Lively, entertaining reviews of, and essays on, old and newer films and everything relating to them, written by professional author William Schoell.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

THREE ON A MATCH


THREE ON A MATCH (1932). Director: Mervyn LeRoy.

Three schoolmates run into each other a few years later and their lives intersect. Joan Blondell is Mary; Bette Davis is Ruth; and Ann Dvorak is Vivian. Although Vivian has a cute little boy and a loving, wealthy husband, she's bored and goes off on a vacation where she meets a new man -- and begins a downward spiral to ruin. Lyle Talbot, Warren William, and Humphrey Bogart are also in the cast; young Sidney Miller is fine as Willie Goldberg. Three on a Match is not without its interesting moments, but the material is essentially second-rate. Dvorak proved what an excellent actress she was in such films as Housewife, Girls of the Road, The Long Night, and especially A Life of Her Own.

Verdict: How the rich suffer when money isn't enough! **.

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