Three couples, three problems, involving communication, assumptions, and being true to one’s principles. A Letter to Three Wives (1949) uses the plot contrivance of suggesting one of these couples is about to collapse, due to interference by an unseen old flame of each, as an excuse to explore these problems.
Brad and Deborah Bishop met in the service during the war. She’s from a poor family, he has money and friends that go with it, leading to insecurity on her part. Perhaps the least complex and satisfying of the stories, the question seems to be whether she can gather up the gumption to be herself, rather than what she thinks her husband’s friends want her to be.
George and Rita Phipps are a school teacher and radio mystery writer, respectively, and have possibly the most interesting story for today’s audience. Rita has changed from the woman George originally married – independent and principled – to a woman obsequious to her boss, who benefits from the commercials that play during the radio plays. Her husband is dismayed at her loss of faith in herself as well as her dedication to her craft. This leads to a relevant rant on his part concerning how school teachers (especially male school teachers) are disliked by society as well as underpaid. Why is he still in the profession? Because he can’t imagine not being a teacher, using literature to teach the children and young adults of the day. To a great extent, school teachers still suffer this problem, this lack of respect for the entire idea of education. His rant remains well worth a watch.
Porter and Lora Mae Darnell are the epitome of the central problem of the boss marrying an assistant – is the assistant marrying for money or …? This, in turn, influences his responses to her until she, smart enough to have caught him, doesn’t feel like a woman so much as merchandise; he simply feels as if he’s a bank, not a husband. Neither wishes to budge from their assumed positions until their pride is ready to destroy the marriage.
While some will point to the interfering woman, Addie Ross, as the connector of the stories, to my mind it’s actually a housekeeper, Sadie, who works for two of the couples and is related to Lora Mae. Every scene she appears in is her scene, and she dares the other actors to take it away from her. She’s a blast.
And the entire movie is just darn good, which you might expect from an Academy Award winning movie (Directing, Screenplay). It’s not a high octane thriller like today’s offerings, but it has fine acting from everyone, a subtle screenplay, good touches of humor, and some memorable characters.
Recommended if you don’t mind leisurely pacing.
