Frick and Frack
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Frick and Frack were two Swiss skaters who came to the U.S. and joined the original Ice Follies show as comedy ice skaters. They skated in Alpine Lederhosen and performed eccentric tricks on ice. One of the more famous tricks was known as the "cantilever spread-eagle" created by Werner Groebli, born April 21, 1915, in Basel, Switzerland, also known as "Frick".
"Frick" and Hansruedi (Hans) Mauch, born May 4, 1919, in Basel, Switzerland, as "Frack" were one of the most popular comedy ice teams of their time. They found fame while performing in ice shows and films including the Monogram Pictures production "Lady, Let's Dance" (1944).
Frick and Frack skated in the Ice Follies for several years until Hans Mauch contracted osteomyelitis. Hans (Frack) died on June 4, 1979, in Long Beach, California.
Michael Mauch, the son of Hans, once described the origin of their names: “Frick took his name from a small village in Switzerland; Frack is a Swiss-German word for a frock coat, which my father used to wear in the early days of their skating act. They put the words together as a typical Swiss joke.”
Their partnership reached its peak in the later years of the Ice Follies, a revue promoted by Eddie Shipstad and his brother Roy, which began in 1936 and ran for almost 50 years. Their association lasted so long, and they were at one time so well known, that their names became a household term in many languages.
Performing well into his late years, Werner Groebli continued on as "Mr. Frick" and continued the ice duo's legend. Werner lived in the Palm Springs, California area for over 10 years until the death of his wife and was featured on a PBS TV special in 1999.
Interestingly, "Frick and Frack" has become an English slang term used to refer to two people so closely associated as to be indistinguishable [1]. The term has become sufficiently generic that people unrelated to the original pair have begun taking it on for themselves [2] [3].
[edit] External links
- http://www.worldskatingmuseum.org/Home_Page.htm
- http://www.famousinterview.ca/interviews/mr_frick.htm
- http://www.miracerros.com/artwork/g_cantilever.htm
- http://www.icepav.com/glossary_of_skating_terms.htm
- 'Frick' performing a cantilever spread-eagle
Hans R. Mauch "Mr. Frack" was born May 2, 1919. Died June 4, 1979 at the age of 60. Hans R. Mauch married Mary M. Elchlepp of Minneapolis. Mary Elchlepp was one of the original Ice Folliettes starting with the Ice Follies in 1936. Only a few skaters have tried to perform the canteliver spread eagle, invented by Frick and Frack, with little success. As Mr. Frick was famous for the canteliver spread eagle, Mr. Frack was famous for his "rubber legs" twisting and bending his legs while skating in a spread eagle position. His dexterity and famous leg moves have never been duplicated.
