Date: Sun, 20 Oct 1996 06:08:42 -0400

From: "Barry A. Popik" Bapopik[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM

Subject: "MARATHON" and "-ATHON": Dance Marathons, Walkathons, Telethons, etc.



One hundred years ago, an event called the "marathon" was held for the

1896 Olympic Games. In less than two weeks, the New York City Marathon will

be run.

"Marathon" became well known as a test for endurance. I'll discuss this

by beginning with the second part first, and start with the "dance marathon."

There are two new books on this subject:

DANCE MARATHONS: PERFORMING AMERICAN CULTURE IN THE 1920s AND 1930s, by Carol

Martin. Jackson, Mississippi, University Press of Mississippi, 1994.

DANCE OF THE SLEEP-WALKERS: THE DANCE MARATHON FAD, by Frank M. Calabria.

Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1993.

Surprisingly, you won't find this in the Encyclopedia of New York City,

but the Great American "Dance Marathon" Fad started in New York City, many

years before the New York City Marathon road race. On 18 February 1923,

Sunderland, England had started it all, and the Sunderland Magistrate later

refused to permit any more endurance tests, remarking, "It is an idiotic

idea, verging on lunacy" (NY Times, 11 April 1923, pg. 3).

New York City responded. In the Audubon Ballroom--now famous as the

murder site of Malcolm X--32-year-old Alma Cummings danced from March 30,

1923 at 6:57 p.m. until March 31, 1923 at 9:57 p.m.--27 straight hours. She

exhausted six male partners in the process.

The dance marathon was born.

It was from the start called a "marathon." The phenomenon was later

depicted in the novel and film, THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY?

On 10 June 1928, promoter and publicist Milton Crandall held the "Dance

Derby of the Century" at Madison Square Garden. Health Commissioner Louis I.

Harris shut down the contest in its 482nd hour on July 1. Some years later,

many states (including NY) banned such contests after the deaths of some of

the participants.

That's why it's called a "marathon," right?

The term "walkathon" dates from the early 1930s and is in the Dictionary

of Americanisms from 1932. (I have 1931.) It is the same as "dance

marathon," but was used to more accurately reflect what the "dancers" REALLY

did.

The dance marathon clippings file in the NY Public Library's Lincoln

Center Performing Arts Library has a release that states "'OUR PLACE'

INAUGURATES WORLD'S FIRST 'DISCOTHON' ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5" [1965]. Nora

Hayden, the proprietor of "Our Place" at 148 East 48th Street, said, "I heard

enough about the great publicity and acceptance given the marathon dancing of

the late 20's and early 30's and some sports-minded friends of mine recall

the fabulous days of 6-day bike racing. So I thought it was about time to

kick off with a discotheque marathon. For want of a better name, I coined

'Discothon.' To my knowledge, no one else in the country has come up [with]

this idea."

Wentworth & Flexner's DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN SLANG contains a listing of

suffixes and suffix words, but "-thon" is not there! Flexner's LISTENING TO

AMERICA and I HEAR AMERICA TALKING also miss the "marathon" and "-thon" idea

completely.

Jerry Lewis, of course, popularized the telethon. The "walkathon" no

longer involves dancing at all, but is a marathon for non-runners. There are

"talkathons" and many other "-thons." All emphasize extreme endurance.

Now for the first part, the origin of the marathon....