It's not often that I am truly impressed with films as early as 1932. This is one of the exceptions, and I give it an "8", a rating which I rarely hand out. And I credit director Mervyn Leroy for its excellence.Three women who had attended elementary school together (but were not exactly friends and had distinctly different personalities) meet again by chance and become friends. Mary (Joan Blondell) has gone into show business after spending some time in reform school. Ruth (Bette Davis) is in secretarial school. And Vivian (Ann Dvorak) has married a rich businessman, but is not content. At lunch one day they each light a cigarette from the same match and briefly mention the superstition that doing so is bad luck and that the last to light her cigarette -- Dvorak -- will be the first to die.On a cruise, a gambler (Lyle Talbot) sweeps Dvorak off her feet and she runs away with him...becomes addicted to drugs (watch for Humphrey Bogart's hint at this)...and she gives up her child to her ex-husband...clearly the good guy here. Dvorak's ex eventually marries Blondell. Dvorak's money slowly disappears, and Talbot owes big money to gangster Edward Arnold and his thugs (including a young and handsome Humphrey Bogart). Desperate, Talbot attempts to blackmail Dvorak's ex-husband by threatening to expose Blondell's time in reform school. His blackmail attempt is rebuffed, so he kidnaps the child. Dvorak eventually jumps out the window to her death, sacrificing her own life so the crowd below will see a message in lipstick on her nightgown, telling police where the child is.This is Dvorak's picture, and she is excellent, though not very likable. Blondell is superb, as well. Bette Davis' part is the lightest of the principals, but she does fine as the most prim and proper of the three friends (although in this pre-code film you do get to see her in her undies). The film is fast paced, not lasting much over an hour, but it's the pace adds to the excellence of the film. And, it's intense; it's gut-wrenching to realize the thugs are about to murder the child when the kidnap plan begins to go wrong, and a shock to see Dvorak leap out the window to her death. Make no mistake, this is an emotional film, and Leroy handle sit perfectly.A great addition to your DVD shelf!

The tragic consequences following a young woman (Ann Dvorak, sensational) who impulsively leaves her rich, successful lawyer husband (Warren William) for a no-good gambler (Lyle Talbot) who owe thousands to a menacing loan shark (Edward Arnold, very bullish). When Talbot fears for his life he first approaches William for the dough, threatening to expose his wife's provocative activities to the newspapers, turning so desperate he kidnaps his and Dvorak's child. Arnold enlists his hoods (led by a thuggish Humphrey Bogart in one of his standard issue Warner Bros gangster parts, bullying and intimidating) to hold sway over Talbot and Dvorak, demanding a far greater ransom than what was first asked for. Dvorak makes a startling decision only a mother could do for a child, the ultimate sacrifice in a potent, shocking finale, produced during the Pre-Code era of the 30s. Joan Blondell (who seems to have star treatment—and she is quite beautiful—but has the less interesting part opposite Dvorak) is one of Dvorak's childhood friends, along with Bette Davis (who has an underwritten part as a secretary). Watching Dvorak's life unravel and diminish is haunting and sad, as Blondell (who would marry the betrayed William after Dvorak divorces him), once in prison for grand larceny, rises from a difficult predicament to secure a better life. Dvorak, unhappy with William, despite the luxury and comfortable trappings of wealth and family, finds excitement and worldly pleasure with Talbot, missing from the married life, selfish in her own desires, not thinking about the repercussions of her behavior, particularly in regards to her son, who Blondell cares deeply for. The film, directed by Mervyn LeRoy (The Bad Seed; Mister Roberts), establishes time and place and how the city is affected by what was going on at the time, such as the Depression and rise in gangster activity. Very quickly paced and doesn't have a lot of fat, "Three on a Match" is mostly melodrama, using images just as importantly as dialogue and performance, with plenty of subtlety. The film does a fine job of making us aware of Dvorak's plight, as each scene she reappears after time away from the screen, she looks more and more worse for wear, such as the fidgeting while waiting on a street corner for Blondell (by this time married to her ex-husband) for some money or the dark circles under her eyes--the worsening state reminds us of those who fall under the spell of meth or crack.

Though I'm a big fan of movies of the 30s and 40s, I was unaware of Ann Dvorak prior to seeing this one. I thought she gave a very realistic performance (for the time), and it's a shame she didn't have a longer career.Others have synopsized the plot in prior reviews, so I won't rehash it. However, I am surprised that no one else has made the connection to the Lindbergh kidnapping that seemed so obvious to me.On March 1, 1932, the young son of America's hero of the day, Charles Lindbergh, was kidnapped. Google the kidnapping and take a look at pictures of the child...the resemblance to the child in "Three On A Match" is striking. And certainly, the audiences of the day would have been well aware of the connection, as the kidnapping was the top news story in the country for months.A fascinating film!

Three on a Match (1932)A tightly interwoven plot about three "types" of women, from their school days into adulthood, played out with snap and sizzle. This is one fast, loaded movie, playing loose with morals and fast with stereotypes, and playing against them at times. There is little more painful than a man or woman falling to ruins, and it's made so reasonable, so nearly exciting, and so really reprehensible it's a surprise and a cinematic thrill.Yes, a terrific movie, and not just for 1932. The interplay between the lead women (including a tart young Bette Davis) is great, and as the plot moves into a full blooded crime film (with Warner Brothers knew how to make better than any of them), it really screams. Throw in Humphrey Bogart (a decade before Casablanca) and you have something you have to watch.But these are the obvious reasons, the film buff draws. Watch lead actresses Joan Blondell and Ann Dvorak for their sheer ability, and their likability. And for how they can be themselves before the code kicked in in two years. Mervin Leroy is a great director, of course (the same year he did the incomparable I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang) and seeing his range and control is a treat. Don't miss it. Just an hour long, too.