A Letter to Three Wives (1949)

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

I've always found this movie rather overrated.First, Addie Ross herself sounds like a vain and tiresome woman, and it is impossible to imagine her, as presented, getting involved with either Jeffrey Lynn or Paul Douglas. Nor is it possible to imagine any of them leaving their law practice/tenured position/retail chain and houses and running away with Addie. Why? when she's already right there in town? (Now running away with Linda Darnell ... maybe.) The actual letter itself is merely bad manners on an epic scale, and not at all what one would expect this self-confessed paragon to be up to.The first act, with Lynn and Jeanna Crain, is very over-written: again, it is impossible to believe in Jeanne Crain being so gauche after just finishing several years in the Navy, from whence one would expect her to come out pretty brisk, and certainly self-confident, and the silly business with the silly flower on the silly dress is high-school stuff. The second act is merely preposterous, starting with the very idea of Kirk Douglas being married to Ann Sothern, continuing with Sothern doing what she does for a living while Kirk does what he does for a living, and terminating with the ludicrous concept of entertaining the sponsor, which would be smoothly handled by the network management, not left as a risk in a college town home with a mad professor running amok. Again, this act is badly over-written, and the sponsor and her bad behaviour are beyond parody. And Kirk should already know better than to play his precious Brahms 78 (?) to the sponsor.The movie only really gets going in Act 3 with Paul Douglas and Linda Darnell going at it hammer and tongs. Darnell is priceless ('it's not a drive in') as the small-town bombshell, and all the family stuff is very well done.There are other good moments in the film, such as the terrible picnic, the terrible country club, and aspects of the small town setting, but overall it's a long wait for the fun to start. Until then, credulity is strained at every turn, and the talking never ceases.

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 does not say which one.Wow. You got me. We have a series of wives who are all jealous of Addie Ross, for reasons both good and bad. She has run off with one of their husbands, or so she claims... but which one? Each man seems to have a reason to be attracted to her. What follows is a great series of twists and turns... and a great younger performance from Kirk Douglas.In 1985, the film was remade into a television movie of the same name starring Loni Anderson as Lora Mae, Michele Lee as Rita, Stephanie Zimbalist as Debra, Charles Frank as Brad, Michael Gross as George and Ben Gazzara as Porter. Ann Sothern also appeared as Ma Finney. While I have not seen this one, and I admire Gazzara, surely this can't be as good.

This movie continues to show how well women characters were written for and portrayed. The women portrayed here are independent characters that hold well-rounded lives. They are able to handle home and business which is what life was like after WWII. They show their fears and worries but with strength. The women stand beside the man not a few feet behind and vice versa. Compare the man to woman relationship of these three main couples to the portrayals of the radio sponsor couple-the Manleys. It seems that women characters were stronger when "we did not have equal rights" than now. Fully clothed, little violence, no foul language. The movie "The Women" also had very strong female characters and again look when the movie was made. Addie was a great person and friend - better than these 3 women realized - she fixed it so the women would see that they've been taking their husbands for granted. Wonder if we could ever see a movie entitled " A Letter to three Husbands" that was as sophisticated and mature? The women all looked to the phone booth upon reading the letter. Could we ever have this kind of worry today that resulted in this great story with cell phones, wi-fi, texting, facebook, twitter, gps phone tracking, etc. Nope to each query.

Joseph L. Mankiewicz won a best director Academy Award for this film dealing with a letter written by Addie Ross, addressed to one of three wives whose husband she ran off with: Jeanne Crain plays Deborah Bishop, married to a successful man(played by Jeffrey Lynn) with whom she feels uncomfortable in his country club set; Lora Mae Hollingsway(played by Linda Darnell) viewed as a gold digger, even by her husband(played by Paul Douglas) and Rita Phipps(played by Ann Sothern) whose career she fears may drive away her husband(played by Kirk Douglas). Which one has lost their husband? Well-acted and directed film is really a glossy soap opera(and shaggy dog story), yet remains interesting, just overpraised.