HOLIDAY ON ICE - Totin’ Ice Around the World

Starting out in 1943 little “Holiday On Ice” was frozen out of the big city arenas by “Follies,” “Capades,” and Henie’s “Hollywood Ice Revue” so it toured smaller cities with a portable rink. It caught the eye of Minneapolis business man and sports promoter Morris Chalfen who was dying to get into show business. It was a perfect match. Chalfen funded the improvement and construction of additional portable ice stages, was made president of the company, and began to enlarge and improve the show.

The added rinks eliminated costly set-up and take-down days-off for the company. One stage could be sent ahead and ready as soon as the cast and musicians could arrive from the previous engagement. Not limited to performing in rinks and hockey stadiums like the competition “Holiday On Ice” could play anywhere, indoors or out, basketball courts, theatres stages, or football stadiums.

Encouraged by the success of U.S. outdoor dates Chalfen cleverly sent his show down to Mexico in 1947 where skating was a rarity, especially a glamorous, colorful, American skating spectacle staged in a bullring. 17,000 people a night turned up for 19 days - business was "muy bueno!".   Ditto in Cuba, Central America, and South America. Clearly the beauty and thrills of skating plus lively music, slap-stick comedy, and lots of beautifully costumed pretty girls magically gliding and dancing on a gleaming stage of ice was a sure-fire recipe for international success. Within ten years “Holiday” had seven companies performing on five continents with a slogan that reflected its southern roots: “Totin’ Ice Around The World.”

In 1969 “Holiday On Ice” became a subsidiary of Madison Square Garden Corp. with Chalfen as Executive Producer. Thomas Scallen bought the North American shows in 1971 but lost them in 1977 in a struggle with former Sonja Henie producer Arthur Wirtz. In 1979 Irvin and Kenneth Feld added it to their holdings which included Ringling Brothers Circus, The Harlem Globe Trotters, and the Siegfried & Roy magic show in Las Vegas. In 1980 they created “Disney On Ice” from what had been “Holiday On Ice” and “Ice Follies.”