Descriptive Summary
Miller, Lucile
Miller, Lucile, Papers
1929-2011
Materials are written in English and Norwegian.
2012-087
5 1/4 ft.
Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The
University of Texas at Austin
Composed of correspondence, programs, photographs, publications, brochures, flyers, legal and financial documents, magazines, newspaper clippings, posters, film, LPs, and rosters, the Lucile Miller Papers, 1929-2011, chronicle Miller’s career as a professional ice skater as well as a manager of Holiday on Ice and the Ice Capades from the 1940s through the 1970s.
Biographical Note
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Lucile Miller began ice skating at the age of 15. After being discovered in her hometown by a traveling ice show, she began skating with the Ice Capades in July 1941. Following rehearsals in Philadelphia, Miller toured North America, including Atlantic City and several other cities in both the United States and Canada before returning to Kansas City in 1945. After leaving the Ice Capades that same year, she joined Holiday on Ice, with whom she toured from 1947 through 1948. A year later, Miller joined the Holiday on Ice production in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was during her stay in Sao Paulo that Miller began to work in an administrative capacity as the treasurer for Holiday on Ice.
In 1955, Miller ceased skating completely, working in various positions, including light cue director, assistant manager, and manager. Miller worked for Holiday on Ice until 1964, when she returned to the Ice Capades as an executive in charge of the company’s finances. In 1968, the president of Ice Capades transferred her to Hollywood, where she was appointed assistant general manager of the Chalet skating rink division. Miller managed the construction of Chalet skating rinks in the United States and South Africa. After leaving the position in 1978, she established an ice skating rink in the William Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which she managed until retiring in 1981.
Scope and Contents
Composed of correspondence, programs, photographs, publications, brochures, flyers, legal and financial documents, magazines, newspaper clippings, posters, film, LPs, and rosters, the