They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Directed by	Sydney Pollack
Produced by	Robert Chartoff Irwin Winkler
Written by	Horace McCoy (novel) Robert E. Thompson James Poe
Starring	Jane Fonda Michael Sarrazin Susannah York Gig Young Bruce Dern Red Buttons
Release date(s)	December 10, 1969
Running time	120 min
Language	English
IMDb profile

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? is a 1969 film which tells the story of several contestants in a Depression-era dance marathon. The movie was adapted by James Poe and Robert E. Thompson from the 1935 novel by Horace McCoy. It was directed by Sydney Pollack. They Shoot Horses, Dont They? might refer to: They Shoot Horses, Dont They? (novel), a novel by Horace McCoy They Shoot Horses, Dont They?, a 1969 film adapted from the above novel They Shoot Horses, Dont They? (song), a hit single by the Welsh band, Racing... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Sydney Pollack (born July 1, 1934 in Lafayette, Indiana) is an American actor, producer, and director. ... Robert Chartoff (b. ... Irwin Winkler (born May 25, 1931) is an American film producer and director. ... Horace McCoy (April 14, 1897 - December 15, 1955) was an American writer, whose hard-boiled novels took place during the Great Depression. ... Jane Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. ... Michael Sarrazin was born on the 22nd of May 1940 in Quebec Canada. ... York to the right together with Ilya Salkind on the set of Superman: The Movie, circa 1977 Susannah York (born Susannah Yolande Fletcher on January 9, 1939[1]) is an English actress. ... Actor Gig Young in City That Never Sleeps Gig Young (November 4, 1913–October 19, 1978) was an American film actor. ... ‹ The template below is being considered for deletion. ... Red Buttons (February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was the stage name of American comedian and actor Aaron Chwatt. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... // Cannes Film Festival opens, but closes in support of a French general strike without awarding any prizes. ... For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Dance Marathon be merged into this article or section. ... They Shoot Horses, Dont They? is a novel written by Horace McCoy and first published in 1935. ... Horace McCoy (April 14, 1897 - December 15, 1955) was an American writer, whose hard-boiled novels took place during the Great Depression. ... Sydney Pollack (born July 1, 1934 in Lafayette, Indiana) is an American actor, producer, and director. ...

It stars Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Susannah York, Gig Young, Red Buttons, Bonnie Bedelia, Michael Conrad and Bruce Dern. Jane Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. ... Michael Sarrazin was born on the 22nd of May 1940 in Quebec Canada. ... York to the right together with Ilya Salkind on the set of Superman: The Movie, circa 1977 Susannah York (born Susannah Yolande Fletcher on January 9, 1939[1]) is an English actress. ... Actor Gig Young in City That Never Sleeps Gig Young (November 4, 1913–October 19, 1978) was an American film actor. ... Red Buttons (February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was the stage name of American comedian and actor Aaron Chwatt. ... Bonnie Bedelia Culkin (born March 25, 1948 in New York, New York, USA) is an American actress. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... ‹ The template below is being considered for deletion. ...

Description

Sydney Pollack's dark and impassioned adaptation of Horace McCoy's novel examines the limits of devotion and endurance. The intricately interwoven plot centers on a marathon dance contest that takes place in the 1930s during the Great Depression. The poverty-stricken participants struggle to keep their footing in order to survive the hard times, with hope for the cash prize the sole reason for continuing to dance. Sydney Pollack (born July 1, 1934 in Lafayette, Indiana) is an American actor, producer, and director. ... Horace McCoy (April 14, 1897 - December 15, 1955) was an American writer, whose hard-boiled novels took place during the Great Depression. ... For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ...

Production

Jane Fonda was originally uninterested in acting in the movie, saying that "the script wasn't very good."^[1] However, then-husband Roger Vadim, a fan of the leftist-themed McCoy novel, urged her to accept the role. Meeting with director Sydney Pollack to discuss the script, she was surprised when the director asked for her input. She re-read the novel with a critical eye, made notes on the character of Gloria, and would write in her autobiography, "It was a germinal moment [for me]....This was the first time in my life as an actor that I was working on a film about larger societal issues, and instead of my professional work feeling peripheral to life, it felt relevant."^[2] Jane Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. ... Roger Vadim, born Roger Vladimir Plemiannikov (January 26, 1928 – February 11, 2000) was a French journalist, author, actor, screenwriter, director, and producer who launched Brigitte Bardots career in the film And God Created Woman. ... Sydney Pollack (born July 1, 1934 in Lafayette, Indiana) is an American actor, producer, and director. ...

