Skating references in TV and film | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Skating references in TV and film

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~
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Jul 28, 2003
This did not take place on ice but it's my favorite skating scene in a movie done by none other than the great Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers on roller skates - skating on an outdoors rink. Just think if they had taken up figure skating!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ3fjQa5Hls



Andy Williams was a pretty fair skater also:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyU43P0h3r8


Of course there is the Charlie Brown and Peanuts Gang created by Charles Shultz, who was a fan of figure skating and even built a rink for figure skaters in his hometown. He always featured the Peanuts Gang on ice skates:

http://www.google.ca/search?q=charl...DIFqb9iQKin4G4Bw&ved=0CDgQsAQ&biw=994&bih=472


This is a clip from the show "Different Strokes" which featured Dorothy Hamill teaching Dana Plato to figure skate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr2roOaWk6E
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Tab Hunter started out as a competitive skater, under his real name of Arthur Gelien. I can't find out how far he got. But he did star (such clever casting) in a TV production of Hans Brinker. I imagine how convincing he must have been in this part. I wonder whether any version of the film survives.

Like Astaire and Rogers, Gene Kelly did a number on roller skates in one of his films; I don't remember which one, though I've seen that sequence. I think it might have been in included one of the That's Entertainment movies.
 
Joined
Mar 11, 2011
In Modern Family's s01e07, it appears that Mitchell and Clair used to be ice dancers as kids. They were apparently great, especially Mitchell, but then, Clair backed out and that hurt him a lot. In the final scene of this episode, they sort of reveal their personal regrets about it and do this final dance lift in a parking lot of the mall as their sign of closure. And Cam's line goes "Wow, you did it. You made figure skating sound even gay-er.":laugh:
 
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Joined
Mar 11, 2011
AND in Friends, Chandler confesses that he tried for figure skating team in high school but was not accepted. The situation was that it was Pheobe and Mike's wedding day, and Rachel had to pick her groomsmen to walk on the aisle with between Ross and Chandler.

Chandler says something like "If you don't choose me as a groomsmen, I'll feel left again like when I was a kid, being picked last in the gym, never getting picked in the baseball team, etc." to Rachel. Then naturally, Ross and Chandler get into a fight about whom to be chosen. When Ross counter-strikes what Chandler said to him by saying "Is that what they say in figure skating team?" and Chandler bursts into tears saying that "I wouldn't know, I didn't make it." And they hug it out.:rofl::rofl:
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
The winning costume was horrifically ugly. I don't know what they were thinking, but Sasha certainly never wore it in competition or in any major exhibition that I can recall. Here's a recap of the episode and the winning design. BTW, Nick Verreos, who was a contestant in season 2 and featured in the episode, regularly posts about skaters' costumes on his blog.

It was an ugly costume and badly made, and it used nude illusion fabric all the way down the middle--very unflattering. On the other hand, Chloe Dao's costume was a beautiful aqua color and made of overlapping scallops, which would have moved beautifully and caught light and shade as Sasha skated. I've never understood that choice at all. But then, I rarely liked Sasha's color choices for her costumes. I mean, yellow?
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
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Jun 27, 2003
AND in Friends, Chandler confesses that he tried for figure skating team in high school but was not accepted. The situation was that it was Pheobe and Mike's wedding day, and Rachel had to pick her groomsmen to walk on the aisle with between Ross and Chandler.

Chandler says something like "If you don't choose me as a groomsmen, I'll feel left again like when I was a kid, being picked last in the gym, never getting picked in the baseball team, etc." to Rachel. Then naturally, Ross and Chandler get into a fight about whom to be chosen. When Ross counter-strikes what Chandler said to him by saying "Is that what they say in figure skating team?" and Chandler bursts into tears saying that "I wouldn't know, I didn't make it." And they hug it out.:rofl::rofl:

oh yeah I forgot about that one!
 

Skater Boy

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Feb 24, 2012
Wasn't there a South Park episode about Brian Boitano and a catchy song something to the effect "That's what Brian Boitano would do". I think it was how Brian B would handle different situations. Of course there was a movie about Oksana Baiul's life and in Blades of Glory there were several skaters acting as commentators and Sasha Cohen catching some figure skaters jock strap I think - real high brow acting. I think Michelle Kwan may have been commentating.
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
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Jun 27, 2003
Wasn't there a South Park episode about Brian Boitano and a catchy song something to the effect "That's what Brian Boitano would do". I think it was how Brian B would handle different situations. Of course there was a movie about Oksana Baiul's life and in Blades of Glory there were several skaters acting as commentators and Sasha Cohen catching some figure skaters jock strap I think - real high brow acting. I think Michelle Kwan may have been commentating.

