Dear Wife
| Dear Wife | |
|---|---|
Theatrical poster
|
|
| Directed by | Richard Haydn |
| Produced by | Richard Maibaum |
| Written by |
Norman Krasna (characters) Arthur Sheekman N. Richard Nash |
| Starring |
Joan Caulfield William Holden |
| Edited by | Doane Harrison |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
|
Release date
|
November 15, 1949 |
|
Running time
|
88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Dear Wife is a 1949 comedy film starring Joan Caulfield and William Holden. It is the sequel to Dear Ruth, which was based on the Broadway play of the same name by Norman Krasna.
J. D. Salinger, the author of Catcher in the Rye, has stated that he conjured the name of the book's protagonist, Holden Caulfield, when he saw a movie theatre marquee in his community displaying the names of the lead actors.
Miriam Wilkins is a teenage girl going door-to-door, trying to get Bill Seacroft, her brother-in-law, elected to the state senate. However, Bill has no idea that Miriam is doing this, and he has no wish to become a senator. He is a middle-aged war veteran who works at a bank. He feels like a loser and is frustrated by having to live with his wife Ruth's family. Bill wants to be more independent and stand on his own two feet.
Ruth's father, the Honorable Judge Harry Wilkins, has already nominated to run for state senator. The whole Wilkins family goes into shock when they learn that Bill is the candidate who will run against him in the election. Harry comes to terms with the situation, believing that his chance of winning is considerable. However, Harry is very upset about his daughter Miriam's disloyalty, when she publishes an article in the local newspaper in which he is described as a political "fathead".
The Wilkins' household faces some serious dissension among its members. As the two campaigns start off, Bill's wife Ruth soon becomes very jealous of Tommy Murphy, a beautiful woman who serves as campaign manager for Bill. Harry hires a man named Albert Krummer, Ruth's former fiancé and Bill's current boss, as his campaign manager. The conflict between the two campaign camps deepens. Albert, who is still in love with Ruth, pours gasoline on the rising conflict between her and Bill.
Bill starts to take his campaign seriously, and publicly airs his views on Harry's policy concerning a new local airport. Bill states that the airport would force many city residents out of their homes. Miriam is secretary of the Civic Betterment Committee, and one day she decides to use her influence to arrange a live radio broadcast from her home, in support of Bill's campaiign. The broadcast is a complete disaster and everyone is in conflict. By the end of the broadcast, Bill and Ruth have separated because she stubbornly refuses to join him and move out of the family house. Harry disapproves of the separation, and he later tips off Bill about a duplex that Ruth is showing in her new job as a real estate agent.
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