Horace McCoy’s 1935 novel They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? contains one of the bleakest lines in all of literature. It’s where Gloria, who dances in the marathon dance, asks without a trace of irony or black humor, ”Why are these high-powered scientists always screwing around trying to prolong life instead of finding pleasant ways to end it?” Can there ever be a more negative, more downbeat, pessimistic view of life?

Turns out, Gloria was raised in the most dreadful way, by abusive, cruel people in West Texas. She eventually escaped, moving to Los Angeles, looking to make it in Hollywood movies. Can there ever be a staler, more pathetic aspiration, to see the pretend, artificial world of Hollywood as your salvation?

To be abused and debased as a child growing up and then, as a young adult, to be pushed into marathon dancing – the true bloodsport of the Great Depression. And then, after receiving your fifty dollars for a month and a week of marathon dancing, handing your partner a pistol and asking him to blow your brains out. Vintage 1930s America captured in Horace McCoy’s outstanding classic.

183 s Lisa of Troy504 5,488

‘Oh, I don’t dance very well.’
‘You don’t have to. All you have to do is keep moving.’

Highly recommend if you are a fan of symbolism or literature concerning social justice particularly gender issues.

In They Shoot Horses, DonÂ’t They?, the reader is first introduced to Robert Syverten for the murder of his friend Gloria Beatty. In flashbacks, the reader is transported back to the inception of the friendship. Gloria has had a rough go of things and is downtrodden. The two enter a dance marathon which will provide food and shelter for the duration of the competition.

To create more excitement, there are derbies where the couples have to race each other with the loser couple being eliminated. If your partner falls down, the fallen partner goes to the pit while the other partner has to complete an extra penalty lap.

Imagine the chaos of the derbies! Gloria is tired of playing the game.

This novella was published in 1935, and the dance marathon seems to be a precursor to reality television.

“Do you plan to have a public wedding next week or was that merely an announcement to draw a crowd of morons?” – They Shoot Horses Don’t They?

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2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities150 s7 comments Anna60 321

Why did you kill her? the policemen in the rear seat asked.
"She asked me to," I said.
"Is that the only reason you got?" the policemen in the rear seat asked.
"They shoot horses, don't they?" I asked.


5 stars to this!139 s Paul Bryant2,280 10.6k




HOURS ELAPSED 879

COUPLES REMAINING 20


Short and very brutal, this is a matter-of-fact account of the bleakest despair. The marathon dance contests of the 20s and 30s were something dreamed up by Caligula but they really happened and the powers that be never saw fit to close them down, even as the young couples sagged to the floor from physical and mental exhaustion after only being allowed 10 minutes rest every two hours for three solid weeks. It was all “don’t worry folks, they’ll be back in a few moments after our medical staff have given them the once-over”. The very memorable movie from 1969 made me think I didn’t need to read this but I’m very glad I did.

I read the whole thing today. My cat Hatter came over when I finished and asked me what it was about. When I’d explained he shook his head and said “Humans – what are they good for, really?” Then he reconsidered. “Okay,” he said, “you learned how to make cat food. So there’s that.” Then he shrugged and walked away.novels99 s Beverly887 341

I came to this in a roundabout way, this story was in a book of crime novels of the 30s and 40s that I got from the library in order to read The Big Clock. I had just read a story by Jonathan Lethem about how virtual reality technology could be used for demeaning purposes in the future, such as having people perform in virtual reality suits and compete against each other for a prize. Lethem mentions 1930s dance contests in his preface to "How We Got In Town and Out Again".

This story is so bleak and so absurd. Not in a funny, ha ha way, but just off and grotesque. I saw the movie with Jane Fonda and Michael Sarrazin on tv when I was a kid and didn't realize these dance contests were historical events from the 1930s; I thought it was some dystopian future world, sort of Westworld which I loved.

This book depicts the helplessness and futility everyone must have felt during the depression. You work very, very hard and you still can't get ahead. There are no or few jobs which everyone is competing for, the money prize in the dance marathon which no one wins in the end. I can't say I recommend this because it left me feeling sick, but it is very powerful.american-noir-1930s93 s Jon Nakapalau5,390 789

At the end of this book, when this question is asked, you will be horrified. This reminds me of the attitude of so many serial killers; the objectification of the other as a means to an ends - and nothing more. This book should be on the reading list of anyone interested in forensic psychology and how banal evil can become. classics crime cultural-studies ...more79 s Pakinam Mahmoud896 4,116

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628. They Shoot Horses, DonÂ’t They?, Horace McCoy

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? is a novel written by Horace McCoy and first published in 1935. It was adapted into Sydney Pollack's 1969 film of the same name. The story mainly concerns a dance marathon during the Great Depression.

