Maria Packington feels neglected by her husband, who's been spending far too much time with his young secretary lately. In her desperation, she responds to a newspaper ad promising to give happiness to those who don't have it (the same enterprise that is also used in another episode, "The Case Of The Discontented Soldier"). Whey they have planned for her is a little extramarital romance that will not only give Maria some relief from her sadness, but will also provoke her husband's jealousy and make him understand how much he needs her. As you can see, it's a pretty predictable tale; the only twist is that the "third man" actually develops some genuine feelings for Maria, but still goes through with the plan. Sensitive performance by Gwen Watford (as the title character), amusing ones by Peter Jones, Maurice Denham, and Angela Easterling (as the chronically efficient Miss Lemon), but otherwise this is pretty trivial stuff. ** out of 4.
Review of The Case of the Middle-Aged Wife
