace to James Coburn, and what was probably Dana Andrews' final A-list role.

Somewhere along the line, off-type casting went out of fashion, which is one reason why we are burdened with so much mediocrity today. A page from Richardson's book would liven up many a film.

Dark, sometimes gross, sometimes hilarious, sometimes wild, "The Loved One" is not for everyone and its message probably won't be appreciated by the younger generation. Still, it's worth seeing.

Saw this movie for the first time back in 1977 while I was taking a film class. It was required to pass the course. I could not figure out why I did not see it before, it contains all the quality's which I like in a dark comedy. I feel that this movie is a must see for any dark comedy movie buff. The acting can be a bit campy at times, but this just adds to the fun of the movie. The story line is weird enough and the spoof on Hollywood and the glamor of Hollywood even after you die is great. If you ever get a chance, see this movie. It took several years of searching but I finally found a VHS copy of this film. I loaned it out to a friend and it disappeared, but the memories are still there.

When comedy movies are dated, they often appear much less funny to people in later years. Such is the case with "The Loved One." It retains the satire of the film with its three to four targets. The main spoof is of the funeral business in California. A huge industry had grown up around it by the 1940s. That's the part of the comedy that is most dated and that is time worn. But the satire of British high society living in America, of Hollywood, and of America, as epitomized in and by Californians, are still funny decades later.

One wonders about change over time. As technical progress continues to shrink the world, the distinctions of cultures and societies fade and disappear. The human race seems pointed toward a universal sameness. Should we reach that point, the distinctions that for generations have been the source of much interest, investigation, comedy and humor will be gone. Who would want to live in such a bland state?

Anyway, this film is based on a very clever satire by British author, Evelyn Waugh. He wrote "The Loved One" after a 1947 trip California. He stayed a time in Hollywood to discuss the possible filming of his 1945 book, "Brideshead Revisited."

The plot itself is the funniest thing about this film. Numerous actors of note appear, from cameos to major roles. Robert Morse is the main character around whom the story unravels, but his role has very little real comedy. Jonathan Winters has the major comedy lead, playing two roles as Wilbur and Harry Glenworthy. His businesslike portrayal of Wilbur is somewhat funny. But the best humor in the film comes from Rod Steiger as Mr. Joyboy. In this wildly different comedy character, Steiger shows why he is one of the great actors of the 20th century.

This isn't loud laughter comedy, but the kind that elicits chuckles. Robert Morley provides the last bit of humor. John Gielgud has a significant role but the humor is long past worn out. He is Sir Francis Hinsley, uncle to Morse's Dennis Barlow.

Various cameos range from a little funny to ho-hum. Dana Andrews, Milton Berle, James Coburn, Tab Hunter, Margaret Leighton, Roddy McDowall, Barbara Nichols, Lionel Stander, and Liberace are among the better-known names of the past.

This movie was promoted as having something to offend everyone. I don't know that it quite achieved that even in 1965, but even legitimate mortuaries today shouldn't be offended. The film did have some dark aspects, and crudity in places. Those are still evident as such. Some may enjoy the film in the early 21st century. But many others may find its two hours too slow, or its entertainment rather lame.

Here are some favorite lines. See the Quotes section under this IMDb movie page for more humorous dialog.

Sir Francis Hinsley, "The people here are so kind and generous. They talk entirely for their own pleasure. And they never expect you to listen. Just remember that, dear boy - the secret of social success in this country." Sir Francis Hinsley, pointing out an actor to Dennis, "He usually plays prime ministers or butlers."

Wilbur Glenworthy, "There's got to be a way to get those stiffs off my property."

I can't post anything new about this brilliant movie that hasn't already been posted, I just want to know why,why,why, has MGM not released this movie on DVD? They put out so many of their 'comedies' like the abysmally unfunny 'Madhouse' or the pointless movie version of 'Car 54 where are you?' which had no laughs at all, or how about the nadir of Bill Murrays career the painfully awful 'Larger than Life'. You can get all of these movies on DVD no problemo, but 'The Loved One' no... sorry.. can't be done. Does that make sense to anyone? I am amazed they had the concept to release the awesome 'Lord love a duck.' Get with it MGM!

After American director Stanley Kubrick made DR. STRANGELOVE in England, British director Tony Richardson attempted his own offbeat dark comedy, in Los Angeles, with Jonathan Winters replacing Peter Sellers' multi-tier role as the owner of a plush cemetery catered to the rich, and a pet cemetery for just about anyone...

Where offbeat Robert Morse ends up working after his Hollywood producer uncle (John Geilgud) hangs himself, bringing the audience into Whispering Glades Funeral Parlor that (with Haskell Wexler cinematography) grounds the most intriguing and creatively shot B&W sequences...

But whenever the story ambles outside the box, the overly bizarre, uneven script gets out of hand, featuring Rod Steiger as a flamboyant mother's boy embalmer, vainly attempting a romance with Gothic, death-obsessed yet beautifully simplistic, airhead-ingenue Anjanette Comer...

Who's also pursued by wannabe poet Morse, faking a British accent with his dialogue added post-production, making it literally sound like he's phoning in an already lackluster, lazy performance...

But THE LOVED ONE succeeds in random triumphs from side-characters who come and go: including Liberace, surprisingly effective as Whispering Glades coffin salesman or the team of (both) Winters alongside child prodigy Paul Williams, attempting (with military chief Dana Andrews) to rocket bodies from the ground into space...

An important last-minute plot that should have happened sooner... without so many eclectic distractions in a movie made when avant-garde simply meant anything goes... overall more a parked MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD than the attempted STRANGELOVE-inspired social commentary ensemble.

Well, let me tell ya - With its assurance of "containing something in its story to offend everyone" (literally) - I'd say that "The Loved One" completely fell flat on its stupid face by not living up to this false promise.

You know, I really wish that "The Loved One" had succeeded in offending me. 'Cause, perhaps, that way I might have found something to actually like about this insufferably dry and totally uninspiring comedy. But, sorry, as it turned out, "The Loved One" was just too bloody stupid to offend, except, maybe, those who are brain-dead.

Adapted for the screen from the Evelyn Waugh novel of the same name, I personally think Waugh's morbid piece of fiction translated terribly into this dull, 1965 motion picture. If you ask me, I'd swear that they were actually just making up the story as they went along.

Now 50 years old, I found "The Loved One's" story to be grossly out of date, as well as being way too out of touch with reality, to ever appeal to a rational-thinking person like myself.

It certainly didn't help matters much that all of the characters in this tale were a completely unlikable bunch. I mean, I don't mind eccentric characters, but when that eccentricity becomes annoying (as it did with this lot), it just grates on my nerves like you wouldn't believe.

About the only thing that this lame-brained comedy could boast about (to its advantage) would be its list of cameo appearances from the likes of Dana Andrews, Tab Hunter, James Coburn and Milton Berle, to name but a few.