Kristin Griffith is splendid as Mrs. Ollie Espenshade, a wife who has been in a long-time marriage with her financially successful husband Paul (Cliff Bemis). But their relationship has been devoid of spark and is taken for granted. A letter she receives shakes things up. It gossips that her husband has been having an affair.

Her exuberant friend, Mrs. Mabel Wentz (Cynthia Darlow), when consulted, all too eagerly is prepared to investigate by following Paul to see what he is up to with his osteopath. As played by Bemis, Paul is a smooth character who tries to cover up by talking in detail about his golf playing at his club when there is finally a showdown with his wife, who by then is aware of the evidence and has decided, after much deliberation, to confront him with his infidelity.

We also meet their daughter Penny (Victoria Mack), who is having problems with her husband Vernon (Sean Patrick Hopkins) in their increasingly distant relationship. Penny comes across as spoiled, sullen and complaining, someone from whom a husband could easily become estranged.

The characterization of Mrs. Espenshade is interestingly delineated. She has had a kind of romantic vision of marriage, faithfulness without the emotional interconnection that makes a good liaison, and this apparently is what has prompted Paul to seek fulfillment elsewhere. There is an excellent confrontation scene, but Kelly doesn’t leave it at that. Always attuned to the possibility of comedy, he jumps ahead to the point at which Paul is to become remarried.

His ex is determined to attend the wedding uninvited, ostensibly to demonstrate her new-found independence and sense of self-worth, but without admitting it to herself, also to pursue a measure of jealousy. Her friend Mabel mocks her plan. Kelly provides a good line to the effect that divorced people sometimes go to an ex’s funeral, but not to a wedding. The humor is ramped up by the showy outfit in which Ollie plans to make her appearance.

I don’t want to overlook the performance by Patricia Kilgarriff as the housekeeper. She has just the right tone, and some expressions that are in themselves comments about what she perceives around her.