bettycjung 4/20/18. I have forgotten why I originally wanted to watch this. Well, it wasn't that much of a romantic comedy and it didn't hold up too well over time. Enjoyed seeing Eve Arden though.

MartinHafer In 1949, Joseph Mankiewicz wrote and directed a perfect or nearly perfect film, "A Letter to Three Wives". I loved everything about the movie--the acting, the writing the direction. However, only a year later, someone came out with "Three Husbands" and I can only see it as a bald attempt to steal the plot from the original film-- it couldn't have been made without A LOT of inspiration from the first picture! When the story begin, it is just stupid. There's a nonsensical scene in Heaven that is just badly constructed in every way. It made no sense AND instead of showing anything, they just show a bunch of clouds and you hear a voice-over--talk about cheap! The story itself is about the death of the guy talking in the beginning of the film. His last wish when he gets to Heaven is that he be able to watch the hilarity (?) that would occur when his three male 'friends' all got letters he'd written and left for them with his executor. The letters inform the guys that the dead guy is saying he's sorry, but he's slept with their wives! What follows is the story about the marriages and how the husbands apparently have been taking their wives for granted and it serves them right. Then in a bizarro ending, there are so many misdirections it's confusing as to whether they happened or not (I have my impression...but will keep it to myself). The film has adequate acting--and some is good. But NONE of the acting reaches the quality of the top-notch actors in the original, all the changes to the script were bad and the film just wasn't entertaining and was as funny as cancer. I could see how this one slipped into the public domain!By the way, the only GOOD reason to see this is to watch and listen to Billie Burke in a small role. She, for once, drops her put-on silly warbly voice and sounds like a normal person here....and I assume this is the REAL Burke talking.

mark.waltz Vera Caspary's follow-up to "A Letter to Three Wives" starts out with good intentions, but as deceased antagonist Emlyn Williams should realize, good intentions are the pathway to hell. But here, he's presumably in heaven, his friends memorializing him at the same time he is revealing his last earthly dirty deed. You see, he has left behind a letter for three men indicating that he was having an affair with one of their wives. Who can it be? The stalwart Ruth Warrick, the somewhat crude Eve Arden, or the sweet and innocent Vanessa Brown are the three wives who ate in the same social circle but really have nothing in common. There's an unnecessarily long sequence where characters attend a foreign movie and flashbacks to William's lecherous encounters with each of the women. Of course, Arden is amusing as she battles with her wealthy bit coarse husband (Howard da Silva) and Warrick provides nostalgia for those who only knew her from "All My Children" as the haughty Phoebe. She is married to Sheppherd Strudwick here, an actor ironically on "One Life to Live" at the same time as Victor Lord.Vanessa Brown suffers from being the least interesting of the three wives and less than spicy dialog. Wasted in smaller roles are Billie Burke as Strudwick's mother and Jane Darwell in basically a cameo as attorney Jonathan Hale's wife. So ultimately, this is more interesting from a curiosity standpoint than the quality of the film itself. With the original having a screenplay that is still brilliant, the follow-up is bound to suffer in comparison. But oh that cast!

wes-connors After suffering a fatal heart attack, confirmed bachelor Emlyn Williams (as Maxwell "Max" Bard) gives heavenly greeters his last wish - he would like to observe events on Earth for the next twenty-four hours. And, with good reason. Mr. Williams has left not only a will, but also letters to "Three Husbands" admitting affairs with each of their three wives. The three men are poker playing pals Shepperd Strudwick (as Arthur Evans), Robert Karnes (as Kenneth Whittaker), and Howard Da Silva (as Dan McCabe). Their respective wives are Ruth Warrick (as Jane), Vanessa Brown (as Mary), and Eve Arden (as Lucille).Mr. Strudwick, who is having an affair with attractive Louise Erickson (as Matilda Clegg) nevertheless takes the news hard.Mr. Da Silva thinks the letter is a dead man's a joke, until Ms. Arden hints otherwise. And, happily married Mr. Karnes becomes frantically jealous. The admissions of infidelity threaten all three marriages, as everyone wonders if Williams was writing the truth… This lighter, low-budget take on the hit "A Letter to Three Wives" (1949) is surprisingly adroit, for what it cost; though, obviously, it would have had a greater impact if done ten years earlier, or updated decades later. Williams leads a fine ensemble cast, with bartender Jerry Hausner, butler Benson Fong, and elevator man Frank Cady given memorable "bit" parts.****** Three Husbands (3/8/51) Irving Reis ~ Emlyn Williams, Eve Arden, Shepperd Strudwick, Robert Karnes