This briskly paced, hard hitting melodrama from Warner Bros. in 1932, THREE ON A MATCH, has some strong performances from a superb cast, but it's ANN DVORAK and LYLE TALBOT who have the most interesting roles and make the most of their intense moments.
Surprisingly, although they have little footage, even HUMPHREY BOGART and BETTE DAVIS, on the sidelines, show a flair for acting in minor parts. Davis looks refreshingly wholesome as the good girl who ends up as a stenographer, while JOAN BLONDELL and Dvorak have the meatier roles. Blondell is a showgirl with some snappy lines who takes over when Dvorak begins her downward slide--yes, drugs, adultery, a neglected child, and her liaison with a shiftless playboy (LYLE TALBOT) spell ruin for Dvorak who has a gutsy final scene that will take you by surprise. No happy endings here--at least, not for everyone.
Dvorak really takes advantage of her spotlighted role, appearing first as the dutiful wife of WARREN WILLIAM with a lovable little boy, but restless and unable to say why when she confesses her unhappiness to hubby William, who suggests she take a trip abroad with her son. The result leads to tragedy involving gangsters (HUMPHREY BOGART, EDWARD ARNOLD, JACK "Lash" LA RUE, ALLEN JENKINS) who become involved in a plot to kidnap her boy when playboy Talbot needs to pay his gambling debts.
It's amazing how much story is packed into one hour and four minutes, but somehow Mervyn LeRoy keeps it all spinning, giving the harsh story with its Depression-era atmosphere a gritty flavor that never once lets up. Hard to believe that this is the same director who let ANTHONY ADVERSE become such a sprawling, poorly paced historical romance that stretched well over two hours.
Surprisingly, although they have little footage, even HUMPHREY BOGART and BETTE DAVIS, on the sidelines, show a flair for acting in minor parts. Davis looks refreshingly wholesome as the good girl who ends up as a stenographer, while JOAN BLONDELL and Dvorak have the meatier roles. Blondell is a showgirl with some snappy lines who takes over when Dvorak begins her downward slide--yes, drugs, adultery, a neglected child, and her liaison with a shiftless playboy (LYLE TALBOT) spell ruin for Dvorak who has a gutsy final scene that will take you by surprise. No happy endings here--at least, not for everyone.
Dvorak really takes advantage of her spotlighted role, appearing first as the dutiful wife of WARREN WILLIAM with a lovable little boy, but restless and unable to say why when she confesses her unhappiness to hubby William, who suggests she take a trip abroad with her son. The result leads to tragedy involving gangsters (HUMPHREY BOGART, EDWARD ARNOLD, JACK "Lash" LA RUE, ALLEN JENKINS) who become involved in a plot to kidnap her boy when playboy Talbot needs to pay his gambling debts.
It's amazing how much story is packed into one hour and four minutes, but somehow Mervyn LeRoy keeps it all spinning, giving the harsh story with its Depression-era atmosphere a gritty flavor that never once lets up. Hard to believe that this is the same director who let ANTHONY ADVERSE become such a sprawling, poorly paced historical romance that stretched well over two hours.