TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Dotsthavesp I wanted to but couldn't!

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

sammysdad97 This movie is captivating. The late 1940s captured in real time. Black and white photography at its best. Dialog that crackles but yet is believable. An excellent cast and an absolutely great third act featuring the stunning Linda Darnell at the absolute peak of her luminous, sultry beauty going toe to toe with Paul Douglas, an everyman for any age. While Kirk Douglas and Ann Sothern have a few good exchanges this movie would be completely forgotten were it not for the 30 odd minutes spent with Lora Mae Finney and her family hard by the tracks and Porter Hollingsway's solitary man of wealth who is used to getting what he wants until Lora Mae takes his measure.1949 was a long time ago. Back then movies took their time setting a scene and introducing a set of characters. If you are impatient with this kind of film making and find yourself wanting to turn this off (for whatever reason) at any point before Linda Darnell and Paul Douglas take center stage then do yourself a favor and fast forward to around the 45 minute mark when Lora Mae's house begins to shake and watch the next half hour unspool as a world class "broad" and a street smart "gorilla" court each other for 15 very memorable rounds.I suspect you will then go back to the beginning and watch the entire film and enjoy it immensely for what it is -- a witty, "penetrating" look at American life just after the Second World War in a world that lacked "instant" communication and instead had to settle for the real thing.

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.

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.

vincentlynch-moonoi First off, I think this is a good film. I'm in agreement with that.But from my perspective, this is not a comedy...as Robert Osborne describes it. One reviewer here suggested it is a satire. Well, maybe; I'll have to think that over. To me, it was a drama. Yes, there is humor in it. But, what exactly is funny about three women spending an agonizing day wondering if it is their husband who has run away with their best friend...wondering if it is their marriage that has ended...and unable to do anything about it because they are on tour boat of the Hudson River chaperoning a field trip? Wife #1 is Jeanne Crain. A country girl who grew up and had a seemingly good marriage. Her husband is away on an overnight business trip. Crain is excellent...as she always was. No humor there.Wife #2 is Ann Southern, who is married to a rather young Kirk Douglas. This is Douglas before he got intense...here he's a bit more of the flip type, though he's also serious about the change that has come over his wife...that she's gotten too wrapped up in her job as a script writer, and has forgotten her roots and what their marriage in based on. Yes, there's a little humor here, but it's none to funny as Douglas tells off his wife's boss. BTW, Douglas is great, but this film is apt to remind moviegoers just how good Ann Southern really was. Her t.v. years later out-shined her movie success, but she was an excellent actress.Wife #3 is Linda Darnell. Not really a favorite of mine. But here, she is quite good as a floozy who catches a department store magnate in a marriage that seems off-base, but -- much to their own surprise -- gives each what they need. There is some humor here, but it's also very difficult to like Darnell's character, or for that matter Douglas'. Where should the sympathy go? And, in the end it turns out that Douglas was the husband who ran away with "the other woman", but then changed his mind.The other performance of note here is Thelma Ritter, as always old reliable. Connie Gilcrist and Florence Bates were also fine in their roles here.The script is very good as each wife spends some time thinking back to why it might be her husband that has run away with another woman.Well worth watching, and a possibility for your DVD shelf!