As with many major studio successes, Poverty Row jumped on the Fox boxoffice bandwagon with a copycat of Letter to Three Wives entitled Letter to Three Husbands (1951), a title quickly changed to just Three Husbands when Fox threatened to sue.Although promisingly based on a Vera Caspary story and script, "Three Husbands" is a rather dull and supremely tedious low-budget affair. I will admit that the Eve Arden and Howard Da Silva episode is reasonably entertaining and certainly comes off best, but it means that you will be obliged to sit through not only the tedious Shepperd Strudwick and Ruth Warwick's plodding plot, but the even more totally boring Robert Karnes.In fact, I've never heard of Mr. Karnes, and no wonder! His credits are mostly in television roles and I never watch TV! And as for Vanessa Brown (Jane in 1950's Tarzan and the Slave Girl), she has little to offer as well. (The Mill Creek DVD is of excellent quality, but who wants to waste time watching it when you could be entertained by at least fifty thousand better programs).

The production quality of "Three Husbands" is poor for Hollywood standards in 1950, but this independent film has an interesting plot. The script is a little weak, but the direction and acting more than make up for the negatives. The entire cast is very good, especially those in the seven leading roles. I especially like this film for the performance of Emlyn Williams as Maxwell Bard. Although six other leads are listed ahead of him, his is the pivotal role around which the plot revolves, with its smaller plots. Williams was a very talented man of stage and screen. He was a first-rate actor, as seen here. But he preferred writing. He wrote 20 original plays of his own, and wrote nearly three dozen more screenplays. Some of his plays have been made into excellent films. Among them are "The Corn is Green," "Night Must Fall," "Someone Waiting," "The Light of Heart," "The Wind of Heaven," and "Women of Dolwyn." He also acted in and directed "Dolwyn." Max is a friend to three particular men, and their wives. He is single and a ladies man, but he's an avowed bachelor. One suspects that he won't let himself get serious about a woman because of his bad heart. Indeed, he dies of a heart attack very young – about 40 in the film. So, he cherishes his friends and friendships with them, collectively and individually. This is a first rate comedy of morals with a lesson cleverly tucked into a story of multiple friendships. No one will miss the jealousy, but sometimes the deeper message isn't obvious at first. Max wraps it up nicely in the end though, calling to the attention of the three husbands the need to trust. As a true friend (which one could see in the flashbacks), he meant trust of one's friends as well as wives. One of the characters, Arthur Evans (played by Shepperd Strudwick) also dallies with infidelity. So, naturally, he is the most put out by the thought that his wife may have been unfaithful to him. The way the movie opens and closes is funny and clever. Many of us who believe in God think he must have a sense of humor, for the foibles, missteps and mistakes most of us make in our lives. The film has some witty dialog – see the quotes section of the IMDb listing here. But most of the comedy is in the situations and acting. The three actors playing the husbands are superb in their indignation.

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!

I just watched this romantic comedy for the first time this afternoon on YouTube. It is delightful. This black and white film has "colorful" scenes with all the actors. Who do you trust? This question is definitely posed to the 3 husbands regarding their wives. Flashbacks for all the husbands give us insights into all these relationships. The film has a happy and humorous ending.And, if you enjoy this movie, take a look at, the Ginger Rogers film, "Tom, Dick and Harry!" It is very innovative in its use of humor and special effects.