While shooting the picture, Fonda was enduring troubles in her marriage; she later said, "Naturally I drew on my real-life anguish for all it was worth to feed my role as Gloria....I would spend days and nights living at the studio instead of going home to Malibu, partly because I wanted to enhance my identification with Gloria's hopelessness and partly because I just didn't want to go home to Vadim."^[2] Location of Malibu in Los Angeles County, California Coordinates: , Country State County Los Angeles Incorporated (city) 1991-03-28 [2] Government  - Mayor Ken Kearsley [1] Area  - City  100. ... Roger Vadim, born Roger Vladimir Plemiannikov (January 26, 1928 – February 11, 2000) was a French journalist, author, actor, screenwriter, director, and producer who launched Brigitte Bardots career in the film And God Created Woman. ...

Awards

The film won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Gig Young) and was nominated for the Best Actress in a Leading Role (Jane Fonda), the Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Susannah York), the Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, the Best Costume Design, the Best Director, the Best Film Editing, the Best Music, Score of a Musical Picture (Original or Adaptation) and the Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the awards given to male actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to actresses working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the awards given to actresses working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. ... This Academy Award was first given for movies made in 1948 when separate awards were given for black-and-white and color movies. ... The Academy Award for Directing is one of the awards given to directors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. ... The Academy Award for Film Editing was first given for films issued in 1934. ... The Academy Award for Original Music Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer. ... The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. ...

The movie has the dubious honor of being nominated for the most Academy Awards without receiving the nomination for Best Picture (9). Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ...

Michael Sarrazin and Jane Fonda on the dance marathon.

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Reception and Influence

Released in Winter of 1969, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? was well-received, with Jane Fonda, especially, being singled out for praise. Pauline Kael wrote that "she has been a charming, witty nudie cutie in recent years and now gets a chance at an archetypal character....Fonda goes all the way with it, as screen actresses rarely do once they become stars....[she] stands a good chance of personifying American tensions and dominating our movies in the seventies."^[2] Along with establishing Fonda as a serious actress (she won her first Oscar nomination for the film), the movie was also director Pollack's first major critical success.^[3] Jane Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. ... Pauline Kael (June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for The New Yorker magazine. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ...

Today, however, the film is mostly remembered for its title. Turner Classic Movies has observed that, "By popularizing the title of McCoy’s novel, [the movie] gave American argot a catch-phrase that’s as recognizable today as when the movie first caught on."^[3] The title has been re-used in various media, although, beyond the appropriation of the name, the imitators often have little relation to the plot or themes of the original film. These include episodes of Happy Days ("They Shoot Fonzies, Don't They?" - 1976); Due South ("They Eat Horses, Don't They?" - 1994); Sex and the City ("They Shoot Single Women, Don't They?" - 1999); and Gilmore Girls ("They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They?" - 2002). On their 1991 album Hot Dogma, the Melbourne band TISM include a song ("They shoot heroin don't they") about horses that have been drugged to win races. In an episode of Arrested Development, actor Thomas Jane is working on the movie "They Shoot Heroin, Don't They" ("The One Where They Build A House" - 2004). Outdoor humorist Patrick F. McManus titled one of his story collections They Shoot Canoes, Don't They?. There is a song named after the movie on Canadian indie rock band Apostle of Hustle's first album, Folkloric Feel. A band from Vancouver also named themselves after the film. The story served as the inspiration for a 1976 hit single of the same name by the band Racing Cars. Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a cable television channel featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and Warner Bros. ... A catch phrase is a word, phrase or expression that is associated with a particular person or fictional character. ... Happy Days is a popular American television sitcom that originally aired between 1974 and 1984 on the ABC television network. ... Due South is an award winning Canadian television police drama created by Paul Haggis and produced by Alliance Communications (now part of Alliance Atlantis), first aired in 1994. ... Sex and the City is a popular American cable television program. ... Gilmore Girls was an American television drama/comedy created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. ... Hot Dogma, released in 1990, is the second full-length album by anonymous Australian band TISM. It was their major record debut on Phonogram Records. ... This article is about the Australian city; the name may also refer to City of Melbourne or Melbourne city centre. ... TISM (an acronym of This Is Serious Mum) is a seven piece anonymous alternative rock band from Melbourne, Australia. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Thomas Jane (born January 29, 1969) is an American actor, known for his role in the 2004 film The Punisher and the voice of Frank Castle in the 2005 The Punisher video game. ... Patrick F. McManus (born August 24, 1933) is an American outdoor humor writer. ... Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music often used to refer to bands that are on small independent record labels or that arent on labels at all. ... The Apostle of Hustle is an indie rock group formed in 2001 by Andrew Whiteman. ... Folkloric Feel is Apostle of Hustles debut album. ... They Shoot Horses, Dont They? is an 8 piece band from Vancouver, BC Canada. ... For other uses, see Vancouver (disambiguation). ... Racing Cars is a Welsh pop band, formed in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales in 1973. ... Auto racing (also known as automobile racing or autosport) is a sport involving racing automobiles. ...

