The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-12-10

ED1lOh S NOlE: The IOIlOW- ing article is an Advance Prevue of one of the brightest names in the Gala World of Ice, Betty Atkinson, star of the 1914 edition of the World Famous Ice FOllieS starting at the New Haven Arena, Monday for one week engage ment.
 So from here in I will let a gentleman whom I am sure you all are familiar with, take over and give you the sowdown on the star of the Ice FOllies, just as he told it to me; give you Dan Mulvey, genial publicity man for the Ice FOllies during it's engagement in New Haven, and also sports edi- tor of The New Haven Registrar.
 Beauty without grace is like a tree without leaves. Betty Atkinson the blonde skating comet" from California starring in the Ice Fol lies of 1944 coming to the New Ha- ven Arena for a weeks engagement commencing December 13, has ar even beauty and grace. But every thing else about her is full of odds and ends.
 There were always plenty of ice skates where she was. Her father was in the hardware business ir Long Beach, California, but Betty didn't get her first pair of ice skates until she was IT.
 A friend of her fathers taught hel the art of twirling a baton wher she was 15. She got so good al it she popularized it into a nationa fad, did it better than any one 1T the American Legion's Drum Corps The Corps was restricted to men But they had to break down, make Betty member. On the strength of her twirling Betty even won g four year scholarship to the Uni. versity of Southern California-but she never took up the scholarship
 She went into the movie Variety Show" instead at Fred Warnings in. vitation. When Fred went on tht radio Betty went back home-"yol can't tWirl a baton on the air"
 At home in Long Beach, Cal. Betty went back to high school. Be. cause all the other kids were ou skating on the new rink, she wen too. An ice show came to town took over the rink. Chuck Hair was in the show. Chuck was Betty former partner in the Ice Follie and is now an army flyer in tn show. He stayed on in Long Beacl after the show left. Betty was on of his pupils. He taught her aero battles and she became practically al overnight sensation combining tn art of baton twirling with acrobati skating - now known to myriad of Ice Follies fans as "acrobatonis'
 The Messrs, Shipstad and John son, producers Of the Ice Follies saw blonde Betty perform in th' Center Theater in New York, ant immediately signed her for star ring role in the Ice Follies of 1943
 From the ease of her graceful gliding you'd think an ice skater! life would be cool and simple. I isn't. It's hot and crowded. Lis ten to Betty.
 "It all looks simple and easy doesn't it? Just one show a day and maybe one matinee, and slid. ing along on ice. Well, it isn't Only free time I have is for sleep ing, and after a days grind I dc that best of all I hop around the country 48 wee:ls out of the year and the pace is always as fast as the last few weeks of fighters life right before his championship bout"
 q do everything like a rigid time table on a good railroad. If I don't I can't take the punishment on the rink.
 "They don't allow us to eat oul third meal until after the perform ance. That means I get to bed about one or two.
 "Once during every day we have to spend from 30 minutes to an hour