The scene begins with Robert Syverton, while strolling along the beach boardwalk,
thinking back on an experience from his childhood. When he was younger,
he witnessed the breaking of a horse's leg and the subsequent shooting that put the animal to sleep.
Robert is currently lost at the neighboring rundown La Monica Ballroom, where he sees people
queuing up for the Los Angeles dance marathon. A trend that is sweeping the state of California
because of the possibility of winning cash prizes. Alice, a nervous London-based aspiring actress,
and her partner Joel, an edgy New York-based aspiring actor, are competing in the marathon
for the silver dollar prize of $1,500. We also meet with retired sailor Harry Kline,
impoverished farmer James, and his pregnant wife Ruby in the hopes of being noticed by Hollywood
celebrities and talent scouts in the audience. Once the original partner for cynical malcontent
Gloria Beatty is disqualified due to bronchitis, the contest's promoter and emcee, Rocky,
recruits Robert to be her new dance partner. Harry Kline, one of the marathon competitors,
attracts the judges' attention on the dance floor with his excessively impressive dance moves.
Robert probes Gloria with inquiries about her background in an effort to get to know her better.
Other competitors' frequent smacks at Gloria from behind
now finally got to her. All of the competitors say they're sorry to Gloria and then go away.
There is no break in Robert and Gloria's chat. Having experienced years of horrible luck with men
and no money herself, she sees the dance competition as a source of temporary,
while superficial, enjoyment. She and Robert become friends. The competitors
will then take a 10-minute rest. Everyone is split into male and female quarters.
During her break, Gloria smokes as everyone else goes about their own business.
While lying on her back on the bed, Gloria expresses her animosity toward the pregnant
competitor by condemning her for having a child despite their lack of financial resources.
On the other hand, Robert engages in conversation with another competitor. He is astonished when
he learns that the competitor has already competed in eight marathons.
Robert is offered a napkin by Harry so that he can clean his shoes. The sirens stop wailing
and play in the competition continues. At this point in time, a slow tempo is playing.
While the music plays in their ears, everyone is dancing in close proximity to their partners.
Even though it is nearly four in the morning, the contest has not yet been finished.
Robert and Gloria are only chatting to one another at this point; they stop dancing
and judging the performances of the other participants. Because Gloria is so hostile,
they come dangerously close to getting into a fight. They are given a warning by the watcher,
but they continue dancing nonetheless. The competitors will take a 10-minute rest once
again. Gloria naps for a little. The next round of competition will then begin. They've been called
in because Robert and Gloria apparently draw the attention of one of the sponsors. Another one of
their sponsors, Mrs. Laydon, advises them that she and her partner are the best. Mrs. Laydon's
birth year is their number. Gloria is giving the elderly woman a really sour expression.
Robert respectfully informs Mrs. Laydon that they cannot be there any longer than necessary,
and she sends them on their way. The competitors dance around the buffet table
while they eat their meals on the fourth day of the competition. A husband notices Gloria
staring irritably at his pregnant wife and warns Gloria exudes a nasty vibe.
Alice and her dance partner Joel will now perform a Broadway-style dance number for the judges
and the crowd. For their efforts, they are greeted with enthusiastic acclaim. The sponsor has singled
out Robert and Gloria as his favorite couple. As the competition progresses, it becomes clear
that Rocky, the show's host, doesn't have much money himself; despite expressing regret
for his actions, he frequently exploits and psychologically abuses the dancers,
turning them into a spectacle for the viewers, who pay him a great deal of money
every day just to get into the arena. The loss of one of Alice's outfits makes her hysterical.
Several weeks into the event, Rocky organizes ten-minute derbies in which the weary contestants,
wearing tracksuits, must sprint around the dance floor, with the last three couples
being eliminated. Quack doctors are being used by the arena to hide the extent of the participant's
psychological and bodily injuries. A world-famous Hollywood director is attending the event as a
guest sponsor. In order to make it into the top three, participants are putting on quite a show.
Robert's legs start to cramp up, but he keeps going anyhow. After the race,
the woman and her husband were out on the dance floor when she suddenly collapsed. An unconscious
man experiences paralysis in his limb. Castor oil is used to help him regain consciousness.
The competitors are being challenged to do a solo dance this time around. Everyone seems weary and
hopeless. Robert suddenly remembers the time he made a mistake and spent time in jail.
