Letters from Three Lovers
Encyclopedia
Letters from Three Lovers is a 1973
made-for-tv drama film
directed by John Erman
. An ABC Movie of the Week
and a sequel to The Letters (1973), the film is co-produced by Aaron Spelling
, written by Ann Marcus
and stars Martin Sheen
, Belinda Montgomery
, Robert Sterling
, June Allyson
, Ken Berry
and Juliet Mills, among others.
) speaks about three stories of lives that were completely changed by letters not having come through the mail on time. The first includes Vincent (Martin Sheen
), a former member of the army in the Vietnam war
, whose wife Angie (Belinda Montgomery
) works at a bar for a strict boss, Al (James McCallion). Vincent reveals to Angie that he has recently been fired and can not give her a big marriage, nor can he invest in a garage with his friend Jesse. Even though Angie tells him that she loves him nonetheless, Vincent robs Al in a desperate rage. He quickly becomes imprisoned, and Angie attempts to support him, but Vincent - ashamed - orders her not to visit him again. In prison, he has difficulty forgetting about his fiance. In a letter, Angie informs Vincent that she still stands by his side, and that she was fired from the job, and has since moved away to live near her new job.
In the second story, set in a suburb 350 miles from Los Angeles, a wealthy old couple Joshua (Barry Sullivan
) and Monica Brandon (June Allyson
) do not seem invested in each others lives anymore. The marriage suffered under the sudden death of their 10-year-old son years earlier. When one night, her husband does not show up in a restaurant in Los Angeles for dinner, Monica meets Bob Francis (Robert Sterling
). They share a meal and have a great time, and end up in bed with each other. Monica and Bob promise each other to meet once a month in the same hotel, and send a letter to the place if one can not attend. The next month, Bob finds out that his business wild send him to New York, not Los Angeles, meaning that they can not meet up. He sends a letter to the hotel, explaining Monica the situation, but the letter is sent to late, leaving Monica feeling stood up in the hotel.
The final story involves middle class businessman Jack (Ken Berry
), who was once a spontaneous guy, but is now criticized by colleague Sam (Lyle Waggoner
) for having become a scrooge. He plans on marrying a rich girl, and checks into an expensive hotel in Palm Beach to achieve his goal. Meanwhile, somewhere else secretary Donna (Ellen Weston
), is invited to accompany her boss Mr. Thompson (Dan Tobin
) to Palm Beach. She is not able to come and instead sends her colleague Maggie (Juliet Mills). Work acquires Thompson to quickly leave, but he allows Maggie to take full usage of his hotel, allowing her to have a small vacation as soon as she is done filing papers. In her spare time, she meets Jack and enjoys his attention so much, that she pretends to come from money in order to not lose his interest. They go out on several dates over the next two days, and Jack proposes to her at the end of their vacation. She promises to give him an answer the next morning, but he turns out to be gone by then, leaving her to think that he has found out that she is not wealthy. Jack, meanwhile, admits to Sam that he left because he feels that he is not good enough for her. In a letter, he reveals about his fraud, but assures her that he loves her.
The mailman explains that all three letters arrived a year late due to an accident involving the plane that carried the letters. Vincent, who has since been released from prison, is desperately seeking for Angie, when he receives her belated letter, through which he finds out her new address. A criminal named Wilson (Logan Ramsey
) has offered him money to serve as a driver in a heist, but Vincent wants to visit Angie and tries to reject him. Wilson, however, threatens to kill him if he does not help out. During the heist, Vincent calls Angie to tell her he loves her. Wilson sees him in a telephone booth and thinks that he is warning the police, and thus shoots and kills him. Meanwhile, Monica is considering to adopt a child with Joshua, when she suddenly receives Bob's letter. She immediately meets up with him, but realizes that the passion is gone. She gladly returns to Joshua, and tells him how much she loves him. Finally, Maggie receives Jack's letter and coincidentally runs into him at work the same day. Jack fears that she hates him because of the letter, but Maggie assures him that she loves him even more.
1973 in film
The year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
made-for-tv drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by John Erman
John Erman
John Erman is an American television and film director, actor and producer.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Erman spent the early years of his career, after a few small roles in films such as The Cosmic Man , directing episodes of such primetime series as Peyton Place, The Fugitive, The Outer Limits,...
. An ABC Movie of the Week
ABC Movie of the Week
The ABC Movie of the Week is a weekly television anthology series, featuring made-for-TV movies, that aired on the ABC network in various permutations from 1969 to 1975.-History:...
and a sequel to The Letters (1973), the film is co-produced by Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits...
