Critic,Leonard,Maltin,describes,\"Three,On,A,Match\",as,a,\"hard,hitting,example,of,forbidden,Hollywood\".,That,it,is,,no,happy,endings,here,,as,this,depression,era,film,follows,the,rise,and,fall,of,childhood,friends,who,get,caught,up,in,the,seamy,underworld,of,booze,,drugs,and,gambling,,ultimately,trading,places,along,the,way.The,three,friends,are,Mary,Keaton,Bernard,(Joan,Blondell),,Vivian,Revere,Kirkwood,(Ann,Dvorak),and,Ruth,Wescott,(Bette,Davis),,shown,growing,up,between,1919,and,1932,as,a,montage,of,newspaper,headlines,place,the,story,in,a,historical,context.,Blondell‘s,character,is,a,reform,school,standout,,whose,life,experience,puts,her,in,a,position,to,counsel,a,depressed,and,\"fed,up,with,everything\",Vivian.,Viv,takes,up,with,small,time,hood,Mike,Loftus,(Lyle,Talbot),after,disappearing,with,her,young,son,from,a,cruise,ship.,Loftus,ingratiates,himself,with,mobster,Harve,(Humphrey,Bogart,in,a,minor,role),and,his,boss,Ace,(Edward,Arnold),by,going,into,debt,for,two,grand.,The,desperate,creep,attempts,to,blackmail,the,boy‘s,father,,wealthy,lawyer,Robert,Kirkwood,(Warren,William),,but,that,plan,heads,south,as,the,cops,quickly,close,in.,Vivian‘s,resolution,is,one,of,the,more,depressing,finales,to,a,tale,that,realistically,depicts,a,pair,of,unfortunate,souls,whose,lives,spiral,completely,out,of,control.The,film,does,have,it‘s,share,of,light,moments;,one,of,the,newspaper,clippings,describes,the,new,fashion,trend,in,beachwear,,a,\"brief\",sun,suit,,ably,modeled,by,Bette,Davis.,In,stark,contrast,,Mr.,Kirkwood‘s,attire,of,choice,is,a,business,suit,and,tie,while,sitting,under,a,beach,umbrella,,hard,to,work,up,a,good,tan,that,way.,Davis‘,screen,time,is,limited,but,effective,,with,a,sit,up,and,take,notice,scene,where,she‘s,shown,wearing,just,a,slip,early,in,the,film,,rather,daring,for,the,era,and,showing,more,skin,than,one,might,expect.Warner,Brothers,First,National,masterfully,portrayed,the,down,and,out,,seamy,underside,of,life,during,the,1930‘s,,‘40‘s,and,‘50‘s,,tackling,all,manner,of,subjects,in,their,movies.,\"Three,On,A,Match\",tells,it‘s,tale,without,a,wasted,moment,,sometimes,relying,on,scenes,that,only,last,a,few,seconds,to,move,the,story,along.,It‘s,hard,edged,and,no,nonsense,,all,the,more,provocative,for,it‘s,mature,subject,matter,and,realistic,portrayals;,highly,recommended.
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