The Best of Dick Button's Commentary | Page 2 | Golden Skate

The Best of Dick Button's Commentary

seniorita

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 3, 2008
Marshall's Department Stores came in as a sponsor in 2004. There was a Marshall's event in April of 2004. (Plush won for the men and Sasha Cohen gave the best performance of her life to Swan Lake and won for the ladies.) The December 2004 Marshall's is the one in the video. Then there was an April 2005 event for U.S. skaters only.

Isnt there a Marshals after 2006 Olys too? And thank you for all the info!:popcorn:
 

LongTimeLurker

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
What? We have gotten this far and no one has mentioned "rusty hoot"? ;-)

I still have "Olympic Ice" on a DVD somewhere. My favorite parts were when Dick kissed the female commentator (forgot her name - a tennis or basketball player?) and one segment where he started laughing so hard he couldn't stop.
 

jenaj

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Country
United-States
What? We have gotten this far and no one has mentioned "rusty hoot"? ;-)

That was at 2003 Worlds, during the highlights of Michelle's long program. I kept waiting for it on the video, which had many other clips from that program.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
What? We have gotten this far and no one has mentioned "rusty hoot"? ;-)

I still have "Olympic Ice" on a DVD somewhere. My favorite parts were when Dick kissed the female commentator (forgot her name - a tennis or basketball player?) and one segment where he started laughing so hard he couldn't stop.

Mary Carillo, I think :)
 

Pikachuusb

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 27, 2005
I loved the commentary with Dick, Peggy & Terry Gannon. We were just watching something the other night & they played the same intro music. I got excited and felt like we were about to watch skating, its amazing the emotions/memories music brings out

yes Mary Carillo was the commentator. I loved Olympic Ice, its cracklin good tv :)

Rusty hoot is my favorite I believe, but the Harding spin is hilarious. Dick always had a great comment about just about everyone :)
 

Nadia01

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 10, 2009
I really really miss Dick's commentary. I know some people who hated his commentaries for being "negative" but I'm really really not at all enamored with Scott (Hamilton) b/c he sounds constipated when he gets too excited.
 

iluvtodd

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 5, 2004
Country
United-States
Loved Olympic Ice, "Push Dick's Button," etc.

Other Buttonisms - "first rate," "best in the business," "looking spiffy"

I loved when Uncle Dickie asked Irina Slutskaya if he could pinch her rosy cheeks!
 

Silver1998

Rinkside
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
I'll never forget when he explained that some skaters are "fridge break" skaters! I believe he was referring to Angela Nikidinov as she was skating her LP at U.S. Nationals (2000 I believe, but it could have been before that). My mouth hit the floor! Certainly, Angela hadn't developed into the lovely skater she would become by 2001 at that time, so there was some truth to it. I just couldn't believe he said it! Some will love or hate him, but I enjoyed his obvious passion for the sport and his knowledge base. He was like that eccentric/unpredictable grandfather so many of us have/have had.
 

Sk8Boi

Match Penalty
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Let's all remember a few things about good Old Dick Button, and then it will be clear that it is nearly impossible to be critical of him...

Firstly, he was the first person to do a double axel in competition, in 1948, in the Olympics, outside on crappy ice and in the rain, I believe. When he says a double axel is nice, or good, or bad, or whatever, I believe him.

Secondly, he is the first man to do a camel spin in competition. When he says a camel position is good, or bad, or whatever, I believe him.

Another thing, he and his spin coach, Gustav Lussi, invented the camel-hop over change-camel and the flying camel spins. When he says that a flying camel is nice, or bad, or whatever, I believe him.

Another thing, he was the first to do any type of triple, the loop. When he says that a triple loop is nice, or bad or whatever, I believe him.

In short, he is an expert via inventing or being the first to perform many of today's "modern" moves including jumps and spins, an expert from changing the sport and an expert from a life time of experience as a witness to skating history.

Dick Button is, indeed, a skating GOD. I leave you with these Dick comments, maybe a little paraphrased.....

"That's a very attractive layback position....with the exception of the free foot hanging down..."
"This layback ... simply not up to the level of the rest of her skating with a very unattractive free leg position....."
"See how high she is on that toe!!!! That's why that's not a good spin! See, that spin is rocking all over the place!"
"But not her skating ability! This is a posing session..... Carmen seems to fall when the poses occur....."
"The layback ... is in GOOD position ... we have seen so many sloppy ones ....."
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
I just didn't like how in later years he became such a bully to his co-commentators. Not so much Terry, but he belittled Peggy. It was uncomfortable - and frustrating to listen to - the only one of the newer commentators who wouldn't just cowtow to it was Kurt who was still respectful but politely disagreed.
 

Sk8Boi

Match Penalty
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
I just didn't like how in later years he became such a bully to his co-commentators. Not so much Terry, but he belittled Peggy. It was uncomfortable - and frustrating to listen to - the only one of the newer commentators who wouldn't just cowtow to it was Kurt who was still respectful but politely disagreed.

Not all the time! Once in response to Peggy being nice to a skater with an unfortunate layback position, Dick proposed marriage ....

And one time, at the 1980 US Nationals he said the following when Elaine Zayak was skating .... "Compare this layback spin to the one you performed Peggy .... there is no comparison ...."

Another time about Peggy in a documentary he said, "Peggy Fleming was unique in that while she was a master at figures, she also was able to combine athleticism and artistry that was unparalleled ..."
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
When did he say, "Peggy, will you marry me?"

Funny, I thought of that one at once, too. I can't remember the skater, but it was someone who had an unfortunate skate, and Peggy came up with a diplomatic piece of supportive praise. It was a lovely moment.
 

jenaj

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Country
United-States
I remember that voting competition. Michelle was injured and I think didn't do a single jump. That was one time even I thought that someone else should have won.

If it was the one in 2005, Michelle did do jumps. That was the one where she did her Totentanz program for the first and only time and I know she did a double axel, at least. I don't remember what she did on the other program (You Raise Me Up, I think??). She may done doubles.
 

jenaj

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Country
United-States
I think it's been taken down on YouTube, but his commentary on Michelle's Bond program was classic. I can't remember the movie he mentioned, but he compared her to a cat burglar on the roofs of Paris.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
If it was the one in 2005, Michelle did do jumps. That was the one where she did her Totentanz program for the first and only time and I know she did a double axel, at least. I don't remember what she did on the other program (You Raise Me Up, I think??). She may done doubles.

I stand corrected. Which year didn't she jump at all? Was it 2006? There was one year when that happened.
 
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