A Letter to Three Wives

It's very easy to feel nostalgia for old films and golden era stars, but I found that this version was a strong modernization while leaving the story line intact and plenty of the dialog too.

While Kirk Douglas was one of our greatest actors, Michael Gross handled the part well and might have been more convincing as an underpaid professor. Michele Lee was great as Rita, his wife, and the age difference wasn't as glaring as in the original.

Stephanie Zimbalist wa very like Jeanne Crain in the same role, but infused it with more emotion, and Charles Frank was perfectly well cast as well.

A lot of reviews did not like Lori Anderson as Lora Mae and believed that the character of a woman looking to marry and not be used and tossed aside by a rich man as passe by 1985. I remember 1985 very well and disagree. Even in 2021 there are women who feel that way and even now women are looking for a successful man. This hasn't changed. Loni plays the part of the working class beauty with grace and elegance, and the poor language skills that marred the original were blessedly scrapped. My highest praise is for Ben Gazzara as the wealthy retailer. The 1948 version made the character a bit buffoonish and the couple unnecessarily comical. Ben Gazzara made the character more realistic and physically appealing, and the director gave the lines a more emotional, intelligent quality. The last scene between Anderson and Gazzara was very well done and made the relationship and the ending understandable. The same scene in the original movie seemed rushed and empty.

I loved the music as well.

The only actor I missed from the original was Thelma Ritter.