Kwan and Boitano commentated in Ice Princess
Scott Hamilton was one of the commentators (iirc) for Blades of Glory.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
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Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
And it was the South Park movie that had What Would Brian Boitano Do?

One of the amusing moments in ice skating fandom was definitely watching Brian Boitano perform to What Would Brian Boitano Do?
 

WeakAnkles

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Joined
Aug 1, 2011
It goes back farther than the South Park musical. In the unaired (at least at the time--they may have aired it since) pilot episode, Jesus and Santa Claus argue vehemently over who better represents the spirit of Christmas and Brian Boitano is brought in to mediate. Youtube has the entire animated short, but be warned -- this is South Park at its raunchiest, with language that could make a sailor blush.
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
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May 19, 2011
I've seen most of these references (though I'm going to have to look for the Friends one!). Here are a few others from animated shows:

American Dad: In the earlier seasons in the opening when Stan opens the front door, he picks up the newspaper and reads an amusing headline. In one episode it read, "Michelle Kwan Finally Dishonors Family."


There have been a few Michelle references in The Simpsons. On one of the Treehouse of Horror episodes, Homer's causes Y2K and the world starts falling apart. A select group of the best people on the planet are being evacuated to Mars and Lisa gets an invite. As they walk up they see a group of people:

Bart: "Wow...there's Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking, Paul McCartney, Michael Jordan, Michelle Kwan..."
Lisa: "They must be starting a civilization on Mars with our best and brightest."

When Lisa goes to get on the ship they tell her she can only take one parent. She promptly picks Marge and they board the ship (with Maggie). Homer and Bart find a different spaceship. They get on and it takes off. Once they're in outer space, Homer looks around:

Homer: "Ooh look there's Ross Perot, Dr. Laura, Spike Lee..."
Bart: "Wait a minute. They're not so great."
Homer: "Okay, but there's Dan Quayle and Courtney Love...Tonya Harding (holding a tire iron)...Al Sharpton! Aaah! Tom Arnold! What the hell's going on!?" :laugh:

Turns out their spaceship was headed for the sun! I love that one!


Michelle's also in an episode in season 16 with Tom Brady, Lebron James, Yao Ming and Warren Sapp. Homer beats Bart at a game and his victory dance goes viral. Sports stars begin contacting him so he can choreograph victory dances for them. Homer then opens a showboating school. They show Michelle at a competition where a judge gives her a 5.9 instead of a 6.0. She says "Beware the wrath of Kwan!" before carving a bloody 6.0 in his chest with her skate!
 
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aftertherain

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Joined
Jan 15, 2010
Sasha Cohen was in an episode of CSI: NY about a figure skater who'd been murdered (not her).

This is the fluff ("artistic") piece they ran of her in the end (after the detectives solved the murder):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbm2xVuWz7U


The winning costume was horrifically ugly. I don't know what they were thinking, but Sasha certainly never wore it in competition or in any major exhibition that I can recall. Here's a recap of the episode and the winning design.

I think the closest she ever got to wearing that winning design was this:

http://figureskatersonline.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/sashacohen04.jpg

http://media-cache-ec3.pinterest.com/upload/22518066856962691_CEnCwvhO_b.jpg

(Much improved.)
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
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Jun 27, 2003
And it was the South Park movie that had What Would Brian Boitano Do?

One of the amusing moments in ice skating fandom was definitely watching Brian Boitano perform to What Would Brian Boitano Do?

Kurt's version is better! :laugh:
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
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Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
A really odd place for skating to show up-in an episode of Duck Dynasty.

Uncle Si & Willie are on Mt. Man's callin TV program, and Si says something like, "Don't tell me. Call in programs are like NASCAR and figure skating-the only reason anyone watches any of them is for the crashes.
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
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Feb 27, 2012
Marlon Brando is seen ice skating in the movie The Freshman. :cool:

Sandra Bezic was Brando's skating coach, according to the credits.

A People magazine article back then about the making of the movie described Brando as "surprisingly graceful" on skates.

For the uninitiated: Brando plays a mob boss, and a very young Matthew Broderick plays the title character.
I had never seen the movie until recently stumbling upon it (already in progress) on late-night TV.
 

Orange Cat

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
In Ronin Katarina Witt is involved with Russian gangsters, and she has some lines of dialogue and a reasonable amount of time dedicated to showing her performance in a local arena. I don't remember all that much of the film, though, as I think I fell asleep, but I recall her appearing and going, "Wait- is that- no. Is it??" and being all surprised by Google's confirmation.

It's not a reference in the vein of references that this thread seems to be making, but I thought it was pretty nifty; a nice cameo, and cool that figure skating scenes figured in fairly climactic moments in the film.
 
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