"Ten Cents a Dance" released in 1931, is based on the popular Rogers and Hart song. The film stars Barbara Stanwyck as a dance-hall girl, who dances with men who can pay a dime. These were apparently popular in the early years of the Great Depression, with young ladies just trying to earn any kind of a living. Stanwyck's character is on the tough side, but she falls hard for a man who lives in her apartment building (Monroe Owsley). Brought into the mix of this is a handsome and charming wealthy man (Ricardo Cortez) who is smitten with Stanwyck, but she only has eyes for the poor man Owsley. The two marry, but it soon becomes apparent her new husband is not satisfied with the average life of working in an office and the frugal life they live. He wants to live the good life, but he just doesn't want to work for it. Stanwyck tries to keep the marriage and their home going, but her husband only distances himself more from her, and ends up stealing money from the company that the rich man owns! A bit implausible, but hey....what hurts the film is the meager budget the film obviously had. Columbia Pictures rarely made big-budget films in the early 1930's, and was considered the poverty row studio by the Hollywood elite. The performances are good, especially Stanwyck, who was clearly a star on the rise. It was great to see Ricard Cortez playing a nice guy for a change instead of the bad guy he was so famous for. Owsley (whom I was not familiar with) is also effective as the restless and dissatisfied husband. A nice little movie, nothing special, but better days -- and films -- certainly were ahead for Barbara Stanwyck. The film was produced by Lionel Barrymore, oddly enough.
Review of Ten Cents a Dance
