A Letter to Three Wives (1949)

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writers:

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

Release Date:

20 January 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

All of them wondered while one of them wandered!

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Letter | Radio | Marriage | School Teacher | Tradesman

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

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

Also Known As:

A Letter to Five Wives (USA) (working title)
A Letter to Four Wives (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:U | Canada:PG (video rating) | West Germany:12 | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (certificate #13227)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The identity of the actress Celeste Holm who did the voice-over for Addie Ross was kept secret when the film was released. The studio held a number of "Who is Addie?" contests around the country where moviegoers could guess the actress' name.

Goofs:

Continuity: About 20 minutes into the film, Brad Bishop and his wife Deborah Bishop are drinking martinis in their bedroom, which are dark colored in the B&W film. Moments later, when Rita Phipps pours two drinks out of the same pitcher, the martinis are light colored. However, when Phipps hands Deborah her drink, she consumes a dark colored drink from her glass.

Quotes:

Mrs. Finney: Can't we have peace in this house even on New Year's Eve?
Sadie: You got it mixed up with Christmas. New Year's Eve is when people go back to killing each other.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

My Blue Heaven

Excellent cast, but an even better script

You have here a situation that is rarer than you might imagine-a top-notch cast with an even better script. This is a delightful film with fine performances all around and some of the best dialogue! Strangely, none of the cast were nominated for their work here, although three were nominated for other performances in other films they did that year. The script deservedly won an Oscar as did the director. This is a joy to watch and the voice-over narration is perfectly handled throughout. Highly recommended!