Wiener Eisrevue

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The Wiener Eisrevue was a figure skating revue that existed from 1945 to the beginning of the 1970s, and its ensemble included well-known former amateur figure skaters. From 1952 the music came to a large extent from Robert Stolz .

history

Forerunner of the Wiener Eisrevue

In the middle of World War II , the forerunner of the Wiener Eisrevue, the "Karl-Schäfer-Eisrevue", was named after the Austrian figure skater with the most international titles: Karl Schäfer was eight times European champion, seven times world champion and double Olympic champion (1932, 1936). With this revue, the most successful German-language black and white film was shot in 1943: The White Dream , directed by Géza von Cziffra, with Wolf Albach-Retty , Olly Holzmann , Lotte Lang and Fritz Imhoff in the leading roles. The song Buy yourself a colorful balloon of Anton Profes became famous through this strip and has remained an evergreen.

Foundation, first appearances

Building on the artistic experience of the Karl-Schäfer-Eisrevue, the Wiener Eisrevue was founded in 1945. Her first star was the European Championship third in 1937 and 1938, Emmy Puzinger. She later found her congenial ice partner in the Belgian Fernand Leemans, roller skating world champion and thoroughbred showman on the ice. For many years, Puzinger and Leemans were celebrated as the “royal couple of slingshot figures”. These are those acrobatic feats in which a runner grabs his partner by one foot and whirls around in a circle, so that her head barely misses the impact on the ice.

In Vienna the performances took place on the square of the Vienna Ice Skating Club. The Wiener Eisrevue was the first association of Austrian athletes to travel abroad after the Second World War (February 1946: Pressburg ; March 1946: Prague). Even institutions such as the Spanish Riding School and the Vienna Boys' Choir took a long time after 1945 before they returned to guest performances abroad.

In 1948 the Wiener Eisrevue merged with the “TV station Wiener Eislaufverein”, an Austrian competing product that the later city hall director Adolf Eder had set up on the square of the Wiener Eislaufverein. The stars of the “TV station Wiener Eislaufverein” were mainly skaters who were still starting in international competitions and were therefore not allowed to take any fees. Otherwise they would have violated the then strict amateur paragraph, which would have resulted in their disqualification at European championships, world championships and Olympic Games. The proceeds could therefore mainly be used to repair bomb damage. The name “television station” had nothing to do with the medium of television. It can be explained by the program sequence of this revue, which was modeled on the broadcasts (“The Woman's Hour”, “Russian Hour”, “Weather Report” etc.). After the merger of the Wiener Eisrevue with the "TV station", Eder took over the management and contributed significantly to the business success of this company.

With Eva Pawlik, European champion in the ensemble for the first time

In 1949 the Wiener Eisrevue won a European champion for the first time with the former “child prodigy of Viennese ice sports” Eva Pawlik . In 1950 the first big color film was shot with the Wiener Eisrevue (“Spring on the Ice”), in which the Olympic runner-up from St. Moritz was able to assert herself as an actress under the direction of Georg Jacoby as a partner of Hans Holt . Pawlik demonstrated her versatility not only in that she was the ensemble's only ice bomb with a doctorate (German studies), but above all in the fact that she was not only an individual but also a pair runner (together with her husband Rudi Seeliger, the Austrian Pair skating champion from 1950) pulled out all the stops of a show professional.

Ice operettas

Together with Robert Stolz , the creator of the Wiener Eisrevue, the pair skating vice European champion Will Petter, and his wife Edith (as a choreographer) went the road to success of the “ Eis-Operetta ”. A live orchestra with the possibility of interaction between ice artists and musicians created that immediacy that the audience knew and loved from musical theater. The path of “cold spots”, as incoherent revue images are called in technical terminology, has been abandoned and replaced by a “red storyline”. Costume designers such as Gerdago , Ella and Leo Bei as well as Lambert Hofer gave the Stolz'schen ice operettas the optical finishing touches. In addition to the music by Robert Stolz, works by other composers have also been integrated into the program. Thus, at the end of most of the programs, the Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss Sohn stood. Walter Heidrich (“Faun and Nymphe” for Eva Pawlik and Rudi Seeliger), Nico Dostal and Hanns Elin (film music for “Spring on the Ice”) composed for the Wiener Eisrevue, among others .