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Esperaba más de este clásico.
La acción transcurre durante un concurso de resistencia de baile. No pasa nada. Sólo baile, un par de buenos diálogos y un final que desemboca sin darte cuenta.
La gran depresión americana da para mucho más.49 s James ThaneAuthor 9 books6,974

Published in 1935, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? is almost a perfect Depression-era novel, capturing the despair that so many Americans experienced during that period and demonstrating the lengths to which some people would go for even the tinniest chance at a somewhat better future. The story is set in the world of the dance marathons that were popular at the time. In an age before "reality" television, live audiences watched these competitions closely, rooting on their favorite couples.

Two young people, Gloria and Robert, meet on the street in Hollywood. Both have ambitions of getting into the movies, she as an actress and he as a director, and both have been deeply disappointed. Neither has any money nor any real prospect of success, and so Gloria persuades Robert to participate in a dance marathon that is being held on the Santa Monica pier. The principal attraction of doing so is that you have a place to sleep and free food for as long as you last in the contest. And if you should somehow survive the ordeal long enough to win, the prize is a thousand dollars. As an added incentive, the promoter promises that important Hollywood people will be in the audience and perhaps some of the contestants will be "discovered" and offered a job in the movies.

It's a grueling and inhumane schedule, and it speaks to the desperation so many felt at that time that people would even consider attempting it. The contestants must dance for an hour and fifty minutes and they then get a ten-minute break to sleep and eat. Then it's back on the floor until you drop or are otherwise eliminated. If that's not bad enough, there are periodic races around the floor and other such feats of endurance for the amusement of the spectators. Lose one of these events and you are also out the door. As the contest drags on, the audiences increase and businesses step forward to sponsor some of the couples. And as the end approaches, the contest becomes a spectacle, something on the order of ancient Romans watching the Christians and the lions fight it out.

144 couples begin the event and after 879 hours, or just over 36 days, 20 remain, including Robert and Gloria. By now, Gloria is in a total state of despair and says repeatedly that all she wants to do is die. Robert continues to urge her along, hoping that somehow they will win and that the five hundred dollars they will each receive will somehow change their lives. Sadly, the reader knows from the first page that this will not turn out well.

This is in some ways a very depressing novel, but then, these were very depressing times and McCoy has perfectly captured a slice of that era. This is a great noir novel that will appeal to anyone who enjoys the genre.crime-fiction hbcc45 s AiK656 208

?????, ??????????, ??????????? ? ??????. ??? ???-?? ?????????? «???? ???????» ????????? ?????, ? ???????? ?????????? ????? ? ??????????. ????? ???????? ?? ??????? ?????? ? ??????? ??????? ???????????? ?????, ????? ????? ?????????? ??????????? ? ?????????, ??, ???, ???, ??? ??? ????? ???????, ????? ?????? ?????????? – ??? ??????????? ? ???????????? ???????? ? ??????????????? ????????? – ????????? ?? ??????????? ? ?????????????? ????????? ?????? ???, ? ??????? ???? ?????? ????? ?????? ?? ?????????? ??????? ???? ?? ????? ? ?????? ?????????? ????, ? ????????? ???? ???????? ?????? ? ??????? ??????????? ??????, ??? ??????? ?????? ? ????? ?? ????????.
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? ????????? ???????????, ? ??? ?? ? ??????, ? ??????????? ????? ???? ??, ??? ??? ??????? ?????????, ???????? ? ??????????? ??????? ???????? ???. ?? ?? ??????? ???????, ??????, ?????? ?????????????????, - ??? ????? ????, ??? ????? ???? ?? ??????. ?? ????????? ??????, ? ?? ?????, ??? ? ??? ??? ??????? ??????, ??? ?????????? ????????? ?? ???? ?????. ?? ?????? ????. ?????? ????? ???, ? ?????? ???-?? ??????, ????? ???? ????? ? ????? ??? ?? ?????. ? ?????-?? ??????, ?? ?????????, ?? ?????????????, ?? ?????????????, ?????? ??????? ? ?????????, ?? ?????????? ?????????? ??? ????????????? ?????, ??????, ????? ??? ????????????. ??? ?? ???????? ?????? ???? ? ??? ? ???????? ?????? ??????, ???, ???, ??? ?????????????, ?????????? ????????? ? ?????? ??? ????????, ?????????????, ????????? ???????????? ?????. ? ????? ??????, ??? ????????? ???? ??? ????? «????????? ???????», ? ??????? ??? ?????? ??????. ??? ?????? ????? ???? ????????? ?? ??????????, ?????? ??? ???? ?? ????? ????????. ?????? ???? ?????????????? ????, ????? ??? ??? ????????? ??????? ??????, ????? ?? ????????? ?? ????, ?????? ????. ??? ?????????, ??? ??? ?????, ??? ??? ???????????? ?????? ?????????? ????????? ??????????? ?????????. ?? ?????????? ?????? ??? ??????, ???? ? ?????? ????????. ?????? ??? ?? ? ?????? ????????????. ????? ????? ?????? ????????? ???????, ???????, ?? ??? ??????, ?????? ?????????? ???????? ? ?????? ?????????? ?????. ??????????? ?????????? ??????, ??? ?????? ??? ??????, ??? ??? ????????????? ?????, ??????? ?? ?????????, ????? ????? ?? ??????. ?????, ??? ????? ?????????????? ???????/???????? ????? ?????? ?????? ? ????? ???????? ????????????? ???? ??????, ??? ?????? ????? ??? ????? ????????? ???????. ?????? ???? ???? ????? ????? ?????????????, ?? ??????? ????????? ???????. ?? ?? ????????? – ??? ?? ?? ??????????? ????????? ???????? ?????????43 s Roman Clodia2,593 3,431

