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Marathon Men (and Women) of the 1930s

20.05.12

By Annette Hinkle

What would you do for a million dollars?

That is the question TV viewers around the world look to have answered when they tune into their favorite reality show of the week. Though programs like The Amazing Race, Survivor and Fear Factor seem to speak to a modern day trend where people will do anything to make a buck, in fact, it’s not really an original idea at all.

Back in the 1920s and ‘30s at the height of the Depression, another form of endurance was all the craze — dance marathons. Though it’s a phenomenon not well known by most people today, in many ways, dance marathons were truly the nation’s first reality shows. Couples (who often didn’t even know each other) would spend weeks and in some cases months dancing in local community halls on the slim chance that they might take home $1,500 in prize money.

The rules required that couples dance 24 hours a day — with a 10 minute break each hour. During prime time evening hours when halls were packed with audience members, couples were required to dance full out to a live band. The rest of the time, they danced to Victrola music and could simply sway in each others arms (often while one partner was sleeping). But they had to keep moving and because they were so sleep deprived, the 10 minute breaks were used solely for that, which meant couples did virtually everything else — including eating — on their feet.

Source: The Sag Harbor Express