Successful train across Europe

The Viennese guest performance of the Eisrevue moved in the course of the 1950s from the place of the Wiener Eislaufverein (from the "Heumarkt"), where - as in many other cities - outdoor games were played when the temperature was below zero, to the Messepalast and in 1958 finally to the Wiener Stadthalle. With the advertising that Wiener Eisrevue did on its European tours (including Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Hungary, Czechoslovakia), later also in North Africa, Israel and the United States made for Austria, it strengthened Vienna's positive image as a city of dance and music. At one of the first New Year's concerts broadcast by ORF, it was the Wiener Eisrevue that danced some waltzes.

The Viennese ice cream revue, praised as an Austrian “export item”, celebrated particular successes in Berlin and Antwerp, where it played in front of 10,000 visitors every day for six weeks. As early as the mid-1950s, the Wiener Eisrevue defied the Cold War and made guest appearances in Moscow and Leningrad, where the “emissaries of Viennese charm” enjoyed cultic veneration. However, the show was not allowed to call itself “Revue” there, as this term was associated with Western decadence. The ensemble therefore appeared as the “Vienna Ice Ballet”.

The net profit of the Wiener Eisrevue has been used since the beginning of the 1950s to promote the next generation of Austrian ice sports.

Olympic champion in pair skating

Sissy Schwarz and Kurt Oppelt , the only Austrian European champions, world champions and Olympic champions in pair skating since the Second World War, were the stars of the Wiener Eisrevue in the 1956/57 season.

Three Viennese European champions at the same time in the ensemble: Wendl, Eigel, Pawlik

The Wiener Eisrevue reached a particular high point in 1958 and 1959, when it had three Viennese European champions under contract at the same time: Ingrid Wendl , Hanna Eigel and Eva Pawlik . The rival company “Holiday on Ice” was unable to “hire” such a star line-up. This renowned cast of the ensemble is documented in the film Traumrevue (Vienna, 1959).

The heyday of the Wiener Eisrevue was the 1950s. The surviving Viennese ice revue reports from the Austria Wochenschau are mainly from the 1960s. This is because most of the film documents from the 1950s were destroyed in a fire.

Kilius / Bäumler, Schnelldorfer, Heitzer, Danzer

The solo highlights of the 1960s were the world champions in pair skating Marika Kilius and Hans-Jürgen Bäumler as well as Olympic champion Manfred Schnelldorfer from Germany as well as the European championship third Karin Frohner and European champion Regine Heitzer from Austria. In 1968 the three-time and so far last Austrian world champion, Emmerich Danzer , came to the Wiener Eisrevue.

Sale to Holiday on Ice

During the 1960s, the Wiener Eisrevue slid into a financial crisis. At the beginning of the 1970s it was finally sold to the rival company " Holiday on Ice " and finally put on hold. If Austrian investors had been found at the time, this institution would have long since lost its justification to be considered a symbol of the great Austrian figure skating tradition, because there is a lack of top Austrian runners today.

The investors of Holiday on Ice were not happy with the purchase of the Wiener Eisrevue either. The last production director, Helmuth Eckart, described the purchase of this Eisrevue as a major financial fiasco, which of course was kept under cover for many years. The connections and the benefits that one hoped for with this purchase went down with the hopes. Holiday on Ice, then on the rise, the purchase didn't hurt that much. The revue worked with 5 shows worldwide and had great financial success.

Popular fallacies

" Wolfgang Schwarz and Trixi Schuba went to the Wiener Eisrevue."

Not correct. Neither the 1968 Olympic champion, Wolfgang Schwarz, nor the 1972 Olympic champion, Trixi Schuba, were members of the Wiener Eisrevue ensemble. Both went to Holiday On Ice. However, Wolfgang Schwarz had a few guest appearances in the Wiener Eisrevue.

"The Wiener Eisrevue is the forerunner of Holiday on Ice."

Not correct. The Wiener Eisrevue and Holiday on Ice, which were created around the same time, were competitors. World-class figure skaters also appeared at Holiday On Ice, which was created around the same time as the Wiener Eisrevue: for example, the most successful individual skater of all time, Sonja Henie, who celebrated triumphant successes in 1952 in the Berlin guest performance of Holiday On Ice, Dick Button , Barbara Ann Scott, Ria and Paul Falk as well as or Ilse and Erik Pausin. Some runners appeared in both shows, for example Marika Kilius and Hans Jürgen Bäumler and Hanna Eigel . Financial difficulties led to the sale of the Wiener Eisrevue to Morris Chalfen, the founder of Holiday on Ice, in the early 1970s. From 1971 to 1973 the Wiener Eisrevue was continued under American leadership and in 1973 it was finally put on hold.

