A Letter to Three Wives (1949)
Average Rating: 8.4/10
Reviews Counted: 13
Fresh: 12 | Rotten: 1
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 1
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 0
liked it
Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 3,640
Movie Info
Three wives, played by Jeanne Crain, Ann Sothern and Linda Darnell, are about to embark on a boat trip when each receives a letter, written by a mutual friend named Addie, informing her that Addie is about to run off with one of their husbands. In flashback, each wife wonders if it is her marriage that is in jeopardy. Deborah (Crain) recounts her fish-out-of-water relationship with her up-and-coming hubby (Jeffrey Lynn); businesswoman Rita (Sothern) asks herself if she's been too rough on her
Jan 20, 1949 Wide
Feb 22, 2005
Fox
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Cast
-
Jeanne Crain
Deborah Bishop -
Linda Darnell
Lora May Hollingsway -
Ann Sothern
Rita Phipps -
Kirk Douglas
George Phipps -
Paul Douglas
Porter Hollingsway -
Barbara Lawrence
Babe -
Jeffrey Lynn
Brad Bishop -
Connie Gilchrist
Mrs. Finney -
Florence Bates
Mrs. Manleigh -
Hobart Cavanaugh
Mr. Manleigh -
Patti Brady
Kathleen -
Ruth Vivian
Miss Hawkins -
Thelma Ritter
Sadie -
Stuart Holmes
Old Man -
George Offerman
Nick -
Ralph Brooks
Character -
James Adamson
Butler -
Joe Bautista
Thomasino -
John Davidson
Waiter -
Carl "Alfalfa" Switz...
Messenger -
Sam Finn
Waiter -
Ted Offenbecker
Nick -
Celeste Holm
Addie Ross
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All Critics (17) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (12) | Rotten (1) | DVD (12)
Mankiewicz's writing is bright and hard -- he's sharpening his teeth for All About Eve, made the next year -- but his acid wit is almost too much for his fragile characters to bear.
Top CriticWriter-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz's riveting melodrama is set up like a whodunit, only instead of a murderer, the guilty party is a philandering husband.
If this were a comedy it might be considered a comedy of manners, because it's all about the social customs of an age-and all the actors do a fine job of bringing the age's nuances to their characters.
"A Letter to Three Wives" remains a very poignant and universal story today, giving you the feeling that it could take place anytime and anywhere. Of course, it also helps that it's just a good old fashioned and entertaining experience.
Mankiewicz's plot device is brilliant and intriguing: On the way to an annual picnic, three housewives learn through a letter that the town's most desirable woman had run off with one of their husbands--flashbacks reveal the state of their marriages.
Star-loaded film with innovative plot.
Much of what makes All About Eve such a brilliant film was used previously (and to good effect) in A Letter to Three Wives.
Sharp and bright multi-character film from Mankiewicaz at his best.
Audience Reviews for A Letter to Three Wives
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Foreign Titles
- A Letter to Three Wives (1949) (DE)
- A Letter to Three Wives (1949) (UK)