'I'm going to get off this merry-go-round,' she said. 'I'm through with the whole stinking thing.'
'What thing?'
'Life,' she said.
I've seen lots of which read this as an exposé of the Hollywood system and/or an existential take on life with lots of parallels to modern reality TV and the quest for fame - I'd agree but I'd also suggest this can be read as a critique of capitalism where the dance marathon is a capitalist system in miniature.

Set against the 1930s Depression, this centres on a dance marathon - a craze where young couples danced practically non-stop for 30-50 days, with only a scarce ten minutes every two hours to sleep/eat/have a comfort break - until they literally drop from exhaustion and stress. All this for the 'entertainment' or consumption of the paying audience, some famous, some wealthy sponsors - and, importantly, the bank-rolls of the organisers. The only prize at the end of the period is $1,000 dollars shared between the winning couple.

In some ways, this is an original The Hunger Games with its gladiatorial references. Here the youthful contestants are also pitched against each other and are themselves the 'labour' in the system that is organised by the 'owners of the capital' - the 'workers' energy is sold to the audience and their 'wages' are the free sandwiches in the ten minute breaks, with the promise of a 'bonus' to the winners of $1,000 for 1-2 months' work with barely a break. In pursuing this enterprise, the 'labour' is emotional as well as physical (note the number of psychic breaks created during the marathon) and the only way to bring the contest to an end, to get off the treadmill, is via death.

The writing is brisk and workman, there's no time or taste here for literary flourishes. Don't expect more than a one-note narrative - this is more long short story or novella than novel proper - and we know the ending from the beginning. All the same, this is a bleak and hard-hitting tour de force.40 s Dan Schwent3,080 10.7k

Robert and Gloria enter a marathon dance contest with $1000 as the top prize. Too bad Gloria thinks about death more than winning...

Horace McCoy is bleak enough to be one of Jim Thompson's drinking buddies. This tale is really slim but also kind of exhausting. McCoy's depiction of a dance contest that lasts over a month is hellish and he paints a depressing picture of life during the Great Depression. See what I did there?

It's a pretty powerful story. You know how it ends in the first few pages but getting there is still an ordeal. I felt for Gloria at times but others times I was waiting for her to get to it. She wasn't a able character but I did feel sorry for her when she wasn't being a bitch.

That's pretty much all I have to say. If Jim Thompson wrote a book about a marathon dance contest with a suicidal contestant, it would look a lot this.2012 crime-and-mystery40 s Sana182 83

???? ???39 s Emily May2,052 311k

This book is essentially about existentialism and nihilism. However, the plot of this small novel features little more than a dance marathon competition and the petty arguments that happen behind the scenes. I suppose this is meant to form a platform on which Gloria can whine about life but it's just insanely boring. I obviously made a mistake choosing to get some of the shorter novels on the 1001 list out of the way, so far they've all been really disappointing.201237 s BrianAuthor 1 book1,089

If the Great Depression wasn't soul-suckingly terrible enough, there were cruel men willing to take it down another few notches by creating Dance Marathons to give gutter-poor people a shot at winning just enough money to keep them alive for a few more months by dancing for days (weeks?!?) on-end. Selling tickets to watch their misery. Oh, the humanity.

