Lionel Barrymore had been dabbling in directing since film's earliest days. He was in demand as an director in the early days of the talkies, scoring a success with "Madame X", but also responsible for "His Glorious Night" - a film John Gilbert probably wished he (J.G.) had never made. He was an uninspired director, who even in the early thirties was in the early stages of arthritis and "Ten Cents a Dance" was his last director credit. "Inspired by the Popular Song" - the song was a huge hit for Ruth Etting. She sang it and "Love Me or Leave Me" in the Ziegfeld show "Simple Simon" (1930) and both songs became forever associated with her. But she almost didn't get to sing it - Lee Morse, a beautiful singer with a unique vocal style was the initial lead but after being found drunk the day before the Broadway opening was sacked and Ruth was asked to go on in her place.
Barbara (Barbara Stanwyck) is pretty fed up with her job as a dance hostess at the Palais De Dance - her boss Mrs. Blanchard (Blanche Frederici) is concerned with her slipping standards. "I'm here because my brains are in my feet - you're here because your brains are in your.....!!" Babs has an ardent admirer in decent businessman Bradley Carlton (Ricardo Cortez)who pays her $100 just to sit and talk with him. Her heart, unfortunately, is with another. Weakling Eddie Miller (Monroe Owsley - in the early 1930s he surely deserved an award for the number of times he played pretty despicable people) and she has already found him a job with Carlton. She has also never told Eddie where she works - she says she is a dancing instructress!!! He finally tracks her down and is pretty disgusted with her job - he proposes marriage and she eagerly accepts. Carlton also has strong feelings for her and proposes she travel with him on a world cruise but of course she refuses.
Marriage shows Eddie's true colours - he is still passing himself off as a bachelor and getting heavily into debt by playing bridge and dabbling in the market. Meanwhile, Babs is finding it difficult to make ends meet and secretly goes back to the dance hall to help pay the bills but Eddie has been doing a little overtime on his own - embezzling $5,000 from the company and now the auditors are in. When Barbara comes up with the money (she has been to see Carlton who not only gives her the money but confesses envy of Eddie) he believes she has earned the money in the "usual way" (for girls in pre-coders anyway) and rushes to Carlton to shake him down.
"You're not a man - you're not even a good sample" - it's speeches like that or "showdowns" that show Barbara Stanwyck's ability to lift up the script of an obvious pot boiler and make you forget that you are watching a movie unworthy of her talents. Ricard Cortez is also an extremely versatile actor - he could play gentleman or psychotic gangster and make you believe in them. Sweet Sally Blane (Loretta Young's sister) played Molly, the new kid at the dance hall who becomes Barbara's friend. Abe Lyman's Orchestra gives the Palais De Dance much needed pep and class.
Highly Recommended.
Barbara (Barbara Stanwyck) is pretty fed up with her job as a dance hostess at the Palais De Dance - her boss Mrs. Blanchard (Blanche Frederici) is concerned with her slipping standards. "I'm here because my brains are in my feet - you're here because your brains are in your.....!!" Babs has an ardent admirer in decent businessman Bradley Carlton (Ricardo Cortez)who pays her $100 just to sit and talk with him. Her heart, unfortunately, is with another. Weakling Eddie Miller (Monroe Owsley - in the early 1930s he surely deserved an award for the number of times he played pretty despicable people) and she has already found him a job with Carlton. She has also never told Eddie where she works - she says she is a dancing instructress!!! He finally tracks her down and is pretty disgusted with her job - he proposes marriage and she eagerly accepts. Carlton also has strong feelings for her and proposes she travel with him on a world cruise but of course she refuses.
Marriage shows Eddie's true colours - he is still passing himself off as a bachelor and getting heavily into debt by playing bridge and dabbling in the market. Meanwhile, Babs is finding it difficult to make ends meet and secretly goes back to the dance hall to help pay the bills but Eddie has been doing a little overtime on his own - embezzling $5,000 from the company and now the auditors are in. When Barbara comes up with the money (she has been to see Carlton who not only gives her the money but confesses envy of Eddie) he believes she has earned the money in the "usual way" (for girls in pre-coders anyway) and rushes to Carlton to shake him down.
"You're not a man - you're not even a good sample" - it's speeches like that or "showdowns" that show Barbara Stanwyck's ability to lift up the script of an obvious pot boiler and make you forget that you are watching a movie unworthy of her talents. Ricard Cortez is also an extremely versatile actor - he could play gentleman or psychotic gangster and make you believe in them. Sweet Sally Blane (Loretta Young's sister) played Molly, the new kid at the dance hall who becomes Barbara's friend. Abe Lyman's Orchestra gives the Palais De Dance much needed pep and class.
Highly Recommended.