Shirley MacLaine, 92, Resurfaces to Introduce a Screening of Her Own Box Office Flop

The reclusive screen legend sent the Southampton Playhouse a video message ahead of a “Sweet Charity” showing — and didn’t pretend the movie was a hit.

You don’t see much of Shirley MacLaine these days. Which is exactly why it felt like a major event when, at 92, she popped up on video this week to introduce a Southampton Playhouse screening of her 1969 musical “Sweet Charity.” The message had that classic MacLaine touch—warm, a little wry, never sentimental.

She admitted she wished she could be there, claimed she’d still watch the movie herself (like anyone else), then went straight for the truth: Making the film was brutal work, and honestly, audiences didn’t care. She sounded amused.

No sugar-coating here. “Sweet Charity” was Bob Fosse’s big-screen redo of his own Broadway hit, packed with names like John McMartin, Ricardo Montalban, and Sammy Davis Jr.—plus MacLaine front and center. Plenty of color and energy, but box office magic? Nope. The movie stalled, limped home from the Oscars with nothing to show, and only Cy Coleman’s jazzy score got any real attention, earning a solitary nomination.

Southampton’s screening adds a little gravity to the nostalgia: Cy Coleman’s widow, Shelby Coleman, will be on hand for a Q&A. More memorial than victory lap.

MacLaine, though, seems pretty unbothered about the whole thing. She closed her video just like she opened it—charming, nonchalant, and unconcerned with legacy. “Hope you enjoy it,” she told the crowd. Reputation be damned.

The movie tanked. But MacLaine never needed “Sweet Charity” to seal her rep—she got her Oscar years later for “Terms of Endearment,” holding her own with heavyweights like Jack Nicholson and Debra Winger. She keeps out of the spotlight now, apparently splitting her time in Malibu after selling off her rambling New Mexico property earlier this year.

If you’re curious, “Sweet Charity” hits the Southampton Playhouse at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 25. The poster shows a sketched, impossibly leggy young MacLaine in a clingy dress. Chances are, the Shirley of 2024 finds that drawing just as funny as the film’s disastrous box office run.

Ty Wenzel

Ty Wenzel is an award-winning writer, designer, and marketing professional with a career spanning fashion, publishing, media, and digital innovation. A recent breast cancer survivor, she began her career as a fashion coordinator for Bloomingdale’s before serving as fashion editor at Cosmopolitan Magazine. Her work has appeared in numerous national publications, including The New York Times, and she is the author of a memoir published by St. Martin’s Press. In 2020, Wenzel co-founded James Lane Post, where she covers lifestyle, real estate, architecture, and interiors. She previously served as a writer and marketing director for The Independent. Her work in journalism, social media, and design has been recognized with multiple PCLI and NYPA awards, including best website design and best magazine. Wenzel is also the founder of the Hamptons-based social media agency TWM Hamptons Social Media, where she develops high-level branding and digital strategy for luxury clients.