Dance marathons were competitions held in the depression-era America for couples to potentially win big money if they went the distance and remained on their feet for days and days and days. With some competitions going beyond 1,000 hours with minimal breaks for food and sleep, this utter exhaustion was spectacle for the watching crowds, and it becomes an ultimate metaphor for capitalism, America and life itself. Based on a book written by a guy who used to be a bouncer at these marathons, Sydney Pollack’s film They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969) feeds off late-60s counter-culture anger at “the system”. We watch downtrodden people tap-dance and sing off-key for coins as the band keeps playing. This is one bummer of a movie but really compelling with great performances by Michael Sarrazin as the wide-eyed innocent anti-hero, Jane Fonda as the tough egg continually crushed by life, Red Buttons as the older sailor pushing himself beyond his limits, and Gig Young as the corrupt, wearied MC with his catchphrase “Yowza! Yowza! Yowza!” Recommended.
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