A Letter to Three Wives

A Letter to Three Wives is a 1949 film which tells the story of a woman who mails a letter to three women, telling them she has left town with the husband of one of them. It stars Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern, Kirk Douglas, Paul Douglas in his film debut, Jeffrey Lynn, and Thelma Ritter. An uncredited Celeste Holm provides the voice of Addie Ross, the unseen woman who wrote the eponymous letter. The movie was adapted by Vera Caspary and Joseph L. Mankiewicz from the 1946 novel Letter to Five Wives by John Klempner. It was directed by Mankiewicz, who went on to direct All About Eve... the following year. It won the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Writing, Screenplay and was nominated for Best Picture. 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. She, however, leaves them in suspense as to which one. All three marriages are shown in flashback to be strained. Deborah grew up on a farm.
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