Ten Cents a Dance (1931)

Director:

Lionel Barrymore

Writers:

Dorothy Howell (continuity), Jo Swerling

Stars:

Barbara Stanwyck, Ricardo Cortez, Monroe Owsley

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barbara Stanwyck	...	Barbara O'Neill
Ricardo Cortez	...	Bradley Carlton
Monroe Owsley	...	Eddie Miller
Sally Blane	...	Molly
Blanche Friderici	...	Mrs. Blanchard
Phyllis Crane	...	Eunice
Olive Tell	...	Mrs. Carlton
Victor Potel	...	Smith, a Sailor
Al Hill	...	Jones, a Sailor
Jack Byron	...	Leo
Abe Lyman	...	And His Orchestra (as Abe Lyman and His Orchestra)
Pat Harmon	...	Casey, the Bouncer
Martha Sleeper	...	Nancy Clark
David Newell	...	Ralph Clark
Sidney Bracey	...	Wilson, Carlton's Butler

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

taxi dancer | number in title

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

10-Cents Dansen

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Barbara O'Neill: You're not a man. You're not even a good sample.

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Connections

Alternate-language version of Carne de cabaret (1931)

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Soundtracks

"Ten Cents a Dance"
(uncredited)
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

User Reviews

A Bad Judge Of Character

Back in the day when couples actually held each other while dancing the kind of place Barbara Stanwyck works in Ten Cents A Dance was fairly popular. Ten cents went a lot farther in those days. Today even given inflation you would pay a whole lot more and the dance would be on your lap.

One of Barbara's special customers is Ricardo Cortez, a man who's kept his business during the Depression and successfully, no easy task. She asks him to give one of her fellow boarders at her rooming house, Monroe Owsley a job in the firm. It seems to work out all around and she and Owsley get married.

But Owsley is a weak character and a poor gambler, losing money in penny ante card games and of all things playing the market in 1931, not a very sound idea. He embezzles $5000.00 from Cortez's firm. This is where Barbara has to make some critical choices, separate the men from the boys so to speak.

Lionel Barrymore who did some directing before the Oscar he won for A Free Soul brought him a contract with MGM to exclusively act directed this pre-Code potboiler. He does get good performances out of the three principal players. Another you won't forget is Sally Blane as the underage dime a dance girl and Blanche Frederici as the morals custodian of the dime a dance girls in her establishment.

Owsley who made a specialty of playing bad or weak characters died much too young. As for Barbara the role was definitely a boost for her young career at the time.