Meanwhile, in the ladies' room, a woman loses control of her emotions after reviving from a
terrifying dream. She said that a creature from her nightmares is following her about like a
shadow. The nurse gives her medication against her will in an attempt to calm her down. After that,
Rocky becomes aware of the noise. When all of the ladies observe the lady's conduct, he immediately
becomes a hero in their eyes. Later in the night, everyone is relaxing, but Gloria is still having
trouble falling or staying asleep. After Gloria's frustration builds, she lashes out at Robert.
On the next day, the 812th hour of the tournament has gone, and there will be just 25 and a half
partners left on the dancefloor. When Robert learns that Rocky is the one who stole and
ripped up Alice's dress, he questions Rocky about it. Rocky responds by saying that it simply shows
business and that the audience members want to see the dancers as miserable as they themselves are as
a result of the Great Depression. Alice starts acting hostile toward Robert
and makes advances at seducing him. After grabbing him, Alice begins making out with him in the
empty stock area. They come dangerously close to being apprehended by the staff.
Alice unexpectedly emerges from the room as Gloria is in the process of searching for her partner,
Robert. She is about to head in the direction of the men's room when all of a sudden,
she notices Robert coming out of the same room that Alice comes out of. She is taken aback by it.
As a result of the attention he pays to Alice, who looks a lot like Marilyn Monroe,
Gloria develops feelings of jealousy toward him. After Gloria's revelation,
both of them are now experiencing awkwardness. Gloria pays a visit to Rocky at his business
office during their break in order to perform a deed for him. She insists that Rocky should never
touch her and that only Gloria should be allowed to drive him. The break has come to an end,
and this time, Robert is the one searching for Gloria; nevertheless, he finds her exiting Rocky's
office just as he is there. He feels upset. Gloria has now asked Alice and Robert to join
her in recruiting Joel as her new partner. As of this point, it's been 42 days since the
beginning of the tournament. When Mrs. Laydon discovers that her favorite pair is not together,
it causes her much distress. The pairings with the lowest total efforts are quickly eliminated.
The audience commends whoever is successful in keeping their bet on the dance floor.
At the 1,072nd hour of the tournament, the pregnant competitor displays her singing skills
in front of the audience and the sponsors. Following her performance, the pregnant woman
demonstrates a peculiar behavior consistent with someone suffering from mental illness.
In the act of retribution, she chooses to work beside Joel; however, once he is offered a job
opportunity and leaves, she chooses to work alongside Harry. On the dance floor, Gloria is
left all by herself, without a partner. When Gloria's new dancing partner Harry
has a heart attack during a sprint around a track which is repeated and timed,
the indifferent Gloria carries him over the finish line on her back and continues the
competition. Rocky declares him ineligible when Harry passes away, and then the medical
staff takes his remains off the dance floor. Alice has a nervous breakdown as a direct result
of this occurrence. Alice waits until the end of the 10-minute break before heading to the women's
room to take a shower while still wearing her clothing. Everyone in the room is taken
aback by the news. When the nurse could see how bad her situation is, she quickly calls Rocky.
She is so distraught by the passing of Harry that she takes a shower without taking her clothes off
and screams hysterically when Rocky attempts to console her.
Rocky disqualifies her from the competition after determining that she is not in a
fit state to continue it. He then leads her over to the nurses who are on duty,
where it is likely that she will need to be sent to a mental health facility.
Due to a lack of available partners, Robert and Gloria have chosen to work together once again.
When Robert and Gloria reunite, Rocky suggests they get married for publicity,
offering to bribe Gloria with a ton of free wedding presents, including cash from their
rich sponsor, Mrs. Laydon. He then warns Gloria to leave while she still can with her dignity intact,
saying that even if she and Robert do win the dancing competition, they will have to
pay hidden costs and will be left with next to nothing in cash. Both nearly penniless and upset,
she and Robert depart and take a nighttime stroll to the beach, which Robert uses to admire
but now finds utterly uninspiring. Gloria sobs and finally admits that it is never the money
or the things that she wants; it is the promise of happiness that she is always searching for and now
lost forever. Now that she's at her wit's end, she begs Robert to do something terrible for her.
When shooting her, Robert is taken by law enforcement. While the cops attempt to secure the
scene, a group of spectators gathers outside to see him grieve over the loss of his best friend.
As the police question him, Robert replies, "she wants me to — they kill horses, don't they?"
He is then taken into custody. Now we see Rocky shouting to the
audience at the dancing competition, where they are applauding and laughing while the
competitors seem terrible and depressed. If you want to watch more on Movie Shortens,
click on our next videos and playlist on the screen. Thanks for watching!