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IMDbPro

Three on a Match

  • 19321932
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 3m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
Bette Davis, Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak, and Warren William in Three on a Match (1932)
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Romance
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Mervyn LeRoy
  • Writers
    • Lucien Hubbard(screen play)
    • Kubec Glasmon(story)
    • John Bright(story)
  • Stars
    • Joan Blondell
    • Ann Dvorak
    • Bette Davis
Top credits
  • Director
    • Mervyn LeRoy
  • Writers
    • Lucien Hubbard(screen play)
    • Kubec Glasmon(story)
    • John Bright(story)
  • Stars
    • Joan Blondell
    • Ann Dvorak
    • Bette Davis
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 62User reviews
    • 30Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos45

    Bette Davis and Joan Blondell in Three on a Match (1932)
    Bette Davis, Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak, and Warren William in Three on a Match (1932)
    Anne Shirley in Three on a Match (1932)
    Betty Carse, Virginia Davis, and Anne Shirley in Three on a Match (1932)
    Frankie Darro and Anne Shirley in Three on a Match (1932)
    Frankie Darro and Anne Shirley in Three on a Match (1932)
    Betty Carse, Virginia Davis, and Anne Shirley in Three on a Match (1932)
    Joan Blondell and Warren William in Three on a Match (1932)
    Buster Phelps and Warren William in Three on a Match (1932)
    Bette Davis, Joan Blondell, and Ann Dvorak in Three on a Match (1932)
    Frankie Darro, Virginia Davis, and Junior Johnston in Three on a Match (1932)
    Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak, and Lyle Talbot in Three on a Match (1932)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Joan Blondell
    Joan Blondell
    • Mary Keatonas Mary Keaton
    Ann Dvorak
    Ann Dvorak
    • Vivian Revereas Vivian Revere
    Bette Davis
    Bette Davis
    • Ruth Westcottas Ruth Westcott
    Warren William
    Warren William
    • Robert Kirkwoodas Robert Kirkwood
    Lyle Talbot
    Lyle Talbot
    • Michael Loftusas Michael Loftus
    Humphrey Bogart
    Humphrey Bogart
    • Harveas Harve
    Allen Jenkins
    Allen Jenkins
    • Dickas Dick
    Edward Arnold
    Edward Arnold
    • Aceas Ace
    Hardie Albright
    Hardie Albright
    • Philas Phil
    Virginia Davis
    Virginia Davis
    • Mary Keaton - as a Childas Mary Keaton - as a Child
    Anne Shirley
    Anne Shirley
    • Vivian Revere - as a Childas Vivian Revere - as a Child
    • (as Dawn O'Day)
    Betty Carse
    Betty Carse
    • Ruth Westcott - as a Childas Ruth Westcott - as a Child
    Herman Bing
    Herman Bing
    • Prof. Irving Finklesteinas Prof. Irving Finklestein
    • (uncredited)
    Clara Blandick
    Clara Blandick
    • Mrs. Keatonas Mrs. Keaton
    • (uncredited)
    Dick Brandon
    • Horaceas Horace
    • (uncredited)
    Ann Brody
    Ann Brody
    • Mrs. Goldbergas Mrs. Goldberg
    • (uncredited)
    Spencer Charters
    Spencer Charters
    • Street Cleaneras Street Cleaner
    • (uncredited)
    Frankie Darro
    Frankie Darro
    • Bobbyas Bobby
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Mervyn LeRoy
    • Writers
      • Lucien Hubbard(screen play)
      • Kubec Glasmon(story)
      • John Bright(story)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The title refers to a now extinct one-time superstition that if three people were to light their cigarettes from the same match, the third person to do so would meet with misfortune. Once attributed to World War I, when it was sometimes thought that lighting a match long enough to light three cigarettes would attract enemy gunfire, it later emerged that a match company had "created" the superstition to cut down on the sharing of matches and thus increase sales.
    • Goofs
      In a montage, the year 1921 shows a sheet music cover of "The Sheik of Araby", mentioning it was sung by Eddie Cantor in the play "Make it Snappy". The play didn't have it's run until April to July of 1922.
    • Quotes

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

    • Connections
      Edited from The Public Enemy (1931)
    • Soundtracks
      Smiles
      (1917) (uncredited)

      Music by Lee S. Roberts

      Played as background to introduce the year 1919

    User reviews62

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    A potent pre-code packed into just one hour
    The story follows three girls - Mary (Joan Blondell), Vivien (Ann Dvorak), and Ruth (Bette Davis) - as they graduate from what today would be eighth grade, in the 1920s in what was then the end of public school education. As now, the only real thing you have in common with the people you go to public school is a zipcode. These three have been acquaintances but not friends, as they seem to go their completely separate ways.

    Mary is the wild one - she winds up in reform school for grand larceny. Vivien is the dreamy one - she ends up married to a rich guy, a good guy, Robert Kirkwood played by Warren William, usually the cad of the precodes, but not here. Robert is a square guy making a very good living as an attorney, and cares that his wife is not haaappy (I put those extra a's in there on purpose). Ruth continues to be the one on the straight and narrow, pursuing one of the few careers open to a woman in those days - secretary.

    Mary gets out of jail and becomes a chorus girl, and one day a chance meeting at a beauty shop leads to a reunion lunch for the three where they share "three on a match" when lighting their cigarettes. There is an old wives' tale that says one will die when this is done.

    Vivien winds up abandoning her husband and taking up with a wild no-good cad, mainly because he is exciting and romantic -Mike (Lyle Talbot) - at least until Viv's money runs out. Mary is the promiscuous gal who has a moral center, and Kirkwood falls for her as she seems to really care for him and his son. Ruth is banished to the banal role of governess after Mary and Kirkwood marry.

    Viv and Mike wind up in a tenement, hooked on coke after the fun of partying and excessive drinking grows dull. And to make matters worse Mike winds up owing two thousand dollars in gambling debts to a hood who has all of the tough guys of the 30s working for him -Humphrey Bogart, Allen Jenkins, and Jack La Rue. Remember Bogie is not the big star here yet, or even contract Warner Brothers, but he makes the biggest impression of the henchman.

    So Mike and Viv are broke and Mike is desperate for cash or the hoods will kill him. What happens next involves some very unexpected turns in the plot and some frank precode moments, even more frank than what has happened so far as the film comes to a startling conclusion.

    I don't really have many criticisms other than the moral seems to be that if you stay on the straight and narrow all of your life like Bette Davis' character does, you are doomed to remain unnoticed and in the shadows, alone and working low paying jobs. I like how what is going on in the plot is shown against the backdrop of first the roaring 20s and then the Great Depression - Viv is almost the personification of these two , in order. I thought that Buster Phelps as the Kirkwood son was extremely irritating here, not cute. And in spite of the fact that three years pass at the end of the film he looks the exact same age from beginning to end!

    If you like the precodes, this is essential viewing.
    helpful•10
    1
    • AlsExGal
    • Oct 14, 2018

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 29, 1932 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • 3 on a Match
    • Filming locations
      • Santa Monica State Beach, Santa Monica, California, USA
    • Production company
      • First National Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $444,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 3 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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