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Joan Blondell, Warren William, Ann Dvorak, Bette Davis, Buster Phelps ... see more see more... , Lyle Talbot , Humphrey Bogart , Hardie Albright , Edward Arnold , Herman Bing , Clara Blandick , Dick Brandon , Ann Brody , Spencer Charters , Frankie Darro , Mary Doran , Patricia Ellis , Glenda Farrell , Blanche Frederici , Hale Hamilton , Selmar Jackson , Allen Jenkins , Junior Johnson , Jack LaRue , John Marston , Grant Mitchell , Dawn O'Day , Harry Seymour , Anne Shirley , Sheila Terry , Sidney Miller , Stanley Price , Frank O'Connor

Three on a Match covers approximately 13 years in the lives of girlhood chums Mary Keaton (Joan Blondell), Ruth Wescott (Bette Davis) and Vivian Deverse (Ann Dvorak). Having graduated from grammar sch... read more read more...ool together in 1919, the girls stage a reunion ten years later. Hard-boiled Mary is now a chorus girl, level-headed Ruth has a steady job as a secretary, and vixenish Vivian is on the verge of capriciously deserting her wealthy husband Robert Kirkwood (Warren William) and their baby in favor of sexy mob-boss Mike (Lyle Talbot). Several more years pass, during which Mary marries Henry, Ruth is hired as governess for Henry, and Vivian's son and a drug-addicted Vivian become fatally enmeshed in a kidnapping plot involving her own child. In his second Warner Bros. film, tenth-billed Humphrey Bogart essays his first sneering-gangster role. Three on a Match was remade (and considerably laundered) in 1938 as Broadway Musketeers. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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72% liked it

541 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 4 min.

Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy

Release Date: October 29, 1932

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DVD Release Date: March 4, 2008

Stats: 61 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (61)

  • flixsterman
    May 16, 2012
    flixsterman
    Adultery, child abuse, kidnapping, suicide and Joan Blondell. Not necessarily in that order.
  • ajv2688
    October 27, 2010
    ajv2688
    This movie has a promising start, but then the story goes all over the place, once it gets back on track, it's not what you expected from the beginning, but then it gets exciting when Bogart's gang kidnaps the lady's son, and the ending was really good. And for some reason the m... read moreovie is frequently interrupted by newspapers telling us about the changing world of the 20s, it's annoying and unnecessary. Overall a pretty good movie, but it should have been more dramatic and exciting throughout, instead of just at the end.
  • groaningbitch
    April 14, 2008
    groaningbitch
    "three on a match" is a tragic fable of urbanite incurrences upon three females. the major conspicuous performances are from ann dvorak who plays the nymphmaniac sister of paul muni in "scarface"...that was promoted by joan crawford who introduced her the chance to meet howard hu... read moreghes then she got the role. dvorak is one of the most underrated and undertreated actresses in cinematic history, used to be frequently casted leading lady in the 30s at warner bro.

    dvorak plays a weary housewife who takes her luxurious marital ease for granted, yearning for the thrill and gayety of life...then her considerate and generous lawyer husband arranges a extravagent cruise trip alone to alleviate her dreariness, then she goes astray into degenerated adultery with a sweet-tongued crook on the ship....thus her doom begins.

    on the other hand, her other two pals, played by joan bondell and bette davis. bondell is the prodigal playgirl who squanders her adolescence in reform school, conformed to the right track by marrying dvorak's deserted husband, demonstrating great scale of maternality to dvorak's son. bette davis appears almost as oblivion, being characterless as a diligent stenographer and a pleasant friend at her early stage of warner bro. after all, it's not a davis movie but dvorak's.

    dvorak is usually typecasted as the rebellious do-wronger who descends into depravity, provided with roles to showcase her flapper burlesque which is also in "g-men" and "scarface"....there's a scene she dances frivolously upon the hotel room desk to a lesser standard. dvorak's part involves the gloomy sequence of decaying, accentuated by her traumatized catastrophe that would be the highlight of dvorak's career.

    "three on a match" is inevitably melodramatic as the rot in the dark alley during the depression period. it features cameos of bette davis and humprey bogart who would later be smashing hollywood legends. the major star who exerts herself has been forgotten for good.
  • jjnxn
    April 6, 2008
    jjnxn
    Early Bette, she is strictly secondary here but Ann Dvorak is extraordinary in this pre-code melodrama.
  • DrStrangeblog
    November 7, 2010
    DrStrangeblog
    Dvorak is a real louse as pampered wife/mother who abandons her spouse and then gets mixed up in a kidnapping scheme. OK but predictable with another supposed-to-be-cute-but-in-fact-terribly-annoying child actor. Joan Blondell is fine in an important role but the real draw is t... read moreo see some early screen work of Humphery Bogart as a no-nonsense thug and Bette Davis as a bleached-blonde former friend of Dvorak's.
  • tjevans1
    August 29, 2011
    tjevans1
    A cute boy, Bette Davis, and shnazzy thirties jazz are the only redeeming qualities in this film. It lacks plot, heart, and pace. The actors are forgettable, as are their lines.
  • jakkijelene
    March 8, 2008
    jakkijelene
    Very fascinating pre-code movie about three former schoolmates who meet up as adults and a look into how their lives turned out. This film explored a lot of heavy topics for the time, including infidelity, drug use, child abuse, violence and suicide. Great script and acting, re... read moreally makes you think about the consequences of your actions. Cast includes a very young Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart before they were stars.
  • Glinda
    February 12, 2008
    Glinda
    I don't think this really can classify as a Bette Davis film. The only significance her character gives to the plot is to be the thrid person on the match whoch brings about the doom of Vivian. Humphrey Bogart plays a small role.

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Matt Bailey
August 17, 2010
Matt Bailey, Not Coming to a Theater Near You

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