When I was eight or nine years old, I was at Queens Ice Rink when a lady with very blue eye shadow came to the rink and sat at the edge of the ice - that was "Queenie", Belita's mother.

I had only heard of Belita, the wonderful skater, and when she stepped onto the ice, I stepped back and watched this very balletic skater and was enthralled. We shared the same coach, Jacques Gershweiler. I swam at the same club, passed all my ballet tests, just as Belita had done at age 12. Little did I know that I would be called "Baby Belita."

In the show, "Babes in the Woods," at Empress Hall, I was cast as Girl Babe to Belita's Robin Hood. During rehearsals, Gersh taught me a new spin that was so different. I practiced that spin until I had it so good! Then put it in my solo.

I did not know that Belita had a lesson with Gersh and he taught her the same spin. Uh Oh! While Belita was watching the dress rehearsal of the show and saw that spin in my solo, she jumped out of her chair, came onto the ice and slapped my face. She said, "How dare you copy any of my tricks!" After a time, it was sorted out with management and she apologized in front of the whole cast.

Many years later I was invited to a party at the house in Hamersmith that was on Grabtree Gardens. I was worried she would be nasty to me. Instead, she latched onto me and stayed with me the evening. Seems she did not put together that I was the little girl skater from years back that copied her spin!

I was always very happy anytime someone said that I reminded them of Belita. Her skating would still stand up today as very special.

[Return to Top]

When I first saw Belita, it was in Ice Capades in about 1944 more or less. Also in the show were Megan Taylor and Vera Hruba. These ladies always skated to classical music and tended to present themselves in a very dramatic routine. Belita was on of these ladies.

While her skating was spectacular, she had very little personality. Very serious and almost defiant when she completed a series of axels or whatever.

The next time I met her was at the old Polar Palace. She skated the public session almost daily and really didn't speak to anyone. She, at times would skate around with Eugene Mikeler. That changed later when Mikeler introduced her to me. We would get out in the center of the ice and do double camels together and jump lutz jumps and see how many axels we could to in a series. She usually won. Along with us was Chado. We really had a lot of fun. Her mother, Queenie was always with her. We always smiled because Queenie had purple hair. This was back in the 40's and that wasn't seen on many ladies. She too was very British but nice. Belita told me about how her skates became beige. Her mother, when "B' was young, had them done pink like toe shoes. Belita hated them and changed them to flesh color.

I was invited onto the set at Monogram when she started doing movies there. Later on when I went to London, I called B and she said 'come right over.' I dropped my luggage and spent the whole day and evening with her. She had married for the second time and the two of them had a lovely nursery. They would hire out of work actors in the nursery.

In 1945, she married a guy who used to hang around with skaters. He seemed to be working at becoming an actor. His name was Joel Mc Guinness.

Then in 1949, I staged and choreographed a large show that went to Havana Cuba. Belita was the star of the show along with Red Mc Carthy. Joel was signed to do a short dramatic number with B. I don't remember the idea for the number, but at the end Joel was suppose to shoot Belita. Very dramatic. One night Joel got a little too close to B and the residue from the gun burned her chest. It was all over the news the next day.

I'm skipping ahead to 1967. At that time I had been signed by Ice Capades to do their shows. One day my secretary, Bill Bain, came into my office to tell me there was an English speaking lady who wanted to speak to "Bobby." It was Belita. That is what she had called me in those earlier years. She explained that she wanted to do a "tank" show on a 20 x20 ice surface. She wanted the ice to be made in squares of 2x2 foot squares like a chess board. She explained that she would have a toe shoe on one foot and an ice skate on the other.

During the course of this conversation, she asked me if I had ever heard of Peggy Fleming. I explained to here that I had worked with her for 10 years creating her style and teaching her ballet. Belita remarked, "Of course, I can see that now that you mention it."

It wasn't until several years later that while traveling to Paris I stopped in London and found her phone number and called her. She insisted that I come over right then and there. I dropped my luggage and spent the whole day and evening with her. She had married for the second time and the two of them had a lovely nursery. They would hire out of work actors in the nursery. It was wonderful seeing her after all those years when she had moved back to England. She showed me a solid gold set of flatware.

While performing in Paris, she couldn't take money back to London so she bought this gold flatware. It was worth a ton of money! I suggested that I would love to take her to dinner. She declined saying that she never went out in public unless her hair was done and that she had something very chic to wear. That was part of her fantasy that she was still a star and that she owed that to her public.

[Return to Top]