Dance Hall (1929) is a weird, clunky, but kind of charming jazz age relic

Should you actually sit down and watch this today? Only if you have a real soft spot for the 1920s or if you're trying to see every movie Arthur Lake ever made before he became Dagwood. It is a bit of a dusty relic, honestly. But it’s got a certain *vibe* that you just don't get from modern stuff. 🎷

If you hate old movies where the audio sounds like someone is frying bacon in the next room, you should probably skip this. It's an early 'talkie' and you can really tell they were still figuring things out.

The story is pretty simple. Gracie (played by Olive Borden) and her partner are these big-shot dancers at a local hall. They win a trophy that looks like it weighs about fifty pounds. They are happy, or at least they think they are. Then, this pilot shows up. ✈️

Back in 1929, being a pilot was basically like being an astronaut and a rock star at the same time. Ralph Emerson plays the aviator, and he has this mustache that screams 'I am going to break your heart and then fly away.'

I found myself staring at the trophy more than the actors sometimes. It sits on the table in almost every scene for a while, just gleaming. It’s like the third main character in the first act. 🏆

The dancing scenes are actually the best part of the whole thing. You can see the energy in the room, even if the camera is stuck in one place because those early sound booths were huge and heavy. It feels a bit like The New York Peacock in terms of that 'nightlife' atmosphere.

Olive Borden is interesting to watch. She was known as the 'Joy Girl,' and she has these very expressive eyes. Sometimes they feel a bit too big for the small screen. She does this thing where she looks at the pilot like he’s a piece of chocolate cake she’s not supposed to eat. 🍰

Arthur Lake is... well, he's Arthur Lake. He’s got that nervous, high-pitched energy that made him famous later. Here, he’s the 'nice guy' who gets pushed aside. You kind of want to shake him and tell him to stand up for himself. It’s a bit like the dynamic you see in Fools and Their Money where someone is just too naive for their own good.

There’s this one scene where they are all at a party and everyone is talking at once. It’s a mess. You can tell the sound engineers were probably sweating through their shirts trying to capture all those voices. It’s chaotic in a way that feels accidental rather than artistic.

The movie is based on a story by Viña Delmar, who wrote a lot of stuff about 'modern' girls back then. It’s supposed to be scandalous, I guess? But by today’s standards, it’s about as scandalous as a glass of warm milk. 🥛

I noticed a weird thing with the extras in the background. There is one guy in the dance hall who just keeps staring directly at the camera. Once you see him, you can't un-see him. He’s just there, vibing, while the lead actors are having a dramatic moment. It’s hilarious.

The pilot, Val, takes Gracie up in his plane. The special effects are... well, they aren't really effects. It’s just a shaky camera and some wind. It reminded me a little of The Silent Flyer, though that one had a bit more tension in the air. Here, it’s mostly just an excuse for Gracie to look impressed by a man in a leather jacket. 🧥

I think the movie gets a bit mising its way in the middle. It stops being about the dancing and starts being a standard melodrama. The pacing just sort of drops off a cliff. One minute they are winning contests, the next they are moping around in apartments. 📉

The dialogue is full of 1920s slang that I had to look up. 'Applesauce!' and things like that. It’s charming, but also makes the movie feel like it’s from another planet. Which, I guess, 1929 basically is.

Is the ending satisfying? Not really. It feels rushed. Like they ran out of film or the actors had a bus to catch. It just sort of... stops. 🛑

But there’s a weird honesty to it. It’s not trying to be a 'profound exploration' of anything. It’s just a movie about people making bad choices because they want some excitement. We still do that today, we just don't wear as many sequins while doing it.

If you’ve seen The Great Divide from the same year, you’ll notice how much more 'stagey' this feels. It hasn't quite figured out how to be a movie-movie yet. It still feels like a filmed play where the actors are afraid to move too far from the hidden microphones.

I liked the costumes, though. The dresses have so much detail. You can tell the wardrobe department was the only group really firing on all cylinders. 👗

Overall, it’s a fascinating failure. It’s not 'good' in the way we think of movies now, but it’s a great time capsule. It captures that specific moment when the world was changing and movies were trying to keep up. I’d give it a watch if you’re bored on a Sunday afternoon and want to feel like you’ve traveled back in time. Just don't expect to be blown away by the plot. It’s as thin as a crepe. 🥞

Oh, and watch out for that one extra I mentioned. Seriously. He’s the real star of the dance hall. 🕺