"The Wiener Eisrevue was subsidized by the City of Vienna."

Not correct. The Wiener Eisrevue received no subsidies from the public purse. Conversely, from the 1950s onwards, it supported the next generation by donating its net profit to Austrian ice sports funding.

Wiener Eisrevue productions

  • 1945: no production title of its own yet (according to some sources: winter fairy tales )
  • 1946: Winter through the ages
  • 1947: Contrasts - The Viennese Ice Revue on the move
  • 1948: Casanova - Marietta
  • 1949: Variety, Olympia, Blue Danube Waltz
  • 1950: That's love - that's woman
  • 1951: One is having fun
  • 1952: Die Ewige Eva (first of 19 productions with music by Robert Stolz)
  • 1953: Make a wish for what your heart desires
  • 1954: You have to be lucky
  • 1955: Everything as desired
  • 1956: Melodies of Love
  • 1957: Sylvia, the dancer
  • 1958: the magic of love
  • 1959: In the land of dreams
  • 1960: illusions
  • 1961: Capers
  • 1962: Festival of Love
  • 1963: dreams of happiness
  • 1964: Dancing World
  • 1965: rainbow
  • 1966: masquerades
  • 1967: episodes
  • 1968: Confetti
  • 1969: Cocktail
  • 1970: Ice Parade

Feature films with the Wiener Eisrevue

Other film sources

The contributions to the Austria Wochenschau are mainly from the 1960s because the majority of their film recordings from the 1950s (i.e. from the pioneering and heyday of the Wiener Eisrevue) fell victim to a fire. However, there are extensive private film recordings of performances by Eva Pawlik and Rudi Seeliger from this period. There are also contributions to the German newsreel from both the 1950s and 1960s.

Exhibition in Vienna

In the Vienna District Meidling Museum an exhibition entitled "The Vienna Ice Revue was dated 10 January 2008 until 16 March of 2008. Once Austria's ambassador - today a legend ”.

literature

  • Bernhard Hachleitner / Isabella Lechner (eds.): Dream factory on the ice. From Wiener Eisrevue to Holiday on Ice . Metroverlag 2014, ISBN 978-3-99300-194-0
  • Isabella Lechner: The Wiener Eisrevue . Diploma thesis University of Vienna, Vienna 2008
  • Roman Seeliger: The Wiener Eisrevue. A dream faded away . (hpt 1993)
  • Roman Seeliger: The Wiener Eisrevue. Once Austria's ambassador - today a legend . District Museum Meidling, Vienna 2008
  • Ingrid Wendl: Ice cream with style . Jugend & Volk, Vienna 1979
  • Ingrid Wendl: My big bow . Böhlau, Vienna 2002

Newspaper articles

  • Manuela Buyny: The Wiener Eisrevue and its biggest star Eva Pawlik . In: Pirouette (International Magazine for Ice Sports and Roller Sports), July / August 2013
  • Hans-Jürgen Bäumler: Letter of congratulations for the opening of the exhibition “The Vienna Ice Revue. Once the ambassador of Austria - today a legend ” . January 2008
  • Operettas on hold . In: Wiener Zeitung , 23./24. January 2004
  • Heinz Brabec: The golden age came to an end in 1972 . In: Kurier , December 13, 1976
  • Walter Schwarz: The Wiener Eisrevue is finally closed . In: Kurier, June 27, 1973
  • The stars of the Wiener Eisrevue shine again . In: Passauer Nachrichten , August 13, 1970
  • Heinz Prüller: War on ice . In: Express , July 12, 1970
  • Emmi on the professional ice cream (means: Emmerich Danzer). In: Kronenzeitung , August 18, 1968
  • Eva Pawlik solo runner again . In: Neues Österreich , August 10, 1960
  • The review of the great ice skaters - Dr. Eva Pawlik: still the best runner in the Viennese ice revue today. In: Der Tag (Berlin), November 10, 1959
  • Trude Lang: Between us - they are really worth their money . In: Monday , December 22, 1958
  • Berliner Luft and Wiener Eisrevue . In: Die Presse , December 16, 1958
  • Spring on the ice . In: Neues Österreich , February 7, 1951
  • Eisrevue dances into the world. Invitations from Pretoria, Tehran, South America and Turkey for Vienna's most charming export items . In: Die Presse , January 6, 1951
  • Operettas on Ice - The traditional history of the Viennese ice revue . ( Memento from September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) In: Wiener Zeitung

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