Summer Under the Stars ~ Paul Muni

Scarface (1932), I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932), Commandos Strike at Dawn (1942), The Last Angry Man (1959)

Three on a Match

Three on a Match 1932 (First National): Joan Blondell, Bette Davis, Anne Revere, Warren William

Coming off an extremely delicious Warren William in the Gold Diggers of 1933, I decided to revisit Three on a Match, also pairing Joan Blondell and Warren William. Rather shocked by the Pre-Hays Code ending, it had been one of those films I hadn’t planned on watching again. This story follows three girls as they make their way from middle school to adulthood. With all the coming of age one could find, it’s interesting to see the morphing from valedictorian, ruffian and popular girl to the ladies these girls become. “Three on a Match means one will die soon” reads the newspaper ad early on in the film- so we know right from the start that one of our girls meets an untimely end. What we don’t see coming is the mismatched lovers, the destroyed debutante, the content underachiever, the runaway mother, and the kidnapping. Humphrey Bogart appears as the token Gangster/Drug Dealer, while Lyle Talbot takes up his usual smooth talking playboy role. Vivian played by Ann Revere plays the wife who has lost all interest in her husband to the degree that she can’t even let him touch her. He’s trying, she’s not. Joan Blondell plays the street smart reform school girl with a heart and more knowledge of the human condition than any of them. Bette Davis’s role almost falls entirely into the background as the friend on the fringes of the lives that are falling apart.

“ I don’t think my freedom will mean much if we don’t share it.”

“I think I want things passionately, but when I get them I lose all interest.”

“I said yes to the first man that wanted to marry me, I thought it meant comfort and security.”

“And probably living on three meals a day, while I have to live on the hot air these producers put out.”

 

Joan Blondell

August 30, 1906 ~ December 25, 1979  Joan Blondell  ~ Lawyer Man, Three on a Match, Footlight Parade, Night Nurse
In the Gable-Garson film, Adventure, Joan Blondell gets the never- envied third billing, but the ever envied proposal from Clark. Yep, he liked the blondes. Apparently confessing to Joan that she reminded him of late wife Carole Lombard, and could be the only person to really ever replace her in his life, they spent much time canoodling off-screen. But, as the story goes, she opted for friendship( which lasted all their lives) instead of marriage. I imagine few women would actually admit to turning down Clark Gable, but kudos to Joan for confessing such an improbability. And while annstj tries to wrap her head around why anyone in their right mind would ever turn down Clark, I’ll take this moment to revel in why we love Joan. She’s fun, flirty, and blonde, but not dumb. Quite often the girl in the know she’s the one helping James Cagney in Footlight Parade, William Powell in Lawyer Man, Barbara Stanwyck in Night Nurse, and Ann Dvorak in Three on a Match. And that’s not all. She had style, and comedic timing. Clark was right! Joan was a lot like Carole Lombard. You loved to love her. You wanted her as your best friend, and knew that if you needed help burying a body, she’d show up with the shovel and bag, without judgment. Congrats on being Awesome. Happy Birthday!