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Crime drama

Three on a Match (1932): Cast & Plot

Three on a Match (1932) movie poster

Three on a Match is a 1932 crime drama directed by Mervyn LeRoy, starring Ann Dvorak as Vivian Revere, Anne Shirley and Joan Blondell. It runs 1 hour 3 minutes.

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Three on a Match (1932) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 3m (63 min)
Director
Mervyn LeRoy
Genres
Drama , Crime
Original language
English
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Three on a Match About?

The premise of Three on a Match without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Three daring former schoolmates reunite, unafraid to fight and push every limit. Among them, Vivian Revere seems the most accomplished, yet she squanders her promise by spiraling into a wild lifestyle of excess, debauchery and drug abuse, jeopardizing everything she once built.

Three on a Match Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • pre code film
  • prohibition era
  • girls' reformatory
  • stock market crash 1929
  • gambling debt
  • son kidnapped
  • cocaine addict
  • childhood friend
  • gangster
  • marital desertion
  • younger version of character
  • bad mother
+38 more
  • damsel in distress
  • stock footage
  • newsreel footage
  • cigarette smoking
  • slang
  • roaring 20s
  • jazz age
  • debauchery
  • henchman
  • reference to harold red grange
  • bounced check
  • gang member
  • gang leader
  • extortion
  • sixth grade graduation
  • college football game footage
  • treachery
  • newspaper headline
  • reprisal
  • retribution
  • seduction
  • deception
  • reference to the empire state building
  • new york city
  • reference to warren g. harding
  • reference to jack dempsey
  • year 1921
  • playground
  • reference to the gettysburg address
  • valedictorian
  • year 1925
  • year 1930
  • reference to rudy vallee
  • stenographer
  • former classmate
  • reunion of old friends
  • mother son relationship
  • top hat
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Cast & crew

Three on a Match Cast & Characters

Ann Dvorak leads the cast as Vivian Revere, with Anne Shirley as Vivian Revere as a Child and Joan Blondell as Mary Keaton. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy; 38 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in Three on a Match

· 34 more
Show all 38 cast members
From the director

More from Mervyn LeRoy

More films directed by Mervyn LeRoy, best-rated first: The Wizard of Oz, Waterloo Bridge, Mister Roberts and Quo Vadis.

Full filmography
Plot

Three on a Match Plot Summary

What happens in Three on a Match from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Mary Joan Blondell is a showgirl who has built a stable life after a difficult past, Ruth Westcott Bette Davis works as a stenographer, and Vivian Revere Ann Dvorak is married to Robert Kirkwood, Warren William, a successful lawyer, with a young son named Robert Jr. The three women—Mary, Ruth, and Vivian—reconnect years later and share a familiar superstition: lighting a cigarette from the same match could spell misfortune, and Vivian, being the last to light up, is said to be the first to die.

Full summary

The whole story of Three on a Match, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Videos

Three on a Match Trailers & Videos

The trailer of Three on a Match.

Three On a Match 1932 Warren William
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Three on a Match?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

What is Ruth Westcott's occupation?

Cars

Cars in Three on a Match

1 car on screen: the Duesenberg J.

  • Duesenberg J in Three on a Match Duesenberg J
Details

Three on a Match Also Known As

15 alternative titles, including “3 on a Match” and “Três Ainda é Bom”.

Also known as
  • 3 on a Match
  • Três Ainda é Bom
  • Três... Ainda é Bom
  • Hänen vaimonsa rikos
  • Une allumette pour trois
  • Οι τρεις δρόμοι
  • Hárman egy házasságról
  • Tre på en fyrstik
  • Tri na meču
  • Трое в паре
  • Tres vidas de mujer
  • Hans hustrus brott
+3 more
  • The Man in the Black Hat
  • Връзка за трима
  • Três...Ainda é Bom

Seen Three on a Match?

FAQ

Three on a Match FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date

Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Three on a Match, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Three on a Match?

Three on a Match runs 1 hour 3 minutes (63 minutes).

When was Three on a Match released?

Three on a Match was released on October 29, 1932.

Who directed Three on a Match?

Three on a Match was directed by Mervyn LeRoy.

More films by Mervyn LeRoy

Who is in the cast of Three on a Match?

Three on a Match stars Ann Dvorak as Vivian Revere, Anne Shirley as Vivian Revere as a Child and Joan Blondell as Mary Keaton, among 38 credited actors.

Does Three on a Match have a post-credit scene?

No. Three on a Match has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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