Bette's twelfth picture - and eighth of 1932 - was "a dull 'B' picture called Three on a Match. My school friend Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak and I were the unlucky trio, and Mervyn Leroy was my next unsympathetic director. He kept talking of what a great dramatic star Joan was to become and I was glad for her; but his pointed references and indifference to me hardly encouraged me in my daily work ... I had daydreams about the Director with Vision who would see what I knew I had" (The Lonely Life, 135-136).
That's not quite how Leroy remembered it, at least, that's not what he told The New Movie Magazine (June 1933):
Joan is a swell girl to direct [...] You ought to see her garden [...] Joan does all the work herself. Bette is a peach too. She isn't the actress Joan is; not yet. She'll take a lot of directing. But she can take it. That kind usually goes a long way. And what a figure! Did you notice those beach scenes? (see the end of the post)
Bette Davis was ravishing in appearance, but had very little to do.
I love Bette's bathing suit in the film. You can see a few more screenshots on my blog Facebook page (including some great hats on the other girls).
Davis, Bette. The Lonely Life: An Autobiography. G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1962.Ringgold, Gene. Bette Davis: Her Films and Career. Citadel Press. 1966, 1985.
The New Movie Magazine, June 1933.