, written by Ann Marcus
Ann Marcus
Ann Marcus ia an American television writer, producer and playwright. She graduated from Western College for Women, worked for the New York Daily News and Life, where she worked with famed photographers such as Alfred Eisenstadt....
and stars Martin Sheen
Martin Sheen
Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
, Belinda Montgomery
Belinda Montgomery
Belinda J. Montgomery is a Canadian-born actress and painter currently living in California.-Life and career:Montgomery was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She is perhaps best known as Mrs...
, Robert Sterling
Robert Sterling
Robert Sterling, born William Sterling Hart was an American film and television actor.-Early life:...
, June Allyson
June Allyson
June Allyson was an American film and television actress, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. She was a major MGM contract star. Allyson won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her performance in Too Young to Kiss . From 1959–1961, she hosted and occasionally starred in her own CBS anthology...
, Ken Berry
Ken Berry
Kenneth Ronald "Ken" Berry is an American dancer, comedic actor and singer. He began on stage as a dancer and later starred in television sitcoms.-Life and career:...
and Juliet Mills, among others.
Plot
A mailman (Henry JonesHenry Jones (actor)
Henry Burk Jones was an American actor of stage, film and television.Jones was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Helen and John Francis Xavier Jones. He was the grandson of Pennsylvania Representative Henry Burk...
) speaks about three stories of lives that were completely changed by letters not having come through the mail on time. The first includes Vincent (Martin Sheen
Martin Sheen
Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
), a former member of the army in the Vietnam war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, whose wife Angie (Belinda Montgomery
Belinda Montgomery
Belinda J. Montgomery is a Canadian-born actress and painter currently living in California.-Life and career:Montgomery was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She is perhaps best known as Mrs...
) works at a bar for a strict boss, Al (James McCallion). Vincent reveals to Angie that he has recently been fired and can not give her a big marriage, nor can he invest in a garage with his friend Jesse. Even though Angie tells him that she loves him nonetheless, Vincent robs Al in a desperate rage. He quickly becomes imprisoned, and Angie attempts to support him, but Vincent - ashamed - orders her not to visit him again. In prison, he has difficulty forgetting about his fiance. In a letter, Angie informs Vincent that she still stands by his side, and that she was fired from the job, and has since moved away to live near her new job.
In the second story, set in a suburb 350 miles from Los Angeles, a wealthy old couple Joshua (Barry Sullivan
Barry Sullivan (actor)
Barry Sullivan was an American movie actor who appeared in over 100 movies from the 1930s to the 1980s.Born in New York City, Sullivan fell into acting when in college playing semi-pro football...
) and Monica Brandon (June Allyson
June Allyson
June Allyson was an American film and television actress, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. She was a major MGM contract star. Allyson won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her performance in Too Young to Kiss . From 1959–1961, she hosted and occasionally starred in her own CBS anthology...
) do not seem invested in each others lives anymore. The marriage suffered under the sudden death of their 10-year-old son years earlier. When one night, her husband does not show up in a restaurant in Los Angeles for dinner, Monica meets Bob Francis (Robert Sterling
Robert Sterling
Robert Sterling, born William Sterling Hart was an American film and television actor.-Early life:...
). They share a meal and have a great time, and end up in bed with each other. Monica and Bob promise each other to meet once a month in the same hotel, and send a letter to the place if one can not attend. The next month, Bob finds out that his business wild send him to New York, not Los Angeles, meaning that they can not meet up. He sends a letter to the hotel, explaining Monica the situation, but the letter is sent to late, leaving Monica feeling stood up in the hotel.
The final story involves middle class businessman Jack (Ken Berry
Ken Berry
Kenneth Ronald "Ken" Berry is an American dancer, comedic actor and singer. He began on stage as a dancer and later starred in television sitcoms.-Life and career:...
), who was once a spontaneous guy, but is now criticized by colleague Sam (Lyle Waggoner
Lyle Waggoner
Lyle Wesley Waggoner is an American actor and former model, best known for his work on The Carol Burnett Show from 1967 to 1974 and for playing the role of Steve Trevor in the Wonder Woman television series from 1975 to 1979...
) for having become a scrooge. He plans on marrying a rich girl, and checks into an expensive hotel in Palm Beach to achieve his goal. Meanwhile, somewhere else secretary Donna (Ellen Weston
Ellen Weston
Ellen Weston is an American actress, producer, and writer. Born Ellen Weinstein in New York City, Ellen Weston appeared on Broadway in Toys in the Attic, A Far Country, and Mary, Mary, among other productions.Her first notable television role was a stint as Robin Fletcher on soap opera Guiding...
), is invited to accompany her boss Mr. Thompson (Dan Tobin
Dan Tobin
Dan Tobin was an American supporting actor who generally played gentle, urbane characters, sometimes with a concealed edge of malice....
