In the midst of the Great Depression, manipulative emcee Rocky enlists contestants for a dance marathon offering a $1,500 cash prize. Among them are a failed actress, a middle-aged sailor, a delusional blonde and a pregnant girl.
Acting
Fonda's hollow-eyed exhaustion; Young's oily showmanship
Direction
Pollack's claustrophobic framing traps you on that floor
Editing
Relentless cutting mirrors the marathon's grinding rhythm
Director
Sydney Pollack
Jane Fonda
Gloria Beatty
Michael Sarrazin
Robert Syverton
Susannah York
Alice LeBlanc
Gig Young
Rocky Gravo
Red Buttons
Sailor
Bonnie Bedelia
Ruby Bates
Michael Conrad
Rollo
Bruce Dern
James Bates
Al Lewis
Turkey
Robert Fields
Joel
Severn Darden
Cecil
Allyn Ann McLerie
Shirl
Madge Kennedy
Mrs. Laydon
Jacquelyn Hyde
Jackie
Felice Orlandi
Mario
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
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