The film itself has remained an appreciated if not wildly popular work; in 1996, Entertainment Weekly wrote that "Sydney Pollack's dance-marathon movie has probably aged better than any American film of its time."^[4] Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated EW) is a magazine published by Time Inc. ... Sydney Pollack (born July 1, 1934 in Lafayette, Indiana) is an American actor, producer, and director. ...

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items into other sections and removing inappropriate items. (June 2007)

• It is one of the first films that discusses and depicts assisted suicide.
• It is a flashback movie, in which the beginning of the film shows the way it will ultimately end in the style of a Greek Tragedy.

• Warren Beatty was considered for the role that Michael Sarrazin eventually played.^[4] Also, director Pollack resisted the idea of casting Gig Young as dance-hall emcee Rocky, hoping to cast character actor Lionel Stander instead.^[3] Eventually, he decided to cast Young, who won an Oscar in the role.

• A 2004 work by British video artist Phil Collins refers to the film. Titled "They Shoot Horses", it consists of two 7 hour films, shown simultaneously, recording a group of Palestinian teenagers competing in a dance marathon in Ramallah.

• The 2006 music video for the song, "Dark Blue" by band Jack's Mannequin was inspired by the film and is set during a dance marathon.

• According to author/film historian David Skal and others, Freaks director Tod Browning expressed interest in directing an adaptation of the McCoy novel soon after its original publication, but was unable to convince MGM to green light the project.

• The world's largest mirrorball, situated in Blackpool, UK and created by artist Michael Trainor is named after this film.

• The television program Arrested Development references the movie in scenes taking place at a movie studio, where posters for a film with the tag-line "They Shoot Heroin, Don't They?" are featured.

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Euthanasia (Greek, good death) is the practice of killing a person or animal, in a painless or minimally painful way, for merciful reasons, usually to end their suffering. ... In literature, film, television and other media, a flashback (also called analepsis) is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. ... Tragedy is one of the oldest forms of drama. ... Henry Warren Beatty (born March 30, 1937), better known as Warren Beatty, is an Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning American actor, producer, screenwriter, and director. ... Michael Sarrazin was born on the 22nd of May 1940 in Quebec Canada. ... Actor Gig Young in City That Never Sleeps Gig Young (November 4, 1913–October 19, 1978) was an American film actor. ... Lionel Stander & Freeway Lionel Jay Stander (January 11, 1908 – November 30, 1994) was an American character actor in movies, radio, theater and television. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... Still from They Shoot Horses video by Phil Collins (2004) Philip Phil Collins (born 1970) is an English artist, and Turner prize nominee. ... The term Palestinian has other usages, for which see definitions of Palestinian. ... Ramallah (Arabic:  ) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank of approximately 57,000 residents. ... Dark Blue is a 2002 film directed by Ron Shelton. ... Jacks Mannequin is a rock band from Orange County, California. ... For other uses, see Freak (disambiguation). ... Charles Albert Browning, Jr. ... Arrested Development is a character-driven Emmy Award-winning American comedy television series that ran from November 2, 2003 to February 10, 2006, about a formerly wealthy and habitually dysfunctional family. ...

See also

• Marathon dancing of the 1920s and 30s
• University Dance Marathon
• They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (novel)

It has been suggested that Dance Marathon be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about Dance Marathon fundraisers. ... They Shoot Horses, Dont They? is a novel written by Horace McCoy and first published in 1935. ...

External links

• They Shoot Horses, Don't They? at the Internet Movie Database
• They Shoot Horses, Don't They? at the TCM Movie Database

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a cable television channel featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and Warner Bros. ...

References