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Scripted by James Poe and Robert E. Thompson, from Horace McCoy’s 1935 novel, Sydney Pollack’s They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? premieres in New York. It’s the early 1930s. As the Depression tightens its economic grip, gruelling marathon dance contests, some often lasting several weeks, have mushroomed across the country. Lured by the promise of a cash prize, impoverished, down-at-heel couples dance and shuffle to the brink of exhaustion while a glib-tongued emcee whips the ballroom’s paying audience into a frenzy. Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Red Buttons, Susannah York, Bruce Dern and Bonnie Bedelia are some of the desperate hopefuls compelled to set aside their pride and dignity to chase the glitter ball's elusive windfall. Brutal and bleak, with a killer ending. Gig Young wins the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
