A LETTER TO THREE WIVES

US, 1949, 103 minutes, Black and white.
Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern, Kirk Douglas, Paul Douglas, Jeffrey Lynn, Thelma Ritter, Connie Gilchrist, voice of Celeste Holm.
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

A Letter to Three Wives won two Oscars for Joseph L. Mankiewicz in 1949, for best screenplay and for best director. He was to win the Oscar for best director in the following year for All About Eve.

A Letter to Three Wives is very wittily written, the style of Mankiewicz's films from the late 40s into the 1960s - even with the financial disaster of Cleopatra.

The film is set in middle America, focuses on three marriages in an American in Upstate New York. Celeste Holm provides the voice-over of the mutual friend who announces in a letter that she has left town with one of their husbands. This gives the opportunity to look at flashbacks of the three marriages, their strengths and weaknesses. Jeanne Crain is the devoted wife to the very successful Jeffrey Lynn - but suffers from self-consciousness and her farming background. Linda Darnell is the girl from the wrong side of the tracks who marries the up and coming businessman, Paul Douglas. Ann Sothern is an ambitious writer for radio and Kirk Douglas is her schoolteacher husband. The performances are very good and interesting to see Kirk Douglas in an early light role, Linda Darnell and her beauty matching sparring with Paul Douglas in his first screen role.

1.The Oscars, the work of Joseph Mankiewicz, his wit in screenwriting?

2.The American settings, middle America, the town, socials, school, the outdoors, the river? An authentic feel of US, 1949? Musical score?

3.The structure of the film: the voice-over of Addie Ross, her letter? Its effect on the three wives? The flashbacks to introduce them, the flashbacks for their interactions? The end of the day, the decisions about who had gone with Addie Ross? The climax?

4.The focus on Deborah and Brad, the ideal couple? Deborah and her nervousness with the group? Being sick? Drinking too much? The background of the farm, the war effort? Brad as the catch? Their life in the town? Going out? Rita and George and their support? Lora Mae and Porter, the offhand manner, the squabbling? The fiasco of the first social? Her getting the letter, going with the other wives on the excursion? With the children? Brad not coming home? Her suspicions? His behaviour in the morning? Her being resigned to the fact that Brad had left?

5.Lora Mae, her background, her mother, Sadie? Across the tracks? Her relationship with Porter? Porter and his business background? His visiting, Lora Mae's sister? Going out with Porter? Wanting to marry him? The tensions? The socials, Porter and his behaviour towards Lora Mae, his comments? Dancing? The other couple? The fact that he came home on the day?

6.Rita and George, the introduction to both, Rita and her ambitions, writing for the radio, George and his school-teaching? The preparation for the visit of Mrs Manleigh? With her nondescript husband? Her talking? George speaking his mind? Rita upset? Wanting the job for George? The interactions between the two? Rita and her concern about George, his going off in the morning? That he would not return?

7.The comparisons between the couples? Their life together, the backgrounds, Deborah coming into the select group? Clubs?

8.Mrs Manleigh, the satire, her listening to the radio, the soap operas, the advertisements? Her husband agreeing with her? George standing up to her?

9.Lora Mae's mother, the hard life? Her sister? Sadie - and Sadie in the house, Rita wanting her to wear uniforms? Thelma Ritter's kind of comedy?

10.The revelation that Porter had gone off with Addie Ross? His return? Not being able to go through with it? Deborah's relief? Rita and George together?

11.The comment on marriage, commitment, ordinary lives, in the middle class? Fidelity and infidelity? Building on marriage?

12.The character of Addie Ross, the way that people spoke about her, Celeste Holm's tone in her voice-over? The relationship with each of the three husbands? The credibility of Porter going off with her?