Three on a Match (1932)

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

Lucien Hubbard (screenplay)
Kubec Glasmon (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

29 October 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Plot:

Although Vivian Revere is seemingly the most successful of a trio of reunited schoolmates, she throws it away by descending into a life of debauchery and drugs.

Plot Keywords:

Lawyer | Jumping Through A Window | Drug Use | Sheet Music | Governess

Cast

Virginia Davis	...	Mary Keaton as a child
Joan Blondell	...	Mary Keaton - aka Mary Bernard
Anne Shirley	...	Vivian Revere as a Child (as Dawn O'Day)
Ann Dvorak	...	Vivian Revere Kirkwood
Betty Carse	...	Ruth Wescott as a child
Bette Davis	...	Ruth Wescott
Warren William	...	Robert Kirkwood
Lyle Talbot	...	Michael Loftus
Humphrey Bogart	...	Harve
Allen Jenkins	...	Dick
Edward Arnold	...	Ace
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hardie Albright	...	Phil (uncredited)
Herman Bing	...	Prof. Irving Finklestein (uncredited)
Clara Blandick	...	Mrs. Keaton (uncredited)
Dick Brandon	...	Horace (uncredited)
Ann Brody	...	Mrs. Goldberg (uncredited)
Spencer Charters	...	Street Cleaner (uncredited)
Frankie Darro	...	Bobby (uncredited)
Mary Doran	...	Prisoner at Checkers Table (uncredited)
Patricia Ellis	...	Linda (uncredited)
Glenda Farrell	...	Mrs. Black, Prisoner at Checkers Table (uncredited)
Blanche Friderici	...	Miss Blazer (uncredited)
June Gittelson	...	Fat Prisoner (uncredited)
Hale Hamilton	...	Defense Attorney (uncredited)
Selmer Jackson	...	Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Junior Johnson	...	Max (uncredited)
Jack La Rue	...	Ace's Henchman (uncredited)
John Marston	...	Detective Randall (uncredited)
Sidney Miller	...	Willie Goldberg (uncredited)
Grant Mitchell	...	Mr. Gilmore (uncredited)
Dickie Moore	...	Junior (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Telegraph Operator (uncredited)
Buster Phelps	...	Robert Kirkwood Jr. (uncredited)
Stanley Price	...	Ace's Henchman (uncredited)
Harry Seymour	...	Jerry Carter (uncredited)
Sheila Terry	...	Naomi, Kirkwood's Secretary (uncredited)
Adele Watson	...	Ship's Nurse (uncredited)
Jack Webb	...	Boy in Schoolyard (uncredited)

Directed by
Mervyn LeRoy

Writing credits
Lucien Hubbard		(screenplay)
Kubec Glasmon		(story) &
John Bright		(story)

Produced by
Samuel Bischoff	....	producer (uncredited)
Raymond Griffith	....	supervising producer (uncredited)
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Sol Polito

Film Editing by
Ray Curtiss

Art Direction by
Robert M. Haas		(as Robert Haas)

Costume Design by
Orry-Kelly		(gowns)

Music Department
Leo F. Forbstein	....	conductor: Vitaphone Orchestra
Ray Heindorf	....	music arranger: orchestral music (uncredited)

Production Companies

• First National Pictures
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1932) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. Films (1933) (Finland) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Turner Entertainment  DVD package design

Also Known As:

Runtime:

63 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Vitaphone)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (cut) (1933) | Canada:G (Ontario) (DVD) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia) (DVD) | Finland:(Banned) (uncut) (1933) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

First National Pictures

Trivia:

The set of Vivian's ocean liner cabin was used the following year in _Baby Face_.

Goofs:

Continuity: Ruth Wescott's name is misspelled Westcott in the opening titles.

Quotes:

Mary Keaton, aka Mary Bernard:You're a fool, Vivian. Take it from someone who's been one.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Bogart: The Untold Story (1996) (TV)

Soundtrack:

How Dry I Am

"Would you stop remindin' me of heaven when I'm so close to the other place."

Critic Leonard Maltin describes "Three On A Match" as a "hard hitting example of forbidden Hollywood". That it is, no happy endings here, as this depression era film follows the rise and fall of childhood friends who get caught up in the seamy underworld of booze, drugs and gambling, ultimately trading places along the way.

The three friends are Mary Keaton Bernard (Joan Blondell), Vivian Revere Kirkwood (Ann Dvorak) and Ruth Wescott (Bette Davis), shown growing up between 1919 and 1932 as a montage of newspaper headlines place the story in a historical context. Blondell's character is a reform school standout, whose life experience puts her in a position to counsel a depressed and "fed up with everything" Vivian. Viv takes up with small time hood Mike Loftus (Lyle Talbot) after disappearing with her young son from a cruise ship. Loftus ingratiates himself with mobster Harve (Humphrey Bogart in a minor role) and his boss Ace (Edward Arnold) by going into debt for two grand. The desperate creep attempts to blackmail the boy's father, wealthy lawyer Robert Kirkwood (Warren William), but that plan heads south as the cops quickly close in. Vivian's resolution is one of the more depressing finales to a tale that realistically depicts a pair of unfortunate souls whose lives spiral completely out of control.

The film does have it's share of light moments; one of the newspaper clippings describes the new fashion trend in beachwear, a "brief" sun suit, ably modeled by Bette Davis. In stark contrast, Mr. Kirkwood's attire of choice is a business suit and tie while sitting under a beach umbrella, hard to work up a good tan that way. Davis' screen time is limited but effective, with a sit up and take notice scene where she's shown wearing just a slip early in the film, rather daring for the era and showing more skin than one might expect.

Warner Brothers/First National masterfully portrayed the down and out, seamy underside of life during the 1930's, '40's and '50's, tackling all manner of subjects in their movies. "Three On A Match" tells it's tale without a wasted moment, sometimes relying on scenes that only last a few seconds to move the story along. It's hard edged and no nonsense, all the more provocative for it's mature subject matter and realistic portrayals; highly recommended.