VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Megamind To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Rexanne It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

hall895 With a "friend" like Addie Ross who needs enemies? Deborah, Rita and Lora Mae are the three wives of the film's title. And Addie Ross is going to deliver them that devastating letter. The trio of young wives are good friends, Addie very much the outsider whom they keep a wary eye on. And wary they should be because each of their husbands is quite clearly smitten with Addie. The men look upon Addie as a goddess. The women look upon her with disdain. Addie knows how they feel about her. And boy will she ever get her revenge. The trio of wives are about to embark on a daylong cruise, chaperoning a group of underprivileged children. And just before the boat sets off Addie has that letter delivered to them. She tells them she is leaving town for good...and she has taken one of their husbands with her. And Addie really twists the knife by not saying which husband it is she has run off with. So now our three wives face a long day of torment, each wondering if she will be the one to return home to find her husband gone. That Addie Ross, what a stinker.As the cruise goes on we, through a series of flashbacks, see how each wife's marriage is somewhat strained, why each husband may be tempted to run away. First up is Deborah, a simple farm girl who met her husband-to-be Brad in the Navy. Deborah is desperately uncomfortable in Brad's upper class social circle. And also very uncomfortable with the fact that everyone in that circle always assumed Brad was going to marry Addie. Next comes the telling of Rita's story. She's a successful career woman, writing scripts for popular radio programs. Her husband George, a humble teacher, is a little insecure about the fact his wife is more successful than he is. It all comes to a head at an exceedingly awkward dinner Rita hosts for her boss. That the dinner happens to be on George's birthday, a fact Rita forgot until a present arrives from Addie, doesn't help matters. Finally we come to Lora Mae. She's married to Porter, perhaps the richest man in town. Did he ever want her for anything more than her beauty? Did she ever want him for anything more than his money? Is there any love here at all? And why, the first time Porter brings Lora Mae to his home, did he have a picture of Addie on top of his piano? So the women all wonder who's lost her husband and we wonder right along with them. The story is very engaging, wonderfully scripted with plenty of good wit sprinkled throughout. Addie narrates the story but director Joseph L. Mankiewicz uses a smart device to keep her largely shrouded in mystery. The less we know about this supposed goddess the more intriguing things become. Addie sets the plot in motion but it is the three wives whom she torments who carry the film. And each of the three actresses plays her part wonderfully. Jeanne Crain plays the bundle of insecurities that is Deborah. This is clearly the most sympathetic character. You know if her husband leaves she'll fall to pieces and Crain really makes you feel for the poor woman. The other two women are much more assured. But Rita comes to realize maybe she was a little too assured for her own good. Has she emasculated, and ultimately lost, her husband? Ann Sothern plays this part and her interactions with Kirk Douglas, playing her husband, are top-notch. And then there is Linda Darnell, playing Lora Mae. Easy to see why Porter would want Lora Mae, Darnell's a stunner. But Darnell has more than her good looks going for her, she's a very strong actress too and she gives it as good as she gets with Paul Douglas, playing Porter. The rest of the film is very good but Lora Mae's story is a cut above, helped greatly by the powerful performances of Darnell and Paul Douglas. If Lora Mae was just in this marriage for money her husband running off would actually be a good thing. But maybe there's love there after all. Darnell captures that ambiguity perfectly.It's the women's picture, they're the unquestioned stars. But both Kirk Douglas and Paul Douglas have very important parts to play in the film's success as well. Jeffrey Lynn, playing Deborah's husband, has much less to do but what he does do he does capably. There's also a fun appearance from Thelma Ritter providing some comic relief in the role of a house servant. And of course, hovering over the whole picture, is the looming specter of Addie Ross. Mankiewicz uses her in just the right way to add another layer to the film's mystery. The film presents a smart, engrossing story. The three wives weave in and out of each other's stories, everything ties together beautifully. The relationships the wives have with their respective husbands are most important but the relationships they have with each other are very telling too. By the time that boat finally docks and the women race home to hopefully find their husbands you're right on the edge of your seat. Few romantic films are as dramatic as this. This is a very well thought-out, well-crafted, and ultimately very satisfying film.

