Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern

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.

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82% liked it

531 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

10 critics

Unrated, 103 min.

Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Release Date: January 20, 1949

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DVD Release Date: February 22, 2005

Stats: 143 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (143)


  • January 17, 2009
    My favorite Linda Darnell film. It's hard to stand out in a cast that includes such greats as Kirk Douglas, Ann Sothern and Jeanne Crain but she still manages to shine.
  • January 15, 2009
    I'd forgotten what a great movie this is! Celeste Holm narrates as Addie Ross, the unseen but effortlessly superior friend of three women (Jeanne Crain, Ann Sothern and Linda Darnell), one of whose husbands Addie claims, in a mischievous letter, to have run off with. But whose hu...( read more)sband does she mean?!?! Each adores Addie, and each seems to be acting strangely... Moving to flashback, one for each wife in turn, we see the women quietly upstaged in their domestic bliss by their infuriatingly perfect girlfriend. Linda Darnell stands out from the excellent cast, probably because she gets most of the best lines, but Ann Sothern is just as good. It's nice to see Kirk Douglas taking his place in the ensemble for a change, instead of selfishly chewing the scenery; even when he does explode, in a rant against radio advertising, he does so with relative restraint and his performance is the better for it. Thelma Ritter plays that same part she always plays. As you would expect with Mankiewicz, there's some wonderfully sophisticated dialogue. Celeste Holm's sweetly malicious voiceover, though brief, must qualify as one of cinema's greatest.
  • April 8, 2008
    "a letter to three wives" is a dialogue-driven psychological drama by joseph l. mankiewicz who contributes to the legendary bette davis classic "all about eve"....an estrogenic piece which is highly empathetic with female audience.

    the story whirls around a striking socialite ...( read more)named addie ross who writes a note to her three best friends in the town that she's gonna elope with one of their husbands....and that leads to the flashbacks of these three women's private jealous animosity and weakening apprehensions that their spouses all seem to have a deep crush on addie....so exactly whose husband becomes the prey of addie's feminine magnetism?

    to anchor the mystic charm of addie ross who is also the narrator, she remains abscent through the whole flick, and audience picture her poises of grace thru the three women's bitter reactions just as hitchcock's rebecca never reveals herself...now we witness the typical gender interactions of three housholds. jeanne crain's being self-abased by her rural upbringing, and her fear of being lacklustered by addie ross....ann sothern's mercenery irreconcilbility with her idealistic husband kirk douglas since she's much less thoughtful and refined by taste than the witty addie ross...then the sultry linda darnell with an awareness of her slum-bred background, aspiring to marry her wealthy boss by playing titilating "hard-to-get", still assured as darnell, she's being emulated by the addie ross with class her husband values.

    most women share a sort of envious intimidation from their so called "the beautiful friend" whom they criticize behind or gossip about with sour sarcasm when it comes to any female's living experiences, especially your significant the other keeps praising upon that fair confidante of yours, then a sense of vulnerability strikes since you're too infatuated with the man but too stubborn to admit.

    linda darnell's tale is most riveting with her lofty glamour as the ragged woman with pride, and thelma ritter plays the wise-cracking maid with an acid tongue. ritter, along with younger fresher kirk douglas, is the scene-stealer who has the "it" to grapple a smirk from the audience.

    "a letter to three wives" is mankiewicz's another success examplification that dialogues and sheer performances make the feature work.
  • August 30, 2007
    started off confusing but eventually got going with a lil' help from the three lady leads and kirk douglas's acting ability. infact, the whole shabang was well acted but perhaps it wasn't my sort of film. good acting is the thing i enjoyed here. oh, and ann sothern as well as lin...( read more)da darnell were very easy on the eye
  • October 20, 2009
    I very much enjoyed the film, its pretty much because its written very well, its casts are great, the story, well its the kind that keeps you guessing til the end, so I liked it very much..Plus, probably this movie is what inspired 'desperate housewives'..It was worth to watch..
  • October 10, 2009
    well umn just seen this movie 4 the 1st time n think that this is a good movie 2 watch......its got a good cast of actors/actressess thorughout this movie....i think that jeffrey lynn, jeanne crain, linda darnell, ann sothern, paul douglas, thelma ritter, kirk douglas play good r...( read more)oles/parts thorughout this movie....i think that the director of this drama/romance/classics movie had done a good job of directing this movie because you never know what 2 expect thorughout this movie....i think that this is a good 1940's movie 2 watch with a good cast throughout this movie...its a good movie n its enjoyable
  • August 24, 2009
    I loved this movie and it's brilliant.
  • August 24, 2009
    ...( read more)http://www.flixster.com">Flixster - Share Movies
  • January 29, 2009
    Su premisa y su estructura anuncian un tratamiento artificial y efectista, pero la brillantez del guión y la dirección, y las magníficas actuaciones elevan esta película a un nivel muy alto. / Its premise and its structure anticipate a treatment both artificial and sensationalist...( read more), but the brilliance of the script and the direction, as well as the knockout performances raise this to a high place.
  • January 24, 2009
    buenas actuaciones, buena historia, que gira en torno aun personaje ausente es Maravillosa

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A Letter to Three Wives Trivia


  • Writer/Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz was nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay two years in a row. These were for:  Answer »
  • In A Letter to Three Wives, who did NOT run away with Addie Ross?  Answer »
  • In A Letter to Three Wives, who ran away with Addie Ross?  Answer »
  • Movie quotes All right, so I'm gonna disgrace the fair name of Finney. Wait till it snows and throw me out in the street."   Answer »

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