Imagine last century’s Hollywood talking about all the shenanigans we’re living today; A Letter to Three Wives does that even before our current technology was a figment of someone’s imagination. Set in a time when radio still ruled, three heroines face modernity and spousal distress.
This month, Old Academy Anew explores the lives of a group of friends assembled by circumstance and location. The antagonist narrates. We’ll never see her, but her influence lingers and dictates. A looming presence that would keep fucking up our protagonists’ marriages.
I had a lot of fun with this one, so the swearing will be sparse and the spoilers minimal. I want you to find it and watch it; it’s worth your time.
THE GALS
Our story begins with a “this is fiction disclaimer” voice over. Also with geographical descriptions– each more vague than the previous, as if describing a staple YA protagonist. As the social hierarchy begins to shine, we meet the first wife, Deborah (Jeanne Crain), on her way out. Her husband’s having breakfast, and she strikes up a conversation/discussion/argument about a dress and tonight’s event. Nonsensical if you ask me, but that’s women for you, according to 1940’s Hollywood. Today’s the first Saturday of May; start of the social season, making his probable absence tonight at the Country Club even more noticeable. The name “Addie Ross” surges to muddle things up even more (as it always does). Deborah jumps into her car to pick up the next wife, Rita (Ann Sothern).
A LETTER TO THREE WIVES ISN’T ONLY ABOUT SOCIAL STATUS AND MARITAL DISSONANCE BUT ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF ONLY FOCUSING ON UNIMPORTANT THINGS.
Already outside, Rita conveniently does a 180 to check on her twins. This allows Deborah to have a brief conversation with Rita’s husband. These people know each other so well that Deborah notices the man has chosen not to go fishing today; she points this out to her friend, also that he’s wearing his best suit. So absorbed in her plans for the day, Rita didn’t pay attention to her husband’s outfit. Nevertheless, any questions are left unanswered; they’re running late and still need to make a train station stop.
The third wife, Lora Mae (Linda Darnell), arrives at the river docks. As prominent ladies of the town, the three are presiding over a daylong outing for the community’s children. Deborah and Rita finally get there, citing the train station detour for the delay. Lora Mae asks if they met any friends at the station. Seeing their confusion, she unleashes the scoop: “Addie Ross” has left town. For good.
There’s no time to speculate because they’re rushed to the riverboat taking everyone to the outing location. A mailman on a bicycle stops them as they board to deliver the title’s letter. Deborah wants to wait until they’re back to open the letter in case something in it spoils their day. Declaring nothing “Addie Ross” does can spoil her day; Rita opens it. A gracious missive showing her appreciation for her friends and how much she will miss their town. But, just to miss the whole enchilada a little less, “Addie Ross” has taken something with her. One of the three ladies’ husbands.
JEALOUSY AND DOUBT ARE HAPPINESS’S UGLY STEP-SISTERS, AND THEM BITCHES RUN AMOK IN A LETTER TO THREE WIVES.
“If this is her idea of a joke, it is in very poor taste,” says Rita, rolling her eyes. The other two exchange glances. There’s a phone booth not far from them. All three look at it longingly. We can see Insecurity’s tentacles fluttering about, ready to squeeze their brains. They’re called to board; the captain’s getting antsy.
All trapped for a day in the charitable niceties of their social standing, each wife will wonder if it’s her husband who flew the coop. This opens up the opportunity to peek behind the curtain of their marriages and interactions with each other.
Our first flashback (?) involves Deborah’s first night in town. A farm girl, she met her shiny new rich husband as they were both serving in the Navy. In a new place and knowing no one, she’s about to meet her husband’s childhood friends for the first time. Coincidentally, this also happens to be on the first Saturday of May.
Here we have the first (and basically ONLY) plot hole of the movie. Deborah is in an emotional shambles because she feels inadequate. Her hair’s a mess, and tonight’s dress was already old before she went to the Navy. You see, in uniform everybody was the same. She was confident and smart and looked really nice in her official Dinner Dress.
THESE MARITAL VIGNETTES ARE A LETTER TO THREE WIVES’ WAY OF HINTING AT THE RUNAWAY HUSBAND.
Why doesn’t she have a brand-new, fashionable outfit for the night? What is this bullshit? Sure, it’d be more difficult to paint her as a melodramatic, martini-for-courage drinker mess if she were sporting Chanel. Still, even if they’ve just moved in that day, husband is loaded, ordering a fucking dress the same day wouldn’t be a problem. Wealthy folk had same-day delivery way before Amazon! Shouldn’t people from the military have a different level of organizational skills? I don’t know why, but this setup upset me a lot. Snort.
