metro enterprises (1 resultados)

Condición: Very Good. 4 1/4 X 6 1/2 Inches. Scarce original 1937 program / flyer from the "Walkathon" Battle of Champions in Jamaica, NY. Sponsored by Metro Enterprises, the program lists the 12 remaining couples as well as AN AD FOR THE UPCOMING "HARLEM NITE" All-Star Colored Revue. In the shadow of the Great Depression, a peculiar spectacle captivated the American imagination: the walkathon. Far from a leisurely stroll, these endurance contests transformed ordinary city streets into arenas of human grit and spectacle. Contestants - sometimes dozens, sometimes hundreds - paced tirelessly on wooden floors or asphalt tracks, hour after hour. Prizes were promised, but more often than not, the true draw was the promise of escape: a temporary reprieve from poverty, a fleeting taste of attention, and the sheer thrill of watching human stamina tested to its breaking point. Spectators lined the perimeters, betting small coins, cheering, or gawking at the blend of perseverance and absurdity: men and women shuffling in near-robotic rhythm, fueled by coffee, peanuts, and sheer stubbornness. The walkathon was a strange choreography of desperation and entertainment - a mirror of a decade defined by struggle, yet strangely celebratory in its endurance of human spirit. OCLC locates "0" copies. Light toning and original vertical fold mark.