History YMMV / TheyShootHorsesDontThey

* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity: In-universe. One of the contests is an escaped murderer from Illinois, who is recognized by a couple of detectives in the audience, arrested, and taken away. Socks the promoter is initially angry at having a criminal mixed up with the marathon, but after a newspaper article draws about the arrest draws in bigger crowds he states that it “was the best break we ever had”.

* ValuesDissonance: In the present day, encouraging a depressed person's suicidal ideation would be viewed as insensitive and irresponsible. Of course, in the Depression there was precious little resources for people with mental health problems.

* NightmareFuel: The derbies. Both of them. In the first, the chaos slowly builds throughout the race until all the contestants are in a state of disturbingly realistic panic and exhaustion, complete with hysterical screaming and crying. In the second, we're thrown right in to the midpoint of the derby when everyone is already fully exhausted. The scene then slows down while a creepy carousel-like version of the derby's theme music plays, only for things to snap back again to full-speed as Harry begins wheezing and gasping and clutching his chest. Add to that the clear implication that Gloria finished the race by dragging his ''corpse'' on her back for the last half-lap, and it's a truly horrifying scene to watch.

* AwardSnub: This film holds the dubious distinction of having the most Academy Award nominations (nine) of any title that ''didn't'' get a Best Picture nomination. And of those nominees, only Creator/GigYoung (Best Supporting Actor) took a statue home.

* AdaptationDisplacement: The film tends to be better-received than the book is, probably due to the fact that the film [[AdaptationExpansion can expand]] more easily on the themes of the very short book.

* VindicatedByHistory: The novel was poorly received when it was released.

* NightmareFuel: The derbies. Both of them. In the first, the chaos slowly builds throughout the race until all the contestants are in a state of disturbingly realistic panic and exhaustion, complete with hysterical screaming and crying. In the second, we're thrown right in to the midpoint of the derby when everyone is already fully exhausted. The scene then slows down while a creepy carousel-like version of the derby's theme music plays, only for things to snap back again to full-speed as Harry begins wheezing and gasping and clutching his chest. Add to that the implication that Gloria finished the race by dragging his ''corpse'' on her back for the last half-lap, it's a truly horrifying scene to watch.

* AluminiumChristmasTrees: It's not uncommon nowadays to find people who think the concept of a "dance marathon" was completely invented by [=McCoy=] (or at the very least an exaggeration of a typical dance contest). In reality, dance marathons such as the one in the novel were a fairly common feature of Depression-Era America (and were just as brutal on the contestants).

* AwardSnub: This film holds the dubious distinction of having the most Academy Award nominations (nine) of any title that ''didn't'' get a Best Picture nomination. And of those nominees, only Gig Young (Best Supporting Actor) took a statue home.
* HarsherInHindsight: The film ends with Robert helping Gloria to shoot herself. In 1978, Gig Young, who played Rocky in the film, shot his wife Kim Schmidt and then himself; no motive for the apparent murder-suicide was ever established.

* AluminiumChristmasTrees: It's not uncommon nowadays to find people who think the concept of a "dance marathon" was completely invented by McCoy (or at the very least an exaggeration of a typical dance contest). In reality, dance marathons such as the one in the novel were a fairly common feature of Depression-Era America (and were just as brutal on the contestants).

* AdaptationDisplacement: The film is much more widely known than the novel by this point.

* AwardSnub: This film holds the dubious distinction of having the most Academy Award nominations (nine) of any title that ''didn't'' get a Best Picture nomination. Gig Young picked up the movie's sole Oscar, for Best Supporting Actor.

* AwardSnub: The film didn't even get nominated for Best Picture, although Jane Fonda, Susannah York, and director Pollack all got nominations, and Gig Young won for Best Supporting Actor.

* AwardSnub: The film didn't even get a nomination for Best Picture, although Jane Fonda, Susannah York, and director Pollack all got nominations, and Gig Young won for Best Supporting Actor.

* AwardSnub: The film didn't even get a nomination for Best Picture, although director Pollack and Jane Fonda were nominated for Best Director and Best Actress respectively, and Gig Young won for Best Supporting Actor.

* AwardSnub: The film didn't even get a Best Picture nomination, although director Pollack and Jane Fonda received nominations for Best Director and Best Actress respectively, and Gig Young won for Best Supporting Actor.

* HarsherInHindsight: The film ends with Robert helping Gloria to shoot herself. In 1978, Gig Young, who played Rocky in the film, shot his wife Kim Schmidt and then himself; no motive for the apparent murder-suicide was ever established.

* HeyItsThatGuy: [[Series/HillStreetBlues Sgt. Esterhaus]] is Rollo. [[Series/TheMunsters Grandpa Munster]] is Turkey. [[Film/DieHard Holly Gennaro]] is Ruby.

* HeyItsThatGuy: [[Series/HillStreetBlues Sgt. Esterhaus]] is Rollo. [[Series/TheMunsters Grandpa Munster]] is Turkey.

* HarsherInHindsight: The film ends with Robert helping Gloria to shoot herself. In 1978, Gig Young, who played Rocky in the film, shot his wife Kim Schmidt and then himself; no motive for the apparent murder-suicide was ever established.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The novel was not very popular in the United States, Horace [=McCoy's=] home country, but it was very popular in French existential circles (even though it was not translated into French until 1946); among its fans was screenwriter and director Roger Vadim, who persuaded his wife, JaneFonda, to accept the role of Gloria in the film adaptation despite her initial reservations.