The film was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and stars Joan Blondell, Warren William, Ann Dvorak, and Bette Davis.

Mary is a showgirl who has established stability in her life after spending some time in a reform school, while Ruth works as a stenographer.

Just before Vivian and Junior's ship is about to set sail, Mary boards the ocean liner with two men to attend a bon voyage party for some friends.

[5] Joan Blondell posed for a risqué 1932 promotional publicity photo for the film, which was later banned under the Motion Picture Production Code.

[7] The Time reviewer felt the film did not carry much weight, unlike previous Glasmon–Bright productions,[b] and that the suicide at the end was more implausible than tragic.

"[9] The Spokane Spokesman-Review expressed admiration for the way the passage of time is shown through several montage sequences, calling it "a brand new approach and treatment ..." and commented that the film "rang true".

[12] The Motion Picture Herald also advised exhibitors to focus on the "strength of the cast names" and not to even use the word "kidnaping" or allude to it in promotions.

In 1969, William K. Everson called it "unusually carefully-made" and wrote, "Splendidly cut and paced ... and climaxed by a real shocker, Three on a Match is still a vivid little picture".

[14] Wheeler Winston Dixon observed, "the film is astonishing for the amount of information that LeRoy manages to compress into this lightning-fast tale".

[16] Leonard Maltin gives the film three out of four stars, describing it as a “Fine, fast-moving (and surprisingly potent) pre-Code melodrama of three girls who renew childhood friendship, only to find suspense and tragedy.