They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

During the Depression, a group of young couples enter a dance marathon in return for three square meals a day and a chance at winning the $1,500 prize. Their number include farm workers Ruby and James (Bonnie Bedelia and Bruce Dern), drifters Gloria and Michael (Jane Fonda and Michael Sarazin), veteran dance marathon contestant Sailor (Red Buttons) and hopeful young starlet Alice (Susannah York). Exhaustion and fatigue cause the dancers to fight amongst themselves, and the increasing tension leads toward a tragic conclusion.