Shipstads & Johnson Ice Follies was a touring ice show featuring elaborate production numbers, similar in concept to Ice Capades. It was founded in 1937 by Eddie Shipstad, Roy Shipstad, and Oscar Johnson, who also skated in the show. In later years, Olympic skaters such as Donald Jackson, Barbara Berezowski, Peggy Fleming, and Janet Lynn were in the cast. Ice Follies also featured novelty acts such as Frick and Frack and Richard Dwyer, who was billed as "Mr. Debonair".
Ice Follies was featured in a film, The Ice Follies of 1939, MGM's answer to the popular Sonja Henie films of the time.
Ice Follies merged with Holiday on Ice in 1979.
In 1974-1979, Ice Follies started creating segments from Sesame Street, with Full-Body versions of Count Von Count (Performed on a Vocal Track by Jerry Nelson), Cookie Monster (Mostly appeared Silents, but was sometimes performed on a Vocal Track by Frank Oz), Ernie (Performed on a Vocal Track by Jim Henson), Bert (Performed on a Vocal Track by Frank Oz), Betty Lou (Performed on a Vocal Track br Fran Brill), Big Bird (Performed on a Vocal Track br Caroll Spinney), Snuffleupagus (Performed on a Vocal Track br Jerry Nelson), Grover (Performed on a Vocal Track br Frank Oz), and Kermit the Frog (Voice-Over only in a Near and Far Segment).
Ice Follies Segments from Sesame Street;
An Ernie and Bert Insert where Bert Can't Sleep. Bert can't sleep, so Ernie tells him to do something that he would to be doing, which is Ice Skating. The Ice Skating Dream, is a Full-Body version of Bert on Ice Follies; Bert Teaches Betty Lou how to Ice Skate; Big Bird Shows Mr. Snuffleupagus how to Ice Skate, but Snuffleupagus trips every time, but then gets it right!; Kermit the Frog (In Voice-Over) shows Grover whether he's "Near" or "Far;" Oscar plays a Trick on Everyone by Blowing a Loud Whistle, which makes Bert, Betty Lou, Count Von Count, Grover, Big Bird, and Cookie Monster come to see what's going on, and is then revealed to be Oscar;
After those, the 1978 Special Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, opened with Ice Follies versions of Big Bird (Silent), Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch (Who Gets Accidentally Injured by Being tossed into the air by Bert), and Count Von Count.
TRIVIA:
The music library at the Paramount Theater of the Arts in Oakland, CA possesses a medium sized library of original sheet music and scores from various Ice Follies productions from over the years, including music for original Frick & Frack acts.[1]