Product Description

The depression of the 1930s led people to desperate measures to survive. The marathon dance craze, which flourished at that time, seemed a simple way for people to earn extra money - dancing the hours away for cash. But the underside of that craze was filled with a competition and violence unknown to most ballrooms. A lurid tale of dancing and desperation: Horace McCoy?s classic American novel captures the dark side of the 1930s.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #122717 in Books
• Published on: 1995-09-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 132 pages

From the Back Cover
The depression of the 1930's led people to desperate measures to survive. The Marathon Dance Craze, which flourished at that time, seemed a simple way for people to earn extra money - dancing the hours away for case. But, the underside of that Craze was filled with a competition and violence unknown to most ballrooms. Horace McCoy's classic American story captures the dark side in this powerful novel.

Horace McCoy was the author of several classic American noir novels, including the Midnight Classic I Should Have Stayed Home. The film of They Shoot Horses, Don't They? starred Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Susannah York and Red Buttons.

About the Author
Horace McCoy was born near Nashville, Tennessee in 1897. During his lifetime he travelled all over the US as a salesman and taxi-driver, and his varied career included reporting and sports editing, acting as bodyguard to a politician, doubling for a wrestler, and writing for films and magazines. A founder of the celebrated Dallas Little Theatre, his novels include I Should Have Stayed Home (1938), Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1948), and They Shoot Horses, DonÂ’t They? (1935), which was made into a film. He died in 1955.

Customer Reviews

an evocative experience
i would recommend this book/play to any actors, directors, or even historians. it shows the pain, suffering and desperation felt by those that entered the dance marathons, the levels by which they slowly degraded themselves furthur and furthur - starting out with just dancing for money, then getting scruffier and scruffier, giving less of a damn about their appearance and eventually being used as advertisements by rich people who come to watch them, for 'entertainment'. this book is well worth reading, it contains amusing, emotional and disgraceful moments. you won't be able to put it down - i certainly couldn't!

A little too concise?
I suppose it could be said that the beauty of this little novel lies in its brevity. In that sense it's a 'little gem' - short, but packed with big themes and emotions. But for me, it was a little too skimpy to get across some of the weight of its ideas. By then end of a marathon dance I expected to feel something of the contestants' almost dead weight - their desperation and fear (just look at the image on Jane Fonda on the cover, taken from the movie!), but other than Gloria, they all seemed fairly lively and together. There was little sense of an irreversible slide towards disaster. And this in part is why I found the protagonist's sudden change from chirpy mr-nice-guy to perpetrator of desperate acts rather unconvincing. That said, I did like the book and felt it had a lot to say - particularly about the nature of real financial meltdown and what it does to people. Quite timely messages.

Mini Classic
I loved this book. Its a mini classic in my opinion. After reading it i am going to track down all of Mccoy's works.