Ice Queen: Sonja Henie

I feel a bit narcissistic with all the images of myself that have been on here lately, so let's focus on someone else.

As the cold and holiday season rolls around it is time to bundle up inside with family and watch old movies. One of my sisters and myself are especially attached to old films featuring Sonja Henie. Sonja was one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood during her career, but she is often neglected from remembrance of famous actresses; perhaps her acting chops aren't exceptional, but she makes up for it with her angelic smile (and dimples!) and skating skills.

Skating skills, you ask? Well, you see Sonja Henie started her career as a competitive figure skater she is a three-time Olympic Champion, ten-time World Champion and six-time European Champion. Henie won more Olympic and World titles than any other ladies figure skater. Her skating was both innovative and brought glamour to the ice.

Movies I recommend seeing, starring Henie: Thin Ice, Happy Landing, My Lucky Star, Sun Valley Serenade, and Iceland. Her films follow the typical old Hollywood romance plot line, but also marry the music of Irving Berlin in many of them and she almost always skates--in her own particular way so that it becomes a musical number. Think: Sonja Henie is to ice what Esther Williams was to water.