Talk:Sonja Henie

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Biography assessment rating comment[edit]

WikiProject Biography Assessment

The article may be improved by following the WikiProject Biography 11 easy steps to producing at least a B article. -- Yamara 16:53, 2 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion[edit]

I removed the following:

She is the only three-time Olympic figure skating gold medalist.

Other three-time Olympic figure skating gold medalists are Gillis Grafström (1920/24/28) and Irina Rodnina (1972/76/80). []D[][]V[][]D

Film Career?[edit]

None of Sonja's dozen films may be remembered as masterpieces, but this entry does seem to short shrift what after all was a major part of her professional life (and a great boost to the coffers of Twentieth Century Fox). Anyone up for writing up "Sonja: The Film Star Years"?

I agree, it deserves attention. At one point, she was the third biggest box-office draw, behind Shirley Temple and Clark Gable! --Pelladon 03:37, 18 September 2005 (UTC)[reply]

"Sonja Henie's Tutu"[edit]

Should there be some mention of this phrase? AnonMoos 21:12, 1 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes. Justinchudgar (talk) 17:41, 11 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]

As far as I know, the origin was a comedy sketch between Pat Harrington and Fred Travalena as "the Welk Brothers" where they played bandleader Lawrence Welk's fictitious, estranged triplet brothers Lance and Louie. The two of them impersonated Welk's nasal, singsong German-American accent capably but were incapable of finishing the sketch because of a line where they were asked what broke up the trio. The answer somberly given by Harrington, "Sonja Henie's tutu," invariably brought one or both of them to laughter because of the musical, iambic delivery. I've seen it on old blooper shows but as the link suggests, it's currently lost media. Waterenhancer (talk) 23:52, 28 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Henie and Occupied Norway[edit]

Wasn't there a controversy concerning her and Nazi occupied Norway? Not sure it should be in, but here's some on that

Once after performing in Germany, she skated in front of the chancellor's box, raised her right arm and cried, "Heil Hitler!" which caused critics to brand her a Nazi. She explained, "How can people say such things? Nazi-shmatzy! Hitler is the German leader, and I was honoring Germany, not the Nazis. I don't even know what a Nazi is." Washington Times.

From the Telegraph, "But her charm swiftly wore off in Norway, where she became loathed for an apparent indifference to her compatriots' troubles after the German invasion of 1940. Already disliked because of an infamous picture which showed her bestowing a Nazi salute upon a beaming Adolf Hitler at the 1936 Olympics at Garmisch, Henie's unpopularity plunged to new depths when she refused to contribute to a training school for Norwegian pilots in Canada. She was never forgiven."[1]

Then again I have often heard that she was just naive and apolitical so the criticism was unfair. Too explosive to deal with?--T. Anthony 01:00, 25 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've added a section to the article based on the material in the "Queen of Ice, Queen of Shadows" biography. Yes, it's obvious from that book that Henie was not interested in much of anything other than herself. Dr.frog 02:13, 2 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I think whoever wrote this did a GREAT JOB!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.147.118.33 (talk) 23:46, 14 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Jack Johncock[edit]

Hey, Jack Johncock or whoever you are -- other Wikipedia contributors don't insert their names into the article text whenever they make an edit. Please stop plastering your name all over this article about Sonja Henie. Dr.frog (talk) 03:42, 17 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Henie at the Roxy[edit]

For what it's worth, a quick look at the New York Times archives shows that Sonja Henie appeared at the Roxy Theatre in New York starting January 11, 1956 in an ice show that accompanied the movie "The Lieutenant Wore Skirts" which ran for three weeks. The previous bill at the Roxy, "The Rains of Ranchipur" and an ice show called "Happy Holiday - Anywhere USA", opened Dec 15, 1955. None of the press for this earlier show mentions Miss Henie. The Roxy regularly produced ice shows to accompany its movies at this time. Markhh (talk) 04:44, 19 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Cinema Treasures is a blog of personal comments - very interesting for sure, but not a reliable source. According to the New York Times review of 2/17/1956, "Carousel" opened at the Roxy Theatre on February 16, 1956 and was accompanied by an ice show on the stage which featured the skater Joan Hyldoft. Thanks Markhh (talk) 03:37, 1 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Jack Johncock, please stop repeating the incorrect assertion that the film "Carousel" opened at the Roxy in December 1955. It played for the first time anywhere 2/16/56 at the Roxy. See the New York Times and the Internet Movie Database. Personal anecdotes posted on Cinema Treasures are not (and aren't intended to be) reliable references. Contemporary news reports and advertising including those in the New York Times fail to make any mention of Sonia Henie in the Roxy's stage shows of December 1955. Henie is also not mentioned as having any part in the show that accompanied "Carousel" in February 1956. Markhh (talk) 23:51, 1 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Marriages[edit]

Heavily edited the following statement:

"Henie was married three times, to Dan Topping (1912–1974), Winthrop Gardiner Jr. (1912–1980),[6] and the wealthy Norwegian shipping magnate and art patron, Niels Onstad (1909–1978)."

I suspect that those dates are the birth and death dates of the gentlemen in question, and not the start and end dates of her three marriages. Certainly they cannot be the latter, since that would have made Ms. Henie a bigamist. Accordingly, I'm removing them as unnecessary confusing. If someone feels strongly enough about it to re-insert them, please ensure that it is clear from context what these dates actualy represent.

GodaiNoBaka (talk) 22:46, 16 June 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Sun Valley[edit]

Given the widespread popularity achieved by this film, there should be a paragraph on Sun Valley Serenade. Sca (talk) 23:44, 24 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Herma Szabo first short skirt[edit]

People tend to credit Sonja Henie with the first short skating skirt but Herma Szabo wore short skating skirts at the 1924 Olympics. (Sonja wore short skirts but was only 11 then.) I think this matter might be be addressed. Who was actually first? 50.202.81.2 (talk) 11:52, 12 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

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