Dance Hall was an American Pre-Codemusical film directed by Melville Brown and written by Jane Murfin and J. Walter Ruben, based on the short story of the same name by Vina Delmar. It was RKO's second to last release of the decade, and was a critical and financial flop. Dance Hall featured a love triangle with a shipping clerk competing with a dashing aviator for the affections of a young taxi dancer.
Plot
A shipping clerk, Tommy Flynn, engages a young female taxi dancer, Gracie Nolan, and the two gain some success in dance halls, winning several dance contests. As they do, he becomes infatuated with her, but she only has eyes for a pilot, Ted Smith, who wants her as a trophy of his own. Flynn is unsuccessful in his attempts to woo the young Gracie, until the pilot crashes during his attempt at a transcontinental flight. Flynn hides the fact from Gracie that the pilot is still alive, as he attempts to get her to fall in love with him,. When she discovers his subterfuge, she is enraged and rushes off to be with the pilot. However, when she finds Smith, she uncovers that he has been living with another woman. Devastated, she returns to Tommy, who takes her back. Reunited, the two lovers become a successful dancing team.
In February 1929, it was announced that Viña Delmar had been signed by RKO to write the story of Dance Hall. By the end of June, RKO had scheduled filming to begin on approximately August 1, 1929. In September, The Film Daily reported that Melville Brown had been signed to a long-term contract by RKO, and that Dance Hall would be his first project with his new studio, and in early October, it was learned that J. Walter Ruben would be contributing to the script's dialogue. Also in October, RKO announced that Arthur Lake and Olive Borden were attached to the project, and also that Margaret Seddon, Ralph Emerson and Tom O'Brien would be joining the cast. The production featured the introduction of two new dances: the "Dumb Drag" and the "Blue Bottom". While originally scheduled for August, filming on Dance Hall did not begin until mid-October, 1929. After production began, a fire at Consolidated Film Industries, the laboratory developing the negatives, destroyed two days worth of filming. By November 20, filming on Dance Hall had concluded and the picture was being edited. Dance Hall opened on December 15, 1929 at the Globe Theater in New York City, although the American Film Institute has it opening a day earlier.
Reception
In his film review for The New York Times, Mordaunt Hall characterized Dance Hall as mildly entertaining, "... while it may be a slice of life, or whatever one cares to characterize it, the result is far from being an edifying entertainment. Possibly some of those who compete in marathon dances may find that this production appeals to them, but others, young or old, will, in all probability, wish for something just a trifle more stimulating to the mind than this tale of a dance cup winner and his love for his partner." Film historians Richard Jewell and Vernon Harbin in The RKO Story considered Dance Hall, a "sour note..." yet "... mildly diverting." They further described that the film "collapsed in the critical areas of acting, dialogue..."
