Take a look ahead at some of our most anticipated superhero movies coming in 2021 and beyond. A Letter to Three Wives remains one of the choicest, the wittiest, of all American social comedies before Annie Hall. Joseph Mankiewicz's screenplay does not necessarily have flashy dialogue or lots of surprises, but rather creates well-defined and believable characters, and puts them into an unusual situation, which he then develops at a good pace.The opening sequences pull you right into the story, introducing the characters efficiently and then setting up the predicament in which the three wives find themselves as a result of the letter from their absent friend. Trapped on a boat for a day trip, the ladies recall the faults in their marriages and agonize over which one of them has been robbed of her husband in this Academy Award-winning film (best director, best screenplay) by Joseph L. Mankiewicz (All About Eve). Genre. ‘A Letter to Three Wives’ we are informed, is one of Mankiewicz’s finest and funniest film, because from the first footage of the different small town streets and houses of the three married couples, and it is also a humorous light study of the social class conflict among the bickering married couples of different class and wealth, all of whom idolise and envy the social goddess Addie Ross. 2010 96m Movie. A Letter to Three Wives DRAMA Joseph Mankiewicz's unique intriguing comedy stars Ann Southern, Linda Darnell and Jeanne Crain as three wives who must wait out a long day to learn which of them has lost her husband to another woman. A heartbroken Deborah goes alone to the local club with the other two couples. Rita Phipps makes as much money writing radio scripts at night as her school teacher husband does. It was nominated for 3 Academy Awards and won 2 Oscars in 1950. A man is reunited with his childhood friend and her husband, who believe he knows the truth about the death of her rich aunt years earlier. An uncredited Celeste Holm provides the voice of Addie Ross, the unseen woman who wrote the titular letter. A Letter to Three Wives is a 1949 American romantic drama movie directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and based on the 1945 novel by John Klempner. During WWII the valet to the British Ambassador to Ankara sells British secrets to the Germans while trying to romance a refugee Polish countess. Special highlight is the ussually brass and manly Kirk Douglas turning in a fun loose comedic performance as Ann Sothern's understanding husband. A remake of the 1949 movie. A Letter to Three Wives (1949) ” maxmcmanus says: October 4, 2018 at 1:18 pm. The telefilm relates how each wife has reason to believe that hers is the husband in question. The letter tells them that she has run off with one of their hus bands but does not specify his identity. 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. He has a knack for shining a searchlight on the way tiny details infiltrate a woman's life to the point of absurd distraction. [5] In the same month, it was announced that Samuel G. Engel took over as producer from Joseph L. Traditional wisdom has Mankiewicz as more writer than director, but consider the marvellously cinematic opening of A Letter to Three Wives: shots of a prosperou When Porter complains about his wife dancing with another man, Deborah tells him he has no idea how much Lora Mae really loves him, but Porter is certain Lora Mae only sees him as a "cash register." Language. A Letter To Three Wives TV Movie 1985. None of the characters are especially interesting as individuals, but all are believable, and you certainly care about what will happen to them. Copy link. Her husband George, a schoolteacher, feels somewhat emasculated since she earns much more money, but refuses to leave his teaching job, which he thinks is important despite the low pay. Just as they are about to take a group of underprivileged children on a riverboat ride and picnic, Deborah Bishop, Rita Phipps, and Lora Mae Hollingsway receive a message from Addie Ross informing them that she has run off with one of their husbands. Boxer Midge Kelly rises to fame...mainly by stepping on other people. When Porter refuses to marry her, Lora Mae breaks off their romance. A Letter to Three Wives (1949) Full Cast & Crew. Tweet. Directed by (1) Writing credits (3) Cast (29) Produced by (1) Music by (1) Cinematography by (1) Film Editing by (1) Art Direction by (2) Set Decoration by (2) Costume Design by (1) Makeup Department (2) Production Management (1) HD. Deborah Bishop looked great in a Navy uniform in WWII but fears she'll never be dressed just right for the Country Club set. A Letter to Three Wives ★★★★ 1949Crain, Darnell, and Sothern star as three friends who, shortly before embarking on a Hudson River boat trip, each receive a letter from Holm (who's never shown), the fourth member in their set. Instance of. Written by Expecting the usual loss, a boxing manager takes bribes from a betting gangster without telling his fighter. 2012 120m Movie. A Letter to Three Wives is a 1949 American romantic drama movie directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and based on the 1945 novel by John Klempner. Then studio head Darryl F. Zanuck and Mankiewicz eventually decided in mid-1948 to focus on only three marriages, thus retitling it to A Letter to Three Wives. First scene for third wife Lora (Linda Darnell), joined by friends Rita (Ann Sothern) and Deborah (Jeanne Crain) for the charity picnic, receiving the key note, as read by Celeste Holm, in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's A Letter To Three Wives, 1948. ‎Watch trailers, read customer and critic reviews, and buy A Letter to Three Wives directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz for $9.99. Dr. Noah Praetorius falls in love with Debra, a student who finds out that she is pregnant by her old boyfriend. When Porter suddenly arrives and hears about his wife's suspicions, he accuses her of being happy at the thought of having grounds to divorce him and receive a large monetary settlement. I suspect A Letter to Three Wives didn’t go into cinema canon because of its highly progressive nature. Was this review helpful to you? I love this film. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the Creative Commons CC0 License; all unstructured text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. A Letter to Three Wives. A Letter to Three Wives Synopsis: 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. The novel also gives no indication that any of the couples will work through their problems (the film, ambiguities notwithstanding, has a decidedly happy ending), and the identity of the errant husband is different (though not his rationale). Part Deux/The Long Day Closes. "'Four Wives' Assembled; Douglas Stars With Day" by Edwin Schallert. A Letter to Three Wives Synopsis: 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. It stars Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern, Jeffrey Lynn, Paul Douglas, Kirk Douglas, Thelma Ritter and was distributed by 20th Century Fox.It was nominated for 3 Academy Awards and won 2 Oscars in 1950. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. [6] His final participation was not confirmed. Film rights to John Klempner's A Letter to Five Wives were acquired by 20th Century Fox in February 1946,[4] seven months after it was first published in a magazine. With its biting humor and clever dialogue, 1949s A Letter to Three Lives is a relatively uncelebrated classic. In 1900, a young widow finds her seaside cottage is haunted and forms a unique relationship with the ghost. Adding to her insecurity, she learns that everyone expected Brad to marry Addie, whom all three husbands consider practically a goddess. Wikipedia. A Letter to Three Wives: Reasons you should: 1. Linda Darnell. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. She sets her sights on her older, divorced employer, Porter, the wealthy owner of a statewide chain of department stores. What an amazing concept: open with three wives reading a letter from an omnipresent-but-always-absent beauty saying she ran off with… , writers and more Three, so it was directed by Mankiewicz, who signed on for the Club... 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