This one was pretty cut and dried. Not terrible but not great either. Ed Ames did seem rather wooden. I wasn't surprised by his character's actions, though. Bob displayed a coldness and calculation throughout the story. He cheated on his wife, apparently repeatedly (and implied that if she were less accomodating of his trips he wouldn't have strayed). He coldly dumped his mistress. He took advantage of his company. He did whatever it was convenient for him to do.
I guess it wasn't enough to have just one needy woman in this story but three. All three were dependent on Bob in one way or another. His wife figured she was secure as long as she let him do whatever he wanted. His mistress wanted emotional support from him and to be taken care of for the rest of her life and was willing to kill herself over him. The bar girl picture-taker wanted his financial support. All four characters were rather pathetic, really. Oh, and can I just add...I really hate those little-girl voices the actresses sometimes have to affect.