Scope and Contents
Biographical / Historical
Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Preferred Citation
Contributing Institution:
California Historical Society
Title: Vernon Balfour walkathon collection
Identifier/Call Number: MS 4141
Physical Description:
1.5 Linear Feet
One legal document box and one flat box.
Date (inclusive): 1930-1937
Abstract : Dance marathons, also
known as danceathons or walkathons, were a form of competition that started in the 1920s and
continued on through to the 1930s, becoming a popular form of entertainment during the
depression era. Cash prizes brought contestants, many of whom became regulars at
competitions and gained fan followings. The shows were often accompanied by live music and
special events to keep the crowd entertained. This collection was created and gathered by
Vernon Balfour, a contest promoter, and documents multiple walkathon and dance marathon
competitions around California, including ones held at Bay Area event venues that no longer
exist. The collection comprises programs, advertisments, broadsides, newspaper clippings,
tickets and invitations promoting upcoming events, as well as formal portraits of
contestants, which were often sold to ticket holders at the events.
Language of Material:
English .
Scope and Contents
Dance marathons, also known as danceathons or walkathons, were a form of competition that
started in the 1920s and continued on through to the 1930s, becoming a popular form of
entertainment during the depression era. Cash prizes brought contestants, many of whom
became regulars at competitions and gained fan followings. The shows were often accompanied
by live music and special events to keep the crowd entertained. The materials in this
collection likely originated as part of a scrapbook compiled by organizer and promoter,
Vernon Balfour, and documents multiple walkathon and dance marathon competitions around
California, including ones held at Bay Area event venues that no longer exist.
The collection comprises programs, advertisments, broadsides, newspaper clippings, tickets
and invitations promoting upcoming events, many of which offered live music and singers,
making it as much a spectacle as a competition.
Included in the collection are multiple formal portraits of contestants, often couples,
that were often sold to ticket holders at the events. Some couples became well-known enough
to develop a following and their participation alone would attract crowds.
Biographical / Historical
A variety of names have been used to describe the endurance dance contests of the 1920s and
1930s. Materials in this collection refer to these events as the dance or walkathon derby,
walkathon, or dance marathon. The term walkathon may have been used by promoters,
particularly in California, to frame these controversial endurance contests in more
respectable terms.
These grueling, theatrical spectacles became popular during the Great Depression.
Contestants were drawn to these competitions as a way of winning money and even food; those
who competed were promised up to a dozen meals a day. Couples, some of whom were
professionals who went from venue to venue competing, walked, moved, or danced for hundreds
of hours around the clock, with only limited food and rest breaks. A combination of
performance and competition, walkathons often included staged events such as weddings, and
featured live music. These events were promoted heavily and many contestants developed a
significant fan following, with supporters able to buy autographed photos of popular
couples. These elaborate events required dozens or more staff on hand, including musicians,
nurses, and other medical staff, such as a dental unit. Serious marathoners danced for
months at a time; the all-time endurance record for dance marathons was 3,780 hours, or
around 158 days. The average marathoner could dance forty miles a day.
In their heyday, walkathons and dance marathons were among America's most widely attended
and controversial forms of live entertainment. An estimated 20,000 people across the country
were employed in the business, either as promoters, floor judges, trainers, nurses, masters
of ceremonies, or contestants. The fad also became popular across the Atlantic, and
marathons were held in Paris, Edinburgh, Budapest, and Marseille.
Despite strong attendance rates, by the mid 1930s many states led efforts to ban these
events, which opponents denounced as morally injurious and physically dangerous. At least
three performers died from exhaustion from participating in dance marathons. San Francisco
was one of the first cities in the United States to prohibit dance marathons due to their
arduous nature, and in 1935 California banned all mental or physical endurance events. By
the late 1930s, waning public interest in dance marathons contributed to its demise.
Referred to in some marketing materials as "the world's biggest little showman," Vernon
Balfour was an American businessman and producer active in the entertainment industry.
Throughout the 1930s, Balfour organized and promoted various dance endurance contests in
California and Texas. He also served as manager of the Golden Gate Ballroom in San
Francisco, located at 172 23rd Ave in the Richmond District. Material in the collection
suggests that at least one walk-a-thon derby was held at the Golden Gate Ballroom in 1932
under Balfour's direction.
Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Because of the assembled nature of this collection, copyright status varies across the
collection. Copyright is assumed to be held by the original creator of individual items in
the collection. Unpublished works are expected to pass into the public domain 120 years
after their creation; works published before 1923 have entered the public domain. The
California Historical Society (CHS) is not authorized to grant permission to publish or
reproduce materials from this collection. For more information, please contact
rights@calhist.org.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Tom Murphy, 2021
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item, date]; Vernon Balfour Walkathon collection, MS 4141; [box number,
folder number]; California Historical Society.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Dance marathons
Dance -- United States -- 20th century.
Scrapbooks
Social dancing -- 20th century.
Dance--Competitions