Take Me to the Dance Marathon

Washington, DC: Capitol Music, 1932. Original sheet music for the song "Take Me to the Dance Marathon," played by impressario Zeke Youngblood at the beginning of each of his marathons, and dedicated to him. Interestingly, this copy is signed by seven couples on the front wrapper, each also accompanied by a number, indicating that they were likely participants in one such contest.

Although they had existed in one form or another for centuries, dance marathons, where partners needed to continually dance or move in order to avoid elimination, achieved their cultural zenith during the Great Depression, where couples would go to sometimes extreme lengths to compete for prize money, as dramatized in the classic 1935 proletarian novel "They Shoot Horses Don't They" by Horace McCoy. Concern for the health of the participants, as well as pressure from churches and women's groups, led to the gradual dying out of the phenomena, although they are still staged by colleges as charity events today.

9.25 x 12 inches. Two pages in illustrated self wrappers. Very Good.

[Book #137995]