Ten Cents a Dance (1931)

"Barbara" (Barbara Stanwyck) works in one of those dance halls where the managers charge the punters 10 cents to dance with her - unless they are at table drinking (she's partial to milk!). It's not really a marriage of true love, but she ends up marrying the petty waster "Eddie" (Monroe Owsley) - a man who steals left, right and centre from his boss to stay one step ahead of his gambling debts. When she realises the size of the hole he's in, she borrows $5,000 from a wealthy client to bail him out. His reaction is the final straw for her patience with this relationship and she turns to a more practical solution with her loved-up benefactor "Carlton" (Ricardo Cortez). Thing is, that doesn't really make anyone very happy either... Lionel Barrymore directs this and he keeps it engaging enough as the plot itself regurgitates a fairly well trammelled triangular romantic drama. It's really Stanwyck who stands out as a star - she steals each scene simply by being on screen. There is a degree of chemistry between all three of the characters, but the ones with the pretty odious "Eddie" worked better as tempers fray. There is also a strong sense of camaraderie depicted between the gals who are trapped in a cycle of paw or be pawed and though the production is basic, it's still a watch hinting at what's to come from this actress.