Evening star., 1942-02-08

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son to what are the biggest money
making enterprises now in theatre
cal business-the four major musi-
cal shows on ice.
1T Happens on Ice" with HEIDI
Stenun as star, has played to more
than q million people in its so
weeks in New York's Rockefeller
Center. Sonia Henie, who also is
a co-producer OF 1T Happens on
Ice" has just closed her Hollywood
Ice Revue" In its engagement at
Madison Square Garden. In her
eight Garden appearances Miss
Henie's revue took in $3.50, 900, which
is about $225 900 more than q hit
"Follies" or "Vanities" would have
taken in q similar engagement.
Seeking q Tenant.
In addition to the Hollywood
Ice Revue" and ut Happens on
Ice" there are two other major
ice revues now on tour, the "Ice
Follies," with Bess Ehrhardt and
Roy Shipstead in the leading roles.
and "Icecapades," which has Donna
Atwood as star.
The man who is responsible for
most of this new top industry of
show business is a husky, energetic
businessman who became theatre
cal producer because he was look
ing for q tenant for some Of his
real estate holdings. He is Arthur
M. Wirtz, q Chicago man who can't
skate himself. He and a partner
who Is In the grain business started
by getting control of the Chicago
Stadium, the Detroit Stadium, the
Indianapolis Coliseum, the Omaha
Coliseum, and along with these they
got control of the Detroit Red
wings hockey team, the Indianapolis
hockey team and the Omaha hockey
team. Real estate led to ice rinks
and these led to hockey teams and
these led to ice shows.
"One thing just led to another"
Wirtz said the other day as he was
preparing to catch train for
Florida where he could bask In the
sun while counting the fortune he
and Miss Henie are making from
ice. I'VE started it as sort of an
experiment in 1886 in the Chicago
Stadium and in two-day show
we took in $4,000.
Then what really doomed the
business was when Miss Henie went
to Hollywood and became a glamor-
Gus movie star. AS great a skater
and performer on ice as she actually
is, we realize that much OF her
drawing power for large audiences
is due to that aura Of glamour that
playing in Hollywood romantic films
gives her.
After we got started we realized
that in addition to the skating
elements we also had to present as
good q musical show as one could
see on Broadway. That's when we
got dance directors. composers and
book writers to axe the 48 line
skaters equivalent to a double line
in the chorus of musical show
and the rs principals and put them
through q show that would be ex-
citing as a musical show on stage
and doubly thrilling when 1t has the
speed and pace that you can get
only on Ice"
Sonta's Superstitions.
For talent for the ice shows Wirtz
and Miss Henie maintain a scout
ing system almost as extensive as
that run by a major league baseball
club. They travel all over the coun-
try, looking for talent in the smaller
local shows or in schools and COL
leges. This scouting system found
Gene Turner, the national figure
skating champion, in Louisville.
They found Skippy Baxter, q
rhythmic bolt of lightning on skates,
in Oakland, Calf. And. curiously,
the sunny State of California pro-
duces about 80 per cent of the talent
for the four major ice shows.
Miss Henie, like all skaters, has
her superstitions and fears. She
is in deadly fear of hairpin or
coin falling on the ice, for these