United States of America.



Introductory intertitle reads: "Only in Uncle Sam's land could you get this picture. It really was a Championship for long-distance "stepping", and they'd been "stepping" two months!"



Couples sway around during a dance marathon. They all look very tired indeed, some are almost falling over, some are slumped over their partners being held up. Only twelve couples are left. A barber pretends to cut one of the contestant's hair as he dances. C/U of one particular couple, the boy is slumped and shakes his head. This is followed by a blurred shot of the spectators who ghoulishly watch the marathon.



Narrator suggests that this is what the audience look like to these exhausted dancers. Dancers are allowed 11 minutes rest every hour, then the attendants wake them up. We see two contestants sleeping then one being shaken awake. In the women's dorm, a female attendant wakes one of the sleeping dancers. Strange shot of a woman in silhouette having a leg massage is supposed to represent the audience being helped to stay awake too.



Contestants even dance while they eat. They stand up around a table and eat. One of the dancers is 61 years old. There is also a dancer of reduced stature - a dwarf or midget. One of the dancers holds a chair to his chest so that he can write a letter to his mother. Narrator makes a few feeble jokes and there is a shot of the audience laughing.



* Beta copy exists- check is complete story. On Beta list is called "Long Distance Dancing" but I assume it is this story.