A Letter to Three Wives (1949)

A letter is addressed to three wives from their "best friend" Addie Ross, announcing that she is running away with one of their husbands--but she doesn't say which one.

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writers:

Vera Caspary (adaptation), John Klempner (Cosmopolitan Magazine novel),

Stars:

Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern

Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jeanne Crain	...	Deborah Bishop
Linda Darnell	...	Lora Mae Hollingsway
Ann Sothern	...	Rita Phipps
Kirk Douglas	...	George Phipps
Paul Douglas	...	Porter Hollingsway
Barbara Lawrence	...	Georgiana 'Babe' Finney
Jeffrey Lynn	...	Bradford 'Brad' Bishop
Connie Gilchrist	...	Mrs. Ruby Finney
Florence Bates	...	Mrs. Manleigh
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Mr. Manleigh

Storyline

Lora May Hollingsway, who grew up next to the wrong side of the tracks, married her boss who thinks she is just a gold digger. Rita Phipps makes as much money writing radio scripts at night as her school teacher husband does. Deborah Bishop looked great in a Navy uniform in WWII but fears she'll never be dressed just right for the Country Club set. These three wives are boarding a boat filled with children going on a picnic when a messenger on a bicycle hands them a letter addressed to all three from Addie who has just left town with one of their husbands. They won't know which one until that night.

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Plot Keywords:

letter | picnic | marriage | radio | writer | 

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Taglines:

All of them wondered while one of them wandered!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Letter to Five Wives

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

To get the proper look of derision from Linda Darnell in the scene where she stares at a photo of Addie, director Joseph L. Mankiewicz used a picture of Otto Preminger, the director who had given Darnell such a hard time on the set of Forever Amber.

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Goofs

When Deborah and Brad dance, she swings her back and forth. She has blurry vision of her (stationary) friends who should be swaying.

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Quotes

Lora Mae Hollingsway: I've got very definite ideas.
Porter Hollingsway: Like what?
Lora Mae Hollingsway: There's never been anybody in particular. Nobody special.
Porter Hollingsway: Plenty that wanted to, I'll bet.
Lora Mae Hollingsway: What do you think?
Porter Hollingsway: That you've been waiting for that one guy to come along.
Lora Mae Hollingsway: I got very definite ideas.
Porter Hollingsway: What's he got to be like, this one guy?
Lora Mae Hollingsway: Someone who wants to marry me more than anything else in the world.
Porter Hollingsway: You sure got wrong ideas about things.
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Biography: Linda Darnell: Hollywood's Fallen Angel (1999)

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Soundtracks

"My Blue Heaven"
(uncredited)
Music by Walter Donaldson
Played at the restaurant

User Reviews

Gem of a Film

There's no doubt about it: "Letter to Three Wives" is, to use a character quote from the script, a "Bingo!"

I agree that the screenplay, directing, acting, and general production are all excellent. What a pleasure to see how well it holds up after so many years.

Constantly engaging, a powerhouse, perfect cast offers beautifully modulated performances, and the writing is creatively brilliant.

I'd forgotten what an effective actor is Paul Douglas. Like Thelma Ritter (also in the cast) he seems like an ordinary guy from real life, not even "acting." Both he and Ritter are "naturals," in that they just seem to "live" their parts, never showing their technique.

Plaudits also go to Linda Darnell, whose scenes with Douglas are gems, as well as veterans Ann Southern, Jeanne Crain and Kirk Douglas. Their casting couldn't have been bettered.

Here's a film that seems to, like fine wine, grow increasingly better with age. It's becoming (if has not already become) a genuine classic.