Chaînes conjugales

Original title: A Letter to Three Wives

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

11K

YOUR RATING

Kirk Douglas, Linda Darnell, Jeanne Crain, Paul Douglas, Jeffrey Lynn, and Ann Sothern in Chaînes conjugales (1949)

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78 Photos

Comedy Drama Romance

A letter is addressed to three wives from their "best friend" Addie Ross, announcing that she is running away with one of their husbands - but she does not say which one.A letter is addressed to three wives from their "best friend" Addie Ross, announcing that she is running away with one of their husbands - but she does not say which one.A letter is addressed to three wives from their "best friend" Addie Ross, announcing that she is running away with one of their husbands - but she does not say which one.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

11K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 2 Oscars
- 5 wins & 1 nomination total

Thomasino
(uncredited)

Patti Brady

Kathleen
(uncredited)

Ralph Brooks

Bookie Dancer at Country Club
(uncredited)

John Davidson

John
(uncredited)

Sayre Dearing

Country Club Member
(uncredited)

Franklyn Farnum

Country Club Member
(uncredited)

Sam Finn

Second Waiter
(uncredited)

Director
- Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Writers
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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9:57

Storyline

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Trivia
(at around 1h 16 mins) To get the proper look of derision from Linda Darnell in the scene where she stares at a photo of Addie, director Joseph L. Mankiewicz used a picture of Otto Preminger, the director who had given Darnell such a hard time on the set of Ambre (1947).

Goofs
In one scene, a P-trap under a sink is shown leaking a huge amount of water. Being a drain, a P-trap would not leak unless the water was left on.

Quotes
Mrs. Finney: Can't we have peace in this house even on New Year's Eve?
Sadie: You got it mixed up with Christmas. New Year's Eve is when people go back to killing each other.

Connections
Featured in The Screen Writer (1950)

Soundtracks
Wein, weib und Gesang Op. 333 (Wine, Women and Song)
(uncredited)
Music by Johann Strauss
Waltz danced by Deborah and Brad at the country club

User reviews94

Featured review

"Bingo!"

Warning! - possible mini-SPOILER to follow...

Other comments herein attest to this film's amazingly well-achieved wit and sophistication, both for its time and, when viewed today, outclassing almost anything I can think of in recent release. Twentieth-Century Fox gave Joseph L. Mankiewicz top-notch professionals to help him win his eventual Oscars for direction and screenplay.

One moment that will always spring to my mind when I recall this film is that wonderful character actress, Connie Gilchrist (so perfectly partnered in her scenes with one of my all-time beloveds, Thelma Ritter), reacting to Laura Mae's announcement of her engagement to her boss, Mr. Hollingsway, so well-played by the great Paul Douglas. As she falls in a dead faint, she emits a jubilant exclamation on her way to the floor: "Bingo!" One of this film's best guffaws and a nice counterpoint to some of the more subtle examples of humor in this example of what Hollywood can do when everything meshes so superbly.