Ten Cents a Dance (1931)

Men pay a dime to dance with Barbara and her fellow taxi dancers. She marries Eddie and plans to quit dancing. Before she does, she meets a handsome and rich gentleman.

Directors:

Lionel Barrymore, Edward Buzzell (uncredited)

Writers:

Lorenz Hart (based on the popular song by), Dorothy Howell (continuity)

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
Pat Harmon	...	Casey, the Bouncer
Martha Sleeper	...	Nancy Clark
David Newell	...	Ralph Clark
Sidney Bracey	...	Wilson, Carlton's Butler
Harry Todd	...	Mr. Carney

Storyline

Men pay a dime to dance with Barbara and her fellow taxi dancers. She marries Eddie and quits dancing, but before that, she meets with the handsome and very rich Bradley. Barbara eventually starts dancing again, since her marriage is plagued by financial tension, and Bradley begins visiting her again. Eddie becomes jealous, accusing his wife of infidelity. He sees that alleged infidelity as an excuse to steal money from Bradley.

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Plot Keywords:

taxi dancer | f rated | number in title | 

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Taglines:

She was a dance hall hostess but the band never played "Home Sweet Home" for her. (Studio publicity sheet).

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

A diez centavos el baile

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.19 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Barbara O'Neill: I didn't lie to you. I just didn't go into detail.

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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

Going for a Song

There haven't been many films inspired by a popular song (but there have been others; Bobbie Gentry's 'Ode to Billy Joe' became a film in 1976), and the title of Lionel Barrymore's last film as director had led me to expect another musical; it then starts out seeming to promise a hard-boiled drama set amid the speakeasies. But after the obligatory opening sequence with the camera swooping around the dance hall where Barbara Stanwyck works, Barrymore settles down to instead deliver a weepie in which Alpha Plus female Barbara Stanwyck becomes inexplicably enamoured of Gamma Minus male Monroe Owsley to the extent of marrying him.

Scriptwriter Jo Swerling doesn't give Owsley a single redeeming feature, leaving you torn between wanting to give him a smack for being such an unappreciative pig and her for not giving him that smack herself. Alpha male fairy godfather Ricardo Cortez is frankly far too good be true, his actions implausibly honourable at all times; and Stanwyck is such a doormat I'm sure he was capable of better (ironically she was at the time herself married to one of the most detested men in show business, Frank Fay). But I guess by the end she'd earned a break.