What's Old Is New Again: New Articles Re: Figure Skating History

skatesindreams said:
That sounds like Sonja at her best.

It also shows what a "powerhouse" she was.
Those attending were the "creme de la creme" of Hollywood.
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Absolutely! Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Joan Crawford... these were NOT D-listers.

berthesghost said:
:lol: this was such an obvious lie, I had to go to wiki and try to figure out what was going on in her life in early ‘55 to prompt this stunt. I think it was simply that she couldn’t get a show going in the US anymore. Having just had a recent comeback success with her European tour she was probably trying to regain the US market she was shut out of in ‘52-53. She did do a successful show in NY in 1/‘56 so maybe it worked on some level but probably not the Hollywood/nationwide level she hoped for. Can’t blame a girl for trying. And Sonja certainly worked every angle of success. There was no one else like Sonja either before or after. (Although there is a certain irony to her handing the best costume prize to Ester Williams)
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Your hypothesis makes sense...Sonja spent some time in New York in February and March of that year, attending the premiere of the play "The Dark Is Light Enough" (starring her ex Tyrone Power) and dining at Luchow's. In late March, she rode on the Christmas float with Santa Claus in an old-time circus at Madison Square Garden. Three years after the fact, she was still dealing with the legal aftermath of the bleacher collapse at her show in Baltimore and according to her brother - grain of salt - she was pretty heavy in the scotch around this point in time. Aside from some shows at the Roxy Theatre and in Europe, Sonja's skating itinerary was pretty bleak. Her South American tour the following year wasn't exactly a success... but you're absolutely right - there was no one else like Sonja.

Weve3 said:
I don’t know about you guys, but I think that Sonja Henie should’ve learned how to chill out and loosen up a little… :summer::p:D

Also, this remains impressive to read and contemplate to this day: Three-time Olympic Gold Medalist and ten-time World Champion!
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She definitely knew how to throw a party... and you're right - her record is still BEYOND impressive!
 
This past week's trio of Skate Guard blogs:

A Minoru Blog? I Just Couldn't Sano: https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/06/a-minoru-blog-i-just-couldnt-sano.html
Railroads And Rulebooks: The Hank Beatty Story: https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/06/railroads-and-rulebooks-hank-beatty.html
Edges At Expos: Skating At The World's Fairs: https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/06/edges-at-expos-skating-at-worlds-fairs.html

Also, if you enjoyed last year's feature project, a full-length biography of British skater Belita Jepson-Turner, you might want to check out my next feature, which will be coming to Skate Guard this summer. The Lost Years: Skating And The Great War will take an in-depth look at skating around the world from the years 1914 to 1918... competitions, shows, war effects, skaters who served... you name it! If you enjoy skating history as much as I do, I think you'll find this as fascinating as I have while I've been working on it.
 
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Last week's Skate Guard blogs plus the first of this week's:

A Family That Skates Together Stays Together: http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/07/a-family-that-skates-together-stays.html
The Thread Of Ariane: http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-thread-of-ariane.html
Skating With The Selfridge's: http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/07/skating-with-selfridges.html
Brackets On The Way To Brazil: The Kristóf Kállay Story: http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/07/brackets-on-way-to-brazil-kristof.html
 
skatesindreams said:
Wow, at all the additional information.
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Glad you enjoyed it! The text of the piece is absolutely the same as it was when I first released it, but the photos and videos from the Jepson-Turner family collection are brand new... have to say I really love the old cine videos of Belita skating and skiing in Switzerland.
 
This past week's Skate Guard blogs...

July #Unearthed (Skating Gossip): http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/07/unearthed-skating-gossip.html
The Pride Of Stuttgart: The Heiko Fischer Story: http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-pride-of-stuttgart-heiko-fischer.html

A little housekeeping for those of you not following the blog on social media. New blogs will now be published on Tuesday & Thursday as opposed to Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Yes, that's one less blog a week but there's no shortage of interesting stuff coming. I'm all about the long game! ;)
 
That was a wonderful feature about Heiko Fischer,
Another skater who accomplished so much; on and off the ice, in his much too short life.
 
Thanks for the tribute to Heiko Fischer! I recall his name, but I didn't remember his skating or much about him from that period. It's fun watching his performance to On the Waterfront -- music later used in competition by Mark Mitchell, and in exhibition by Paul Wylie.

It's sad to hear how his life was cut short so young. Heiko, Sergei, and now Denis. All too young to die, and such bright lights who contributed so much to figure skating. Thanks again, Ryan.

Also, I appreciate your excavating quaint writing about figure skating. This passage from the 'Skating Gossip' essay in the 1895 publication stood out for me: "What will the figure-skating of the future improve or degenerate into? The improvement of the last few years has been most marked on the part of the men..." That passage could be written today and still be relevant and meaningful. :lol:
 
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aftershocks said:
Thanks for the tribute to Heiko Fischer! I recall his name, but I didn't remember his skating or much about him from that period. It's fun watching his performance to On the Waterfront -- music later used in competition by Mark Mitchell, and in exhibition by Paul Wylie.

It's sad to hear how his life was cut short so young. Heiko, Sergei, and now Denis. All too young to die, and such bright lights who contributed so much to figure skating. Thanks again, Ryan.

Also, I appreciate your excavating quaint writing about figure skating. This passage from the 'Skating Gossip' essay in the 1895 publication stood out for me: "What will the figure-skating of the future improve or degenerate into? The improvement of the last few years has been most marked on the part of the men..." That passage could be written today and still be relevant and meaningful. :lol:
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Glad you've been enjoying reading! Heiko's story was a fascinating one to research... so sad that he passed away just as he was preparing to start a new chapter in his life! :( The monthly #Unearthed features are a lot of fun to 'dig up'. Reading pieces from different era always helps us gain a better perspective of the times they were skating in... and skater's concerns about the current state and future of the sport always seem to be consistent in every era. However, the reasons why the skating world is nostalgic and sometimes resists change are always interesting!
 
If you enjoyed last year's biography of Belita Jepson-Turner, you're going to love Skate Guard's second free book-length feature project, The Lost Years: Skating And The Great War. From skaters who served to competitions, shows, fashion, music and much more, this project takes an in-depth look at how skating survived and thrived from the years 1914 to 1918:

http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-lost-years-skating-and-great-war.html
 
Recent Skate Guard blogs you may have missed...

The Hub Trio: Acro-Ice Pioneers From New Hampshire: http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-hub-trio-acro-ice-pioneers-from-new.html

August's #Unearthed, An Evening On Dutch Skates: http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/08/unearthed-evening-on-dutch-skates.html

From Jumps To Jell-O: The Mia Macklin Story: http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/09/from-jumps-to-jell-o-mia-macklin-story.html

SAISA Versus SASA: The Sixties South African Skating Scandals: http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/09/saisa-versus-sasa-sixties-south-african.html

Lots of neat stuff coming soon!
 
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