A Letter to Three Wives

Rating:
Summary: Hotter than u think
Review: "A Letter to Three Wives" is a crafty masterpiece throughout, very adult in its humor and sexually charged relationships, particularly Paul Douglas and lovely Linda Darnell sizzling in their parts as Mr. Millionaire merchant and the temptress from, or literally, ON the wrong side of the tracks. Their scenes of blatant desire and passion sizzle and blend nicely with the other two woven stories of which husband has run off with never-seen but definitely male-understanding high class

hoochie, Addie Ross. Seems the three wives herein all have good reason to believe their husbands would prefer Miss Ross to them!!

All the actors are top shelf, as is the script, which is cleverly comic, knowing, and suspenseful. Kirk Douglas is pretty macho here, and very entertaining. But watching Linda Darnell bait her hook, and finally reel in the biggest fish around (Paul Douglas) is toooo utterly delicious.

Don't pass up "A Letter to Three Wives" if it shows up in your tv listings. Or buy it for your film library; you'll come to appreciate this emotionally charged, well crafted character study. ENJOY!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Post This One First Class
Review: Of all the great Joseph L. Mankiewicz films, A Letter to Three Wives seems to get lost in the wake of All About Eve (which unfortunately is the case with many of his films). Adapted from the John Klempner novel by Vera Caspary (the author of Laura), Letter has many of the same ingredients that made Eve a classic. The same intelligent, witty dialogue, the same introspective self-analysis, and all around fine right-on-target performances. The three women, Jeanne Craine, Linda Darnell, and Ann Sothern are great, as are the husbands, Kirk Douglas (a truly wonderful performance), Paul Douglas, and Jeffrey Lynn. All three women have some basic insecurities about their respective marriages, and are threatened by the heard but not seen, Addie Ross (voiced by Celeste Holm). It's hard to pick a favorite, but Darnell gives one of the best performances of her career as the gold digging Laura Mae. Crain makes a delightful drunk in the country club scene, and the conflict between Sothern and Douglas is even more timely today than it was in 1949. Again, Mankiewicz proves he was a director way ahead of his time. And what great character performances. Thelma Ritter as Sothern's housekeeper is a gem. And the scene in Darnell's house when the train goes by is worth the price of the video. Like All About Eve, Letter gets better with each viewing.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful Oscar winner from Mankiewicz
Review: The film concerns three wives who receive a letter from the town vamp (tramp?) "Addie" who informs the women than she has run off with the husband of one of them. The three wives (Ann Sothern, Linda Darnell, and Jeanne Crain) are serving as chaperones for a school field trip and won't be able to get home until late in the day. As a result, each wife has plenty of time to think about the situation. The film is told in flashback as each wife looks back on her marriage in an effort to determine if she is the unfortunate victim of homewrecker Addie. Anne Sothern plays a radio soap-opera writer (this is 1949) married to a "happy but not rich" school teacher (Kirk Douglas). Linda Darnell is a "girl from the wrong side of the tracks" (literally) who is married to successful vulgarian (Paul Douglas) who doesn't quite trust her. Jeanne Crain plays a "simp with low self-esteem" who is married to a VERY successful husband. The actual victim is not revealed until the surprise ending of the film.

The dialogue is very witty and well written. Mankiewicz won Oscars for his screenplay and direction. He deserved them. The film covers a lot of material but moves at a very fast pace. Buy this tape and you won't be sorry. Where is the DVD version?

Rating:
Summary: High Ho! Mankiewicz Delivers The Goods
Review: The foundation of any great film is an even greater screenplay. In "A Letter To Three Wives" Joseph L. Mankiewicz achieved greatness as a writer first and a as director second. The screenplay sparkles with wit and humor and an edgy take on the modern world that is as up to date today as it was fifty-four years ago.
Joe was a great writer and a consummate wit; were he not in the movies one might think him an intellectual. (Hats off to his "Cleopatra"). He understood women and wrote some of the most complex, deep and exciting women on the screen. He gave them life on the page and then with his brilliant eye for casting and directing he brought them to life on the screen. Eve Harrington, Margo Channing, in "All About Eve". Maria Vargas in "The Barefoot Contessa", and his most complex of all his smart Cleopatra, a modern woman of politics and passion in an ancient setting.
The unseen Addie Ross, the clumsy Deborah, Rita the writer, and the smart and guarded Lora Mae are just a few of the gems Joe Mankiewicz presented to us in his Oscar winning "Letter". He brings out some of the best acting Jeanne Crain would ever do. She is both vulnerable and comic. Ann Sothern dominates the screen as a feminist ahead of her time. She cements the image that she would carry the rest of her career, that of a beautiful smart woman making it in a man's world. The stunning centerpiece to this work is the top-notch performance handed in by Linda Darnell as tough wrong side of the tracks Lora Mae. This is a great performance by an actress who herself felt she had little to offer as an actress. Here with the help of her writer and director Miss Darnell delivers the goods as no one else of her generation possibly could.
In a small role as Sadie Dugan, Thelma Ritter in her third film nearly steals the picture from all involved. Paul Douglas as Lora Mae's husband and meal ticket is at the top of his form. He matches Lora Mae word for word and punch for punch. And what a face he had! Kirk Douglas is right on the money in this early film of his career. The entire production is superb.
Darryl F. Zanuck always stressed the importance of good writing and good story at his studio, 20th Century-Fox and over the decade that "Letter to Three Wives" ushered in he gave us some great works. He hired some of the best writers and directors of the day to work at his studio. At the top of that list was Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Personal differences aside between the two men, they did some wonderful things together. With what Fox is now doing in it's incredible classics series on DVD, I hope they will devote some much needed attention to this classic film.