Suspense - Dime a Dance

In "Dime a Dance," Lucille Ball plays a taxi dancer who becomes involved in the search for a murderer.

Cornell Woolrich's classic noir short story, "Dime a Dance" (Black Mask, February, 1938), is also known under its reprint title, "The Dancing Detective." The story was adapted for Suspense in 1944, not  long after Suspense had presented Woolrich's similar tale, "The White Rose Murders."  Woolrich wrote a number of stories with taxi dancer and dance hall themes, but the most famous of these is "Dime a Dance."

Ginger Allen is a taxi dancer at the Joyland Palace in New York City. As the episode opens, she arrives at work expecting to see her friend, Julie, but she isn't there. No one knows where Julie is or why she isn't at work. Later, Ginger is told that Julie has been murdered and the police want her help.

"Dime a Dance" was produced and directed by William Spier. Lucille Ball starred as Ginger Allen. Also appearing were Hans Conried, Patrick McGeehan, Jeannette Nolan, and Ian Wolfe. This episode aired on January 13, 1944.

.  Download Suspense_1944.01.13_Dime A Dance

(Image from The Dancing Detective: A Brilliant Collection of Macabre Mystery Stories, Popular Lbrary, 1951)

Comments

[Shonokin]

The Cornell Woolrich Noir movie "The Guilty" will be playing at the B Noir festival at the Roxie in SF on May 15th (2009).
http://www.roxie.com/events/details.cfm?eventid=1BAEDC6C-B0F2-9844-6481FB5DFA2D1842

[cmillinsf]

Thanks for pointing that one out, I would like to see it. Actually, they have a lot of good films on the festival line-up. I will definitely be over there for at least a few nights.- Christine

[Mor]

Amazing! Thanks a lot for possibility to hear this. =)