This is a shot of the Tropical Ice Gardens in 1938, the year it opened on the southwest corner of Gayley and Weyburn Avenues in Westwood Village, near UCLA. It looks very popular – who even knew this many people in California knew how to ice skate? Must be all those East Coast transplants.
This is where I first set skates to ice in 1938 – and here I am at age 84 still following ice skating after a long career competing and teaching ice skating. What a joy to see this picture posted. It was such a great rink!
Hey Louella, I’m glad I could help bring back such great memories for you!
Got your message; thanks. Am going to get your books from Amazon – all had 5-star reviews! Best wishes.
Martin,
This interview was stunning and just perfection. Miss Louella is darling, and loved her painting a picture of the “lovely, good days” in LA. All of it was fantastic, but my heart stopped a little when she said she sat in Vivien Leigh’s dressing room. Oh my, oh my, oh my! My mom saw the first run of “GWTW” in New Orleans at age 16, so I am thinking Miss Louella is within the same age range as my mom.
Warm regards,
Margaret
Thanks Margaret! My heart did a bit of a flip at the story about being 12 and watching GWTW by herself in a projection room the Thalberg Building!!!
Oh, no kidding! Swinging her legs, eating popcorn, totally absorbed in the technicolor (did they have it then???). Now I’m off to Google the Thalberg Building!
Okay………I’m back…..and of course your site had the most information. What an impressive building. Can you imagine the traffic on those steps? Did LBM have his own private entrance (he must have). Is his office still there?
To Margaret: thank you for your kind words. I am 84 years old. Bless you
and your Mom. L
Oh, thank you, Miss Louella! My Mom is with the Angels, but she had a wonderful life, and was just as lovely as Vivien, but never thought so. Tell me, did Vivien’s dressing room smell of roses, or perfume? Her dresses, did they line the walls? Did you meet her? I am endlessly fascinated with that era, and certainly Vivien’s bio is captivating. XO
Martin,
Thank you for such a charming and fascinating interview with Louella Rehfield! Absolutely enjoyed every word. Dear Ms. Rehfield has such delightful and precious memories of her experiences.
My mom (who lived her teenage years+ in Los Angeles throughout the 1930s) mentioned being on the ice with lots of people and skating at the same time as Sonja Henie when Sonja was skating just for fun – she also said that she had watched Sonja doing some practice skating at other instances. It was so interesting to read that Ms. Rehfield had been inspired by Ms. Henie to the point that she both competed for and taught the art throughout her life. My mom definitely was not a very good ice skater (although she had enjoyed roller skating dancing). I had always thought that my mom meant she experienced seeing Ms. Henie at some sort of inside skating arena like the types that we have here in Michigan (and maybe she did). But perhaps she was talking about this outdoor rink. It had never occurred to me that the rink could have been outdoors because of the warmth of the climate of Los Angeles.
The interview also brought back so many names and places that my mother had mentioned frequenting – Chasen’s, The Brown Derby (for her birthdays), etc. And “Gone With the Wind’ was her favorite movie of all time (I think that she had a not-so-secret crush on Clark Gable). How wonderful as a young girl to have been seated in the dressing room of Vivien Leigh! When my mother gave birth to me, her brother gave her a copy of the movie edition book of Gone With the Wind – it contains all of the book text with the inclusion of many color photographs from the movie. My mother cherished that book and although it is a little battered from time (and younger siblings), I still have it.
Ms. Rehfield, if you see this, I believe that your aunt may have written about a club that my grandmother opened in the Los Angeles area sometime most likely in the 1930s. I have an old newspaper clipping about the club and ‘Louella Parsons’ was penciled at the top of the cut-out article – the name of the club was Moon Over Miami and had a ballroom, polo grounds, outdoor swimming pool, etc.
Please, please forgive this very long post – my heart is just filled with memories of my mother’s reminiscences.
Again, thank you Martin and Ms. Rehfield, for providing such a rare and enchanting interview – it was truly a gift to read for so many reasons.
Dear Carolyn: Just read your lovely response and I wonder if your Mom and I crossed paths at Westwood Ice rink. During the summer it was impossible to keep the ice frozen completely so there would be about and inch or so of water; we brought several changes of ice skating dresses to cope with that!
Don’t recall the Moon Over Miami club – sadly since it sounds wonderful.
Thank you so much for writing, Louella
Dear Ms. Rehfield,
Oh, how very kind of you to respond to the comments. Not only your words in the interview were enchanting but so also were the beauty and refinement of your photograph. How nice it is to read about and to view a lady – a gentlewoman – a lady in every good sense of the word – one who remains fascinating, charming, elegant, and most lovely.
I love the thought that you and my mother may have crossed paths on that outdoor rink – she did mention water on the ice while skating! My mom had said that everyone was very focused and intent on remaining upright for if one fell on the ice unprepared, they were through for the day as they would have gotten up with all of their clothes soaking wet. Remarkably, it still didn’t occur to me that she may have been referring to an outdoor rink.
Martin has been unbelievably kind in providing links and ideas about where I might find information about my grandmother’s former club, Moon Over Miami, however, it seems as though it has vanished into thin air without leaving a physical trace and no memories.
A dream, Ms. Rehfield, is that you and Martin might collaborate on a book that explores your memories more deeply – how interesting and wonderful that book would be!
Thank you, again, Ms. Rehfield, so much for your kind response – it will remain most appreciated and cherished.
Carolyn
Dear Carolyn: Thank you SO much for you kind words. You sound like such a lovely lady and I appreciate hearing from you. Re water on ice: we used to bring 2 or 3 changes of skating dresses during the summer and as soon as one got soaking wet we would change into another. I wonder if your Mom did that.
When Sonja Henie bought the rink, she put a roof on it. Did keep the ice dry, but I think most of us preferred it open air.
In the mid 1955’s, the property was owned by nearby UCLA and they took down the rink, planning to build the med. center there. Well, they built it elsewhere and many of us tried for many years to get a new ice rink built on the site, but sadly nothing ever came of our efforts. But we have our memories.
Best wishes, L
Dear Ms. Rehfield,
It all began with a search for news of my grandmother and a club that she founded decades and decades ago. I was led to one of Martin’s magnificent sites which was full of news of those past eras, photographs, and magical writing. Through Martin’s attention and incredible kindness, I made discoveries that I never knew were possible. And, now, there have been little comments exchanged with the most lovely lady, who has silver threads attached to the mystical fabric of that bygone time.
I may not have found news of my grandmother or of her club, but I have been given the gifts of so much more. Thank you, Ms. Rehfield, you have enriched my search and filled my heart.
You are wished every joy – every blessing,
Carolyn
My dear Carolyn – you can have no idea how much your message means to me.
The idea that I have enriched your research & filled your heart made my day – and quite possibly my week. At my age (84) any kindness I can do makes me so happy.
Best wishes, Louella
Louella, my name now is Diane Wise you might remember me as Diane Garcia. I took from Jerry starting at the Polar PLace then moving to Torrance when Polar Palace burned down. I skated with Mark in some of the awesome shows that was put on by all the teachers in the summer. I remember always wanting to be in a number that Mr. Bob Turk choreographed. My grandma is still alive she celebrated her 100 birthday this year. It was so exciting to come across this article from someone I meet at the Topanga Plaza Ice Skating Rink. Take care, Diane Wise