Nevertheless, in comes Rita and her husband. The twins are summoned again, this time to make the two women share some private time. Deborah bitches and moans. Rita is kind and patient. Together they do their best to disuglify and update the less-than-stellar frock. At the Country Club, we meet Lora Mae’s husband for the first time. We also see glimpses of their contentious marriage amid Deborah’s ongoing drama. Shenanigans ensue.
We return to the current picnic. Rita’s husband wearing a suit on a Saturday morning for no particular reason triggers her flashback for our speculation. The family is getting ready for a very important dinner party with Rita’s bosses. Here we meet Sadie (Thelma Ritter), who’s a jack of all trades/snarky lady and cackle-inducer every time she’s around. She’s everything quippy Marvel would love to be. Now that’s a secondary character who steals the show. I don’t want a movie; I want several sitcom seasons of Sadie.
The Sadie Show continues– sorry, the Rita flashback with someone knocking at the door. Shouldn’t be the guests; it’s too early. Nah. It’s a delivery for Husband. A present from “Addie Fukken Ross.”
WHAT PEOPLE DO TO GET TO THE PLACES THEY WANT TO BE TELLS US A LOT ABOUT THEM. A LETTER TO THREE WIVES IS FULL OF THESE DECISIONS AND MISCALCULATIONS.
We already learned Rita loses her peripheral vision when she’s extra focused; thus, she forgot it was her husband’s bday. Beyond that, she’d never have considered getting him an orchestral recording on vinyl. Nevertheless, the green bile of jealousy churns after reading the card accompanying the thoughtful gift.
Cut to the guests (who include Lora Mae and husband) listening to the gifted vinyl before dinner. It seems these “intellectual endeavors” are not the bosses’ cup of tea. Rita writes radio serials, and her lady boss insists they’re the entertainment of the future. Nevertheless, these TikTok verticals of yore are no different from ours; it’s all about advertising and mindless consumerism.
Lora Mae’s husband owns seven stores. It’s never explicitly said how big these are, but we can see Rita’s bosses salivating at the idea of him sponsoring one of them radio serials. Still, that apparent bait isn’t the real reason for the dinner. The true purpose involves Rita’s hubby. As soon as the reason’s revealed, what was already a poorly executed meeting turns into an all-out confrontation. You see, Rita’s better half is a teacher, and he’s not happy with what the radio is doing to our youth. The bosses storm out. Lora Mae’s husband doesn’t waste the opportunity to inflict his brand of assholery on her as they also exit. And the lady boss broke “Addie Ross’s” gift at some point during the night. Party’s an absolute bust.
It seems watching the world technology advance while the average population’s brains decay ain’t a 2020’s malady but a long-standing curse. We’ve certainly been brainrotting since before smartphones. Yikes.
A LETTER TO THREE WIVES IS SET IN THE MOMENT WHEN THE HONEYMOON PHASE IS LONG GONE, AND ALL THAT’S LEFT IS REALITY AND EFFORT.
Back to the movie’s present, Lora Mae seems the only one cool with a running husband. I mean, we’re aware the relationship is tumultuous. Nevertheless, Rita (the apparent anchor of the trio) tries to coax some reaction. Lora Mae has a simple mantra, “I got everything I want.” Rita ain’t convinced but leaves her, triggering the last flashback.
My favorite character opens the best visual trip down memory lane; Sadie, cig dangling from her lips, plays cards with Lora Mae’s mom. We learn the family dynamics quickly. Younger sister enters the frame, bitching about our heroine. Sister’s in the film for five minutes tops, but it’s enough to want to smack her silly.
Anyhoo, Lora Mae waits for her future husband to pick her up for their first date. He’s the big boss, and Bitch Sis insists decent girls don’t go out with the company’s owner. Mother dismisses her because there’s nothing wrong with a little attention from a wealthy man. We know how this one ends. Still, the journey is a chef kiss. And, contrary to the other women, we get to see how these two ended up together; we aren’t just dumped in the middle of some marital kerfuffle.
The community picnic ends. Thank fukken Jove, kids screaming ain’t my favorite background noise. Our heroines go home to get ready for the opening of the social season; each with her head full of apprehension– and perhaps hope.
A LETTER TO THREE WIVES SKILLFULLY PAIRS FEAR AND ANTICIPATION TO TORMENT OUR TRIO WITHOUT REMORSE.
Who’s the wayward husband skipping town with the elusive “Addie Ross?” Dun, dun, dun.
THE GUYS
Explaining/describing the husbands is a different beast altogether. These men are the reason the women meet, but how they relate to each other is extremely nebulous. Deborah’s husband, Brad (Jeffrey Lynn), is plot-conveniently rich. He has an office and travels, but what he actually does is never unveiled. As much as the film tries to make him a loving man, he just seems to treat Deborah as arm candy. He’s the dude version of a ditzy wife who likes to flirt with her husband’s friends. Now, without the Navy leveling the playing field, their contrasting backgrounds become clearer, making a sudden escape unsurprising.