McCoy uses this minor-but-dark chapter from the '30s as his vehicle for telling the even more depressing story of Gloria, a lady sick of the world and wanting to die. The author leaves it to the reader to decide whether the protagonist is right to offer her the solace she seeks. I'm afraid my particular filters failed in the reception of this work - it could be the dated style, or my personal preference of not having themes delivered to me on silver platters. But at 115 or so pages, and for a light read, you can do much worse.

GR friend Anthony Vacca recommended this book to me before he quit this site forever. I really wish he was still around so that he could educate me on what I missed from this novel. That bastard.

UPDATE 1/6/14: Anthony is back! When he gets around to it, I want to hear from him on this book. Review, good sir, review!38 s Franky507 53

They Shoot Horses, DonÂ’t They is a novel that speaks to our times: we are inundated with reality shows, where fame and fortune, tragedy and despair are brought to us on a whim and often in the public eye. The publicÂ’s livelihoods and fates are broadcast for the world to see, and this sells.

The basis for this story is concerning the promotion of a dance marathon during the Great Depression. The winner is promised cash and free food. And, un the many reality shows we see today, there is a realness and desperation to this contest that is quite grotesque, disturbing and bizarre.

They Shoot Horses, DonÂ’t They is very existential; it has a deeper layer of meaning beyond its basis and simple plot. Desperate times call for desperate measures, even if it is in the form of a dance marathon.

There’s a seemingly trivial moment in this book when the narrator catches a glimpse of the sun outside and becomes enamored with the idea of being able to see it during the contest. I thought this a fitting moment in expressing one of the major themes. I think this reinforces the claustrophobic mood depicted in the dance; these contestants are in a “prison” that is this contest, confined to either enduring the race and trying to win the prize or retreating back to a harsh reality with their hopes dashed. The contest, in many ways, is the illusion and falsity of the American Dream. Illusion being that, it is a spectacle, a modern day gladiator fight: barbaric, humiliating, sensationalist. Yet, it sells: the promoters see at it as a cash grab, something to create public interest and sensationalism.

I thought this short work was beautifully assembled, alternating narrator perspective of the dance marathon with quick snapshots back to the courtroom and the sentencing. Although the prose is quite simple, the narrator gives insight into the events of the dance marathon and the character of Gloria, a nihilist if there ever was one, who sees through the façade and falsity of this marathon.

We know exactly how things end, and are told this within the first moments of the book. This is secondary; the understanding of how and why certain acts were carried out are the primary basis for the narrative.
noir36 s Daisy232 83

This novella contains the greatest (or bleakest) nihilist in all of literature, the incomparable Gloria.
At just over 100 pages, to say much about the story is to ruin the reading of it so I shall just comment on the fact that during reading one can feel outraged, depressed and relieved that these dance marathons are consigned to the shameful annals of history and after reading one can muse on how today's society would never condone watching young people spend every moment of their existence performing for weeks on end in the hope of a little money and escape from their drab futures for our entertainment and feel smug that we live in these more caring and civilised times.39 s Carla Remy883 104

A number of my old have disappeared. It will say how many stars I gave it on what date, and that is all. So I was just thinking of the cases where I actually wrote something. Maybe I should re post some and then they won't die.

01/2016
From 1935. Audiences then would attend months long endurance "dance" marathons. It was a human spectacle and, while we had movies and radio, we didn't yet have TVs in our homes, so I guess everything was very different. This is my second time reading this, and now I've read two other books by McCoy. I d them, but this is undoubtedly his best. For one thing it documents and humanizes a real crazy trend of the Great Depression. All the details, the torturous derbies and the wedding. Another reason the novel is superior, it almost completely takes place in one location. Contained, simpler in a way, sharper, tighter. I was struck by Gloria's dark depression. She repeats constantly that she wishes she were dead, or that she'd never been born. This is notable.34 s ????? ????????????378 180

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??????, ??????? ?? ???????????? ??? ??????? ??????? ??? ?????????? ??? ???????? ??????????? ??????????. ??? ???? ????? ? ??????? ??? "????????? ?? ?????Â…" ??? ?? ????? ??? ???????????? ??????????? (??????? / ???????). ? ????? ?????????, ?? ????? ??????????? (? ??????????? ??????) ??? ??????????? ?? ??????????? ?????, ???? ???????? ?????????? ??? ?????. ??? ????????? ??? ??? ?????????? ????????? ?? ?????????? "??-??? ??????". 33 s Nigeyb1,290 320

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1935) is short and powerful. A mere 120 pages which contains two narratives. One a murder trial verdict, or perhaps more accurately a mercy killing verdict, the second and main one, the tale of a 1930s dance marathon that ends with the killing.

Dance marathons were popular in Depression-era America. In return for undertaking a gruelling and humiliating feat of endurance, the participants received three meals a day and a chance at winning a big money prize.

