a letter to three wives is a 1949 american romantic drama movie directed by joseph l. mankiewicz and based on the 1945 novel by john klempner. it stars jeanne crain, linda darnell, ann sothern, jeffrey lynn, paul douglas, kirk douglas, thelma ritter and was distributed by 20th century fox. it was nominated for 3 academy awards and won 2 oscars in 1950.