Conversely, Rita’s husband, George (Kirk effing Douglas) is a teacher. He’s our main guy; sad reminder that educators have been treated like shit since before most of us were born. Those in charge of instructing the next generation are constantly dismissed by technology and entertainment. George is the most developed of the husbands, not just because we know his position, but because most thinking adults can relate to it. Nevertheless, the film gives us a reason to believe he might abscond with the Boogeywoman. Funny enough, Rita knows that if dude leaves, it ain’t just “Addie Ross’s aura;” her own incongruence is at least 65% to blame. Radio (fukken technology) has changed her.
I KEEP IMAGINING VIVIEN LEIGH AS THE PERFECT “ADDIE ROSS” FOR A LETTER TO THREE WIVES. CAN YOU SEE THE VISION?
Lora Mae’s husband, Porter (Paul Douglas), is the odd one here. According to the story, Brad, George, Rita, and “Addie Ross” are linked by their school years. What age any of these folks are meant to be is never addressed. Nonetheless, it’s implied at some point that Porter is about 35, and Lora Mae’s supposedly way younger. I guess this bunch was the precursor of casting over-20 actors as high schoolers. Regardless, when Porter starts courting Lora Mae, he’s been divorced once and set in his ways.
At the end of the day, all three dudes are infatuated with “Addie Ross” one way or another. She’s the standard that everything else is compared to. And yet, it’s never insinuated that any of them have been intimate with this extraordinary specimen; it all reeks of unfulfilled desire.
THE GLOSS
Are the guys truly cheating, or is it just something the gals use to keep their minds busy? Now, remember, the letter might be “Addie Ross’s” final goodbye, but she’s always been around. She’s part of the women’s group– a frenemy, if you will. So what has been going on before the movie to give our heroines cause for suspicion? Fishy behavior or just some excuse to blame their own insecurities (real or fictional) on someone else?
Interestingly, at least two of the men show insecurities as well. Obviously, not in the same way, but it is there– visible if you can read the signs.
A LETTER TO THREE WIVES DOESN’T SHY AWAY FROM MALE EMOTIONAL STRUGGLES EVEN WHEN FOCUSING MOSTLY ON THEIR FEMALE COUNTERPARTS.
Sharing a life isn’t easy, especially when the partners want to keep their society-imposed roles intact. Gender and hierarchy had a different value when this film was made; that doesn’t mean we’ve surmounted such identity restrictions. Paraphrasing Shrek Forever After (2010), many would rather go back to “When the world made sense.” But, as with everything else, those are remembering very specific parts with extremely fucking thick rose-tinted glasses. And there’s also the subplot of not everything new makes life better– aka technology ain’t a panacea.
So, can we remake A Letter to Three Wives in 2026? The first hurdle is that people barely send postcards, much less letters, today. A TEXT TO THREE WIVES doesn’t have the same ring to it, and it’d probably be in a WhatsApp group chat. Our current Hollywood doesn’t have the imagination to make it a parody/comedy either. The second hurdle would be the obsession with making everything an effing melting pot. There’s nothing wrong with a diverse cast when it makes sense; however, I can see today’s writers gender-swapping one of the wives. Then, they have to invoke bisexuality at best and regret at worst. There’s no need for that here.
Could this work as a period piece, set in a post-WWII USA? Maybe. Nevertheless, we’re still left with a Hollywood mostly incapable of writing human relations without making them a gender war. Or having the subtlety to keep unclefukker “Addie Ross” off the screen– just a looming threat. And nudity. We can’t do a film about grownups without tits and butts out. Hey, I write romance; zero against people bumping uglies, but it needs to enhance, not detract from the story.
A 2026 REMAKE OF A LETTER TO THREE WIVES WOULD BE RIDDLED WITH UNNECESSARY EXISTENTIAL DEBATES OR EVEN PREACHY AGENDAS INSTEAD OF BEING A MARITAL PARTNERSHIP EXPLORATION.
Fun Fact: The final resolution, although clear to me, left many people confused and unsure at the time. General Douglas MacArthur famously phoned director/scriptwriter Joseph Mankiewicz for clarification. Also, Mankiewicz’s script is based on a novel with five instead of three wives.
I can’t see modern Hollywood doing justice to this classic masterpiece about fear, consequences, and human interaction. Let’s hope many people, but not a single studio executive, read this article. Double Wink. Highly recommend it. 8 out of 10.
A Letter to Three Wives is available for free on several YouTube channels.