Horace McCoy was hired as a bouncer at a dance marathon in Santa Monica, and this first hand experience informs a vivid description of that hellish world. It's a brutal and bleak parable about American life.

Gloria and Robert are the primary focus of They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, a couple who enter in desperation. Robert maintains a degree of positivity whilst Gloria comes to realise that the punishment of the event is the perfect metaphor for her life. This is raw, subtle, and lyrical with an immersive immediacy. A stark and urgent novel.

Was this the peak of McCoyÂ’s writing? Did his writing career produced any more such dark and fascinating material? Replies below please.

4/5



"Sordid, pathetic, senselessly exciting. . . has the immediacy and the significance of a nerve-shattering explosion."—The New Republic

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, for weeks at a time. But the underside of that craze was filled with a competition and violence unknown to most ballrooms.

Horace McCoy was born near Nashville, Tennessee in 1897. His novels include I Should Have Stayed Home (1938), and Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1948).

29 s Lark BenobiAuthor 1 book2,640

A one-day bleak read. Relentless and great.

Noir's relationship with social criticism is evident in this novel. The story's desperation is fueled by the real desperation of poverty.

Not as brilliant, as noir goes, as The Postman Always Rings Twice...but it's so confidently written that its flaws become moving. It captures a moment and an age.2017 male-identified-authors ruthless-books28 s Dave3,206 380

"They Shoot Horses, Don't They" is such an incredible title that I knew I would eventually have to find a copy and read it. It was written in 1935 by Horace McCoy, who wrote a handful of hardboiled novels and worked on screenplays. "They Shoot Horses, Don't They" was not actually made into a movie until after McCoy's death. It came out in 1969, directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Jane Fonda and Michael Sarazin. Although fairly short as a novel and not widely read at the time it was published, it is an incredibly powerful book.

It brings to mind the scene in Bonnie and Clyde where Faye Dunaway says, "Baby, I've got the blues." And, this book is about the blues. It takes place during the depression and two young kids meet on the street in Hollywood, seeking their fortune as actors, but getting nowhere fast. Gloria is from West Texas and, as crappy as life is in Hollywood without a dime to your name, it's better than living with her aunt and uncle in Texas with him making passes at her and the aunt yelling at her. She first went to Dallas and found that dull and boring and empty. California is no better. Gloria is bitter and unhappy and wishes she had the courage to end it all.

After they meet on the street in Hollywood, they join what was popular at the time: a dance marathon on the Santa Monica pier. These marathons go on for days and days and the promoters use every trick in the book to publicize them. Robert hopes maybe some producer or star might discover them. They have to dance one hour and fifty minutes to get ten minutes of rest and start all over. Every night, they also have to race around the track to entertain the crowds. It's grueling and painful, but at least they get food and maybe, just maybe, if they are the last couple standing, they can win a prize. Most of the story takes place at the dance contest and McCoy actually takes what should be a dull event and makes it interesting.

The story really isn't about dancing. It is about hopelessness and bitterness and ennui. This book was a hit in France long before it became popular in America. Gloria constantly talks about wishing she could end it all because it is all pointless. The story foreshadows the disaffection and alienation of later generations, but maybe it gives an honest portrayal of what it felt in the depression with no money, no family, no future.

Interspersed with the dance contest narrative are scenes from Robert's trial and, since its revealed at the beginning, its no secret, he eventually gave in and helped Gloria end it all just as she always said she wanted. "They shoot horses, don't they," he explained as the police took him into custody.

This is not just another hardboiled novel. It is a powerful work of literature that captures quite extraordinarily Gloria's descent into depression and hopelessness and Robert's annoyance and later grudging understanding of her pain.100-top-crime-fiction crime-fiction-all crime-fiction-pulp ...more26 s Ahmed Oraby1,012 3,101

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"The Prosecuting Attorney was wrong when he told the jury she died in agony, friendless, alone except for her brutal murderer, out there in that black night on the edge of the Pacific. . . I was her very best friend. I was her only friend. So how could she have been friendless?"

Robert, the narrator, hooked my interest on the first page of the story. Horace McCoy's novel is set during the desperate times of the American Great Depression in the 1930s. Robert and Gloria both had been trying to get hired as extras outside a Hollywood studio. They thought they might get noticed by the studio producers if they entered a dance marathon. A thousand dollar prize would be given to the winning couple.

The dance contest is grueling as the couples struggle to keep moving with little rest. There are corrupt people running the dance marathon. Gloria has a history of severe depression and they wonder how long she can hang on. The last line is shocking. . .california crime fiction ...more26 s ???? ???? 644 414

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