Did Anyone Ever See Sonja Henie?

[A.H.Black]

I'm hoping that some of the members here are mature enough to remember Sonja and will be willing to share their memories of her.

I would especially like to hear personal experiences. I am also hoping to hear from some of those who haven't posted here yet.

I have seen several profiles of Sonja over the years with lots of stories from acquatances, friends and skaters. I have enjoyed those stories but I would also like to hear some from fans of skating.

[A.H.Black]

Just bumping - still hoping someone has some stories to share.

Even if no one else wants to hear them - I do.

[Rachael]

I'm a tad too young to remember her as a skater. I've seen footage of her skating. She was good for her time but I wonder how many of her 3 Oly gold ad 10 world titles were actually earned.

[purplecat]

Sorry I can't help you too much A.H. Black, but my mom did see Sonja Henie skate live on her tour. She doesn't remember much though. I just found this out recently. I knew my mom had loved Sonja's movies, but she just recently showed me her old programs of Ice Follies and Sonja's tour that she went to back when she was in college. I didn't know she went to ice shows back then. And I thought I was dragging her to ice shows all these years, when really she was the first skating fan! LOL! I did see Sun Valley Serenade, one of my mom's favorites, and Sonja was a very good skater! :)

[HSF]

A.H., I doubt there are many people on this board old enough to have seen Sonja “live.” I was born the year she won her 3rd and final Olympic gold medal and I grew up watching her in the movies and even had a Sonja Henie doll. By the time I was old enough to be aware of Sonja, she was a top draw at the movie theaters.

Her movies are still shown on TV but every time I see them listed I cringe a little. During the early 40’s Hollywood mass-produced movies with a skill that probably made Ford Motor Co. envious. Movie theaters usually showed two movies a week with only the “top draw” movies being shown for an entire week. Sonja’s were always scheduled for the entire week.

During that era, most of the movies were very upbeat--tons of musicals—to raise the spirits of a country going through WWII. All of Sonja’s movies did just that, but viewed 50-60 years later by people who grew up with TV and now even computer generated visual effects, they almost seem “laughable.” Believe you me, they were not.

At the time, I lived in Florida. I had never seen snow or ice and was considered a very talented dancer. BUT in my daydreams, I was always an ice skater! LOL

Rachael, Sonja totally deserved her wins as an eligible skater. She revolutionized skating. She added jumps, added “presentation,” shortened skirts, and introduced white boots. IMHO, Sonja is the reason why figure skating became so popular in the USA.

HSF

[A.H.Black]

Thanks for the comments.

I think that the first year Sonja won Worlds, there were five Nowegian judges on the panel. And we complain about politics.

[b:f263734591]Purplecat -[/b:f263734591] I love your mother's story. Isn't it surprising to find out that our parents actually had live's at one time.

Anyone have any more?