) to Palm Beach. She is not able to come and instead sends her colleague Maggie (Juliet Mills). Work acquires Thompson to quickly leave, but he allows Maggie to take full usage of his hotel, allowing her to have a small vacation as soon as she is done filing papers. In her spare time, she meets Jack and enjoys his attention so much, that she pretends to come from money in order to not lose his interest. They go out on several dates over the next two days, and Jack proposes to her at the end of their vacation. She promises to give him an answer the next morning, but he turns out to be gone by then, leaving her to think that he has found out that she is not wealthy. Jack, meanwhile, admits to Sam that he left because he feels that he is not good enough for her. In a letter, he reveals about his fraud, but assures her that he loves her.
The mailman explains that all three letters arrived a year late due to an accident involving the plane that carried the letters. Vincent, who has since been released from prison, is desperately seeking for Angie, when he receives her belated letter, through which he finds out her new address. A criminal named Wilson (Logan Ramsey
Logan Ramsey
Logan Carlisle Ramsey, Jr. was an American character actor of television and film for nearly 50 years. Largely a TV actor, he appeared on, among others: The Edge of Night, Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, Hawaii Five-O, M*A*S*H, Charlie's Angels, Mork and Mindy, Knight Rider and Night...
) has offered him money to serve as a driver in a heist, but Vincent wants to visit Angie and tries to reject him. Wilson, however, threatens to kill him if he does not help out. During the heist, Vincent calls Angie to tell her he loves her. Wilson sees him in a telephone booth and thinks that he is warning the police, and thus shoots and kills him. Meanwhile, Monica is considering to adopt a child with Joshua, when she suddenly receives Bob's letter. She immediately meets up with him, but realizes that the passion is gone. She gladly returns to Joshua, and tells him how much she loves him. Finally, Maggie receives Jack's letter and coincidentally runs into him at work the same day. Jack fears that she hates him because of the letter, but Maggie assures him that she loves him even more.
Cast
- June AllysonJune AllysonJune Allyson was an American film and television actress, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. She was a major MGM contract star. Allyson won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her performance in Too Young to Kiss . From 1959–1961, she hosted and occasionally starred in her own CBS anthology...
as Monica Brandon - Ken BerryKen BerryKenneth Ronald "Ken" Berry is an American dancer, comedic actor and singer. He began on stage as a dancer and later starred in television sitcoms.-Life and career:...
as Jack - Juliet Mills as Mary Margaret 'Maggie' McCauley
- Belinda MontgomeryBelinda MontgomeryBelinda J. Montgomery is a Canadian-born actress and painter currently living in California.-Life and career:Montgomery was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She is perhaps best known as Mrs...
as Angela 'Angie' Mason - Martin SheenMartin SheenRamón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
as Vincent Manella - Robert SterlingRobert SterlingRobert Sterling, born William Sterling Hart was an American film and television actor.-Early life:...
as Robert 'Bob' Francis - Barry SullivanBarry Sullivan (actor)Barry Sullivan was an American movie actor who appeared in over 100 movies from the 1930s to the 1980s.Born in New York City, Sullivan fell into acting when in college playing semi-pro football...
as Joshua 'Josh' Brandon - Henry JonesHenry Jones (actor)Henry Burk Jones was an American actor of stage, film and television.Jones was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Helen and John Francis Xavier Jones. He was the grandson of Pennsylvania Representative Henry Burk...
as The Mailman - Lyle WaggonerLyle WaggonerLyle Wesley Waggoner is an American actor and former model, best known for his work on The Carol Burnett Show from 1967 to 1974 and for playing the role of Steve Trevor in the Wonder Woman television series from 1975 to 1979...
as Sam - Larry Rosenberg as Messenger
- Dan TobinDan TobinDan Tobin was an American supporting actor who generally played gentle, urbane characters, sometimes with a concealed edge of malice....
as Mr. Thompson - Logan RamseyLogan RamseyLogan Carlisle Ramsey, Jr. was an American character actor of television and film for nearly 50 years. Largely a TV actor, he appeared on, among others: The Edge of Night, Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, Hawaii Five-O, M*A*S*H, Charlie's Angels, Mork and Mindy, Knight Rider and Night...
as Wilson - Lou Frizzell as Eddie
- James McCallion as Al
- Ellen WestonEllen WestonEllen Weston is an American actress, producer, and writer. Born Ellen Weinstein in New York City, Ellen Weston appeared on Broadway in Toys in the Attic, A Far Country, and Mary, Mary, among other productions.Her first notable television role was a stint as Robin Fletcher on soap opera Guiding...
as Donna - Kathrine Baumann as Girl at Pool
- June Dayton as Jeanne, Bob's secretary