firefoxpies-139-635676 Paul Douglas-Linda Darnell, sensuous, electric, lots of spit between these two. Kirk Douglas can barely restrain his animal self, in a milquetoasty role that he isn't suited for, but is still terribly attractive in. Thelma Ritter, what can you say? Brilliant as always; so genuine, so likable. Connie Gilchrist ditto. Jeanne Crain had an admirer at the studio, so despite her being obnoxious to listen to and look at, she still shows up in movie after movie. She is par for the course in this one. Ann Sothern is cute and does her best with a silly storyline, but now for the spoiler:it was BRAD who ran away with Addie-Here's whyWhen Brad's wife Deborah returns home from the picnic, the house man gives her a note, the message being that Brad won't be home that evening. When Deborah reads the message to herself, it is read to us in the audience by narrator ADDIE--ADDIE reads the message in a snide fashion, that Brad won't be home. Later, at the club dance, when Porter says he ran away with Addie, but changed his mind, George tells Porter, "you're quite a guy". Why would George congratulate Porter saying he ran off with another woman? Also, Rita states, "She would have known in the morning, anyway" referring to Brad staying gone for good. When her husband did not return in the morning, Deborah would realize it was definitely Brad, not Porter who had run away with Addie, despite Porters' confession, which he made so that Deborah wouldn't worry all night. Also, nobody reacts to Porter having tried to leave Lora Mae, not even Lora Mae! Porter's confession was an obvious attempt to draw a line in the sand of the relationship between himself and Lora Mae. No one seems the least bit concerned that Porter's confession is true, because they know it isn't. It's obvious, despite some who may believe differently, that it was Brad who ran off with Addie; if not, then why have Addie narrate Brad's message for Deborah?? Duh

jjnxn-1 Where to begin to praise this fantastic picture? The dialogue is witty and sharp, the situations wonderfully true and the performances by almost all exceptional. Modern technology has made the basic premise of three woman isolated from communicating with their husbands for a day pretty much obsolete but that just makes this all the more enjoyable. The segment with Jeanne Crain and Jeffrey Lynn is not bad but is the weakest of the three since they are the least charismatic performers but the theme of insecurity due to a perceived feeling of inferiority between partners in a marriage is as relevant today as then. Ann Sothern and Kirk Douglas are perfectly matched in their portion and ably abetted by the hilarious Thelma Ritter. The insights into the struggles between education versus crass commercialism are sadly contemporary even if now it is TV and the internet that is dumbing down the nation instead of radio as presented here. The real golden couple and the pair who walk off with the picture are Paul Douglas and, in the best part she ever had, Linda Darnell. She is Oscar worthy here and the fact that she was overlooked for even a nomination is a travesty, yet another example of a quality performer who was never given her due. True the words are there for them to feast on and what a banquet they make. They share a cynical outlook and delivery which puts bite into every word and while it is mostly employed to comic effect beneath their hesitant defensive dance is an obvious feeling which each is too afraid to show. It lends a wonderful poignancy anytime they appear and makes them stand out not just in their part of the film but in what they add to the others. Connie Gilchrist as Linda's mother also makes the most of one of her best roles, she and Thelma Ritter are a brilliantly comedic team! The unseen Celeste Holm was the perfect choice for the narrator, her silky, venomous delivery tells you all you need to know of the mantrap Addie Ross. Mankiewicz deserved his Oscar for making the whole jigsaw fitted together superbly and never letting interest in these people lag for a minute. If you haven't seen this you are missing a great film.

bobsgrock Joseph L. Mankiewicz's impeccable film is more than just a satirical look at marriage and the relationship between men and women. It also gives insight to life in suburbia, which was just getting started in America at the time of its release. The plot follows out that there are three women who consider themselves to be each other's best of friends. They all go on a day-long picnic for the local children's orphanage but just before leaving receive a letter from a woman known to them all that says she has run away with one of their husbands.As the three wives ponder their own relationships with their husbands and with each other, they each begin to realize that each of their husbands has his own reason to run off with the accomplished, beautiful, but hidden to us Addie Ross. Deborah Bishop, played wonderfully by Jeanne Crain, is a former Navy girl who is as tough as they come, but worries severely about not being able to impress her new husband's friends. Rita Phipps has been happily married to a wonderful schoolteacher, but she has been pushing him around for some time in order to accomplish a career of her own. And the third wife, Lora Mae played by Linda Darnell, really only got married it seems in order to get out of the working class and become a sophisticated lady of society.The biggest problem most audiences will have is the ending of this terrific story. Everything leading up to is just about perfect. The acting is solid all around with Ann Sothern giving the best performance, in my opinion, as a beautiful and accomplished mother who nevertheless feels she has to do more in order to feel successful. Kirk Douglas is very good as her husband as are all the supporting characters. Of course, the script is very witty and biting as it was written by the same man who gave us All About Eve. And while this isn't as original or cleverly written as that masterpiece, this still holds up very well as an excellent depiction of American life during a time where everything was thought to prim and proper.