Three on a Match (1932)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

John Bright (story)
Kubec Glasmon (story)

Release Date:

29 October 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Plot:

After being apart for years three women, friends at school, meet and bring each other up to date on their lives...

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Lawyer | Secretary | Self Sacrifice | Debt

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 (misspelled Westcott in opening credits)
Bette Davis	...	Ruth Wescott (misspelled Westcott in opening credits)
Warren William	...	Robert Kirkwood
Lyle Talbot	...	Michael Loftus
Humphrey Bogart	...	Harve
Allen Jenkins	...	Dick
Edward Arnold	...	Ace

Runtime:

63 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Vitaphone

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1933) (uncut version) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

First National Pictures

Trivia:

Director Mervyn LeRoy disliked the acting job Bette Davis did in this film. She, in turn, hated his directing and called him a "hack," feeling that her talent was being wasted playing supporting roles. This rift came back to haunt LeRoy when Davis became a big star.

Quotes:

Junior (Kirkwood boy): Please don't hurt my mommy!
Harve: I'll bear that in mind.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Oh! What a Pal Was Mary

Sometimes life allows us to choose our fate, but fate usually chooses for us.

A wonderful performance by the actresses and actors. Ann Dvorak is the star in this movie. Though she had great talent, somehow she never made it to the top of Hollywood stardom. The film, though dated, shows the hardships of the great depression for most people. It's wonderful to see the buildings, the people, their clothes, their language (slang, et cetera), and the automobiles, the streets, and all the things that make up a historical period of a bad economic time. In the film, Ann Dvorak depicts a woman who is financially secure, but throws it all away for the sake of thrills.