Vick444~No Spam~@aei.ca
06-23-2008, 11:20 PM
Jun 22, 2008
Performers from Hollywood's "Golden Age" of ice skating
reminisced about the good old days at a reunion this
weekend in Moorpark.
The 40 or so former professional skaters were all
connected by the Polar Palace, the landmark Hollywood ice
rink that was the center of the ice skating world from
the 1930s to the early 1960s. The wooden rink burned down
in 1963.
The reunion was sparked by a chance encounter between
Austin Holt, 82, one of the well-known instructors at the
Polar Palace, and Wendy Harper, whose mother, Gail
Marlowe, was a pro skater and actress who was taught by
Holt.
That meeting led to the idea of trying to get old friends
and fellow skaters together at Harper's home in Moorpark.
"Austin Holt was my coach 47 years ago, and he had named
a daughter after me," said Marlowe, 66, who lives in Simi
Valley. "So we got together and decided we would put on a
reunion."
It was at the Polar Palace that Sonja Henie, the
Norwegian-born World and Olympic skating champion,
premiered the first ice shows.
"It smelled, and it looked like it was going to fall down
any minute," said Holt, remembering the old rink on Van
Ness Avenue next to Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.
"But it was an ambience, and it worked."
Henie is credited as the first person to combine dance
choreography with figure skating, according to the Web
site sonjahenie.net, which describes her as "one of the
most popular celebrities of the thirties." She went on to
star in 12 Hollywood movies, including "One in a Million"
and "Wintertime."
Richard Dwyer, 72, got his start at the Polar Palace.
When he was 14, he turned pro and joined "Ice Follies."
He stayed with the show for 30 years as "Mr. Debonair."
"I always skated in a top hat and tails, and I had six
beautiful girls out on the ice with me," he said. "I was
kind of like Fred Astaire and had six Ginger Rogers!"
"Hollywood was so exciting at that time, and all the
movie stars came to our opening nights, and we made the
movie magazines once in a while, so we were a big part of
the entertainment world and a very popular one."
Holt, who traveled from his home in South Carolina to
attend the reunion, recalls the time when one of his
students, Tab Hunter, brought Hollywood star Debbie
Reynolds to the rink.
"She didn't skate. I didn't want that responsibility," he
joked.
Joanne McCusker, 84, from Valencia, met her husband, Buff
McCusker, when they both appeared in "Ice Follies" in
1941. The McCuskers later toured their own ice revue
across the nation and were part of the live TV show
"Frosty Frolics," which aired on Los Angeles TV station
KTLA for four years.
"Now they just have champions doing shows," she said.
"Then, you could get in the chorus and work your way up."
Most of those present had few compliments for the
standard of professional ice skating today, saying that
the musical artistry has disappeared in favor of
athleticism and technical achievement.
"I'm sorry to see the way it's going right now," said Bob
Turk, 83, the choreographer and director of the "Ice
Capades" and the Lido in Paris, who traveled from Rancho
Mirage for the reunion. "There's no costumes; they're not
necessary, and they're just like a competitive gymnastic
person, and they go out there and perform, and you're
judged on your technique and elevation."
As afternoon turned into evening and the food and wine
flowed, it was possible to catch a glimpse of a more
glamorous world and a more extravagant time when being a
star on the ice was literally the coolest thing in town.
"Skating has been a great life for all of us, and you can
see the energy and fun," Dwyer said. "We love that we're
still standing up"
http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTTkvS7F9IXP8AmgjQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTBkdjI4bXVrBHBvcwMyNARzZWMDc3I-/SIG=144j8th0t/EXP=1214332498/**http%3a//venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jun/22/golden-age-ice-skaters-meet-in-moorpark/%3fpartner=yahoo_headlines
Performers from Hollywood's "Golden Age" of ice skating
reminisced about the good old days at a reunion this
weekend in Moorpark.
The 40 or so former professional skaters were all
connected by the Polar Palace, the landmark Hollywood ice
rink that was the center of the ice skating world from
the 1930s to the early 1960s. The wooden rink burned down
in 1963.
The reunion was sparked by a chance encounter between
Austin Holt, 82, one of the well-known instructors at the
Polar Palace, and Wendy Harper, whose mother, Gail
Marlowe, was a pro skater and actress who was taught by
Holt.
That meeting led to the idea of trying to get old friends
and fellow skaters together at Harper's home in Moorpark.
"Austin Holt was my coach 47 years ago, and he had named
a daughter after me," said Marlowe, 66, who lives in Simi
Valley. "So we got together and decided we would put on a
reunion."
It was at the Polar Palace that Sonja Henie, the
Norwegian-born World and Olympic skating champion,
premiered the first ice shows.
"It smelled, and it looked like it was going to fall down
any minute," said Holt, remembering the old rink on Van
Ness Avenue next to Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.
"But it was an ambience, and it worked."
Henie is credited as the first person to combine dance
choreography with figure skating, according to the Web
site sonjahenie.net, which describes her as "one of the
most popular celebrities of the thirties." She went on to
star in 12 Hollywood movies, including "One in a Million"
and "Wintertime."
Richard Dwyer, 72, got his start at the Polar Palace.
When he was 14, he turned pro and joined "Ice Follies."
He stayed with the show for 30 years as "Mr. Debonair."
"I always skated in a top hat and tails, and I had six
beautiful girls out on the ice with me," he said. "I was
kind of like Fred Astaire and had six Ginger Rogers!"
"Hollywood was so exciting at that time, and all the
movie stars came to our opening nights, and we made the
movie magazines once in a while, so we were a big part of
the entertainment world and a very popular one."
Holt, who traveled from his home in South Carolina to
attend the reunion, recalls the time when one of his
students, Tab Hunter, brought Hollywood star Debbie
Reynolds to the rink.
"She didn't skate. I didn't want that responsibility," he
joked.
Joanne McCusker, 84, from Valencia, met her husband, Buff
McCusker, when they both appeared in "Ice Follies" in
1941. The McCuskers later toured their own ice revue
across the nation and were part of the live TV show
"Frosty Frolics," which aired on Los Angeles TV station
KTLA for four years.
"Now they just have champions doing shows," she said.
"Then, you could get in the chorus and work your way up."
Most of those present had few compliments for the
standard of professional ice skating today, saying that
the musical artistry has disappeared in favor of
athleticism and technical achievement.
"I'm sorry to see the way it's going right now," said Bob
Turk, 83, the choreographer and director of the "Ice
Capades" and the Lido in Paris, who traveled from Rancho
Mirage for the reunion. "There's no costumes; they're not
necessary, and they're just like a competitive gymnastic
person, and they go out there and perform, and you're
judged on your technique and elevation."
As afternoon turned into evening and the food and wine
flowed, it was possible to catch a glimpse of a more
glamorous world and a more extravagant time when being a
star on the ice was literally the coolest thing in town.
"Skating has been a great life for all of us, and you can
see the energy and fun," Dwyer said. "We love that we're
still standing up"
http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTTkvS7F9IXP8AmgjQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTBkdjI4bXVrBHBvcwMyNARzZWMDc3I-/SIG=144j8th0t/EXP=1214332498/**http%3a//venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jun/22/golden-age-ice-skaters-meet-in-moorpark/%3fpartner=yahoo_headlines