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‘Ice Age’ to showcase traveling ice show era


Donations sought to complete documentary When skating legends Richard


by TROY SCHWINDT


Dwyer and Tom Collins reminisce about the glory days of the travel- ing ice show, they paint a picture of a magical time that is never coming back.


T e glamorous skaters, the


elaborate production sets and cos- tumes, the intricately orchestrated routines — all melded together to entertain families across the nation for much of the 20th century. “We used to fi ll Madison


Square Garden, Boston Garden, Chicago and many other of the country’s major arenas, and every show was sold out,” said Dwyer, who played the iconic “Mr. Debonair” in the Ice Follies and Ice Capades. “Ev- ery city loved the ice shows.” While those wonderful times hold fond memories for Dwyer and Collins, they hope that a documen- tary fi lm that’s almost completed can preserve this golden age of the travel- ing ice show for everyone to see and enjoy.


Filmmaker Keri Pickett is in


the fi nal stages of completing her movie, titled T e Fabulous Ice Age. She started on the documentary fi lm nearly seven years ago in an eff ort to help tell the story of her uncle, Roy Blakey, who became a show skater after seeing the famous Sonja Henie perform on the silver screen. During his time as a performer, Blakey col-


Skaters from 1944 Holiday on Ice Keri Pickett and her uncle Roy Blakey display pieces of Blakey’s ice show memorabilia collection.


lected thousands of pieces of ice show memorabilia. He hopes to fi nd a permanent home for his vast col- lection in conjunction with the fi lm’s release. “Roy is the viewer’s backstage pass to this unique history,” Pickett said. “T e movie covers the history and Roy’s passion for the ice shows, his skating career and the fact that he wants this history to be remembered for all the glamour, but also because the shows off ered a skater an oppor- tunity — a way to make a living.” Pickett has traveled the country


interviewing skaters and others asso- ciated with the traveling ice shows. Her fi lm, which she hopes to enter in various fi lm festivals this year, has the fi nancial support and backing of many of the sport’s greats, such as


Dwyer, Collins, singles and pairs star Ken Shelley and two-time Olympic champion and show skater Dick Button. “It takes people back to when


the ice show industry was started, where it all came from,” Dwyer said. “It has the great entrepreneurs like the Shipstads (Roy and Eddie) and (Oscar) Johnson, Morris Chalfen and John Harris, all of those people who created those shows.” With the project 90 percent


fi nished, Pickett is turning to the public to help her complete the fi lm. She has spent more than $100,000 of her own money and needs help raising the fi nal $77,000. You can learn more about the fi lm at www. fabulousiceage.com and about Blakey’s ice show memorabilia col- lection at www.icestagearchive.com. “My bills will be coming in over time, because after post-production there is the cost of the festival entry, attendance and public relations,” Pickett said.


Collins, who skated in the


shows and launched Champions on Ice in 1969, said many young people don’t know anything about the trav- eling ice show era. T is fi lm, he said, will “be an education for them.” It was typical, Collins said,


to have 100 performers in a show, and that they traveled city to city by train.


54 MARCH 2013 ‘Mr. Debonair’ Richard Dwyer


“You had the large casts, you had the unbelievable costumes, you had the beautiful girls,” Dwyer said. “It was an extravaganza.” “T e show itself was the star,” Collins added. “People came to see Ice Follies or Holiday on Ice or the Ice Capades. T ey bought tickets just for the name of the show.” T ese shows used to sell out


famous venues such as Madison Square Garden for two weeks (24 shows) at a time. “People loved it and they had


their favorites, and they would ap- plaud when certain people came out, such as Frick and Frack, Freddie Tren- kler and Hans Leiter,” Dwyer said. “People would actually wait


from year to year for the ice show to come back,” Collins added. “It was the event of the year.”


When one of the ice shows


came to town, the local newspaper would often put it on the front page or the sports page. “We have to admit, it was before


television,” Dwyer said. “So we were the great family entertainment and it lasted for many years after that.” Collins is looking forward to


seeing the fi lm upon completion and believes that everyone will be in for a treat.


“When they see it, it’s going to be a thrill for them,” Collins said. T ose interested in helping


Pickett fund the rest of the fi lm can go online and make a donation at the Independent Film Maker Project at www.ifpmn.org/sponsored-project/ fabulous-ice-age.


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