A Letter to Three Wives (1949)

My Review

“A Letter to Three Wives” is a drama film about three women who receive a letter from a mutual friend announcing that she has ran away with one of their husbands. Director-screenwriter Joseph L. Mankiewicz (“All About Eve” 1950) has put together this engrossing melodrama, adapted from the 1946 novel “A Letter to Five Wives” by John Klempner.

The outstanding performances by the cast is a big reason for the suspense which keeps viewers guessing right up to the end. The six principles are Jeanne Crain and Jeffrey Lynn as the Bishops, Linda Darnell and Paul Douglas as the Hollingsways, and Ann Southern and Kirk Douglas as the Phipps. Co-stars include Barbara Lawrence, Connie Gilchrist, Florence Bates, Hobart Cavanaugh, Thelma Ritter, and Celeste Holm as the letter writer.

“A Letter to Three Wives” was a modest success at the box office for producer Sol C. Siegel and 20th Century Fox. It was nominated for three Academy Awards, winning two for Best Director and Best Screenplay. The non-winner was for Best Picture. This black-and-white movie with a 103 minute running time was filmed in New York City and Los Angeles.