A struggling author and his wife suddenly become wealthy and move to the suburbs. Divorced neighbor and "companion" aid marital misconstrue which almost culminates in a divorce.A struggling author and his wife suddenly become wealthy and move to the suburbs. Divorced neighbor and "companion" aid marital misconstrue which almost culminates in a divorce.A struggling author and his wife suddenly become wealthy and move to the suburbs. Divorced neighbor and "companion" aid marital misconstrue which almost culminates in a divorce.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total
Don Anderson
- Bar Patron
- (uncredited)
Eleanor Audley
- Fan at Sardi's
- (uncredited)
Danny Borzage
- Passerby
- (uncredited)
George Bruggeman
- Undetermined Secondary Role
- (uncredited)
Jack Carr
- Cab Driver
- (uncredited)
Steve Carruthers
- Restaurant Patron
- (uncredited)
Robert Carson
- Sam
- (uncredited)
Paul Cristo
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAlthough the title inspired Burt Bacharach and Hal David's same-named hit song for Jack Jones the same year, the tune is never heard in the movie either as a vocal or instrumental.
- Quotes
Julie Austin: It's a sandwich, only the sides aren't touching.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Censura: Alguns Cortes (1999)
Featured review
Van Johnson at his most unlikable.
During Van Johnson's career, he played a lot of really nice guys. I have no idea what the real Johnson was like...but the image for years was of a nice, unassuming guy. However, in a major change of pace, in "Wives and Lovers" he plays a complete jerk...a guy more interested in his own success than his wife (Janet Leigh) or young daughter. I think the film is supposed to be a comedy...but I found Johnson's character so unlikable that it was hard to summon up a laugh.
When the story starts, Bill (Johnson) is a husband who stays home to earn money as a writer. His wife, Bertie (Leigh), works outside the home in order to let Bill follow this dream. As a result, they are rather poor...but happy.
One day, Bill's agent (Martha Hyer) arrives at their small apartment to make an announcement....she sold Bill's book. Not only that, she got a fortune for it...as well as the movie rights...and stage rights. Now, Bill is the toast of New York...and in the process he completely neglects his family. For him, it's all-important that he follow his dream and he makes various promises to his family to spend time with them...though over time you realize his promises mean nothing. What's next? See the film...but rest assured, after a while, Bertie tires of waiting at home for him to return.
In so many ways, this film is a product of the 1960s...with newer mores than you would expect in earlier Leigh and Johnson films. So, there's more innuendo as well as cursing. It also shows marital problems...which you didn't see very often in previous decades.
In many ways, the film reminds me of the recent film "Marriage Story". Neither are funny and it's sad (at least to me) seeing these people tearing each other apart. Not a fun movie to watch...but brave in its material.
By the way, if you prefer to remember Van Johnson positively, you might want to skip this one. He is such a jerk in the film.
When the story starts, Bill (Johnson) is a husband who stays home to earn money as a writer. His wife, Bertie (Leigh), works outside the home in order to let Bill follow this dream. As a result, they are rather poor...but happy.
One day, Bill's agent (Martha Hyer) arrives at their small apartment to make an announcement....she sold Bill's book. Not only that, she got a fortune for it...as well as the movie rights...and stage rights. Now, Bill is the toast of New York...and in the process he completely neglects his family. For him, it's all-important that he follow his dream and he makes various promises to his family to spend time with them...though over time you realize his promises mean nothing. What's next? See the film...but rest assured, after a while, Bertie tires of waiting at home for him to return.
In so many ways, this film is a product of the 1960s...with newer mores than you would expect in earlier Leigh and Johnson films. So, there's more innuendo as well as cursing. It also shows marital problems...which you didn't see very often in previous decades.
In many ways, the film reminds me of the recent film "Marriage Story". Neither are funny and it's sad (at least to me) seeing these people tearing each other apart. Not a fun movie to watch...but brave in its material.
By the way, if you prefer to remember Van Johnson positively, you might want to skip this one. He is such a jerk in the film.
helpful•20
- planktonrules
- Aug 5, 2021
- How long is Wives and Lovers?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- First Wife
- Filming locations
- 3755 Longridge Ave, Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, USA(Same residence used for the television series Burke's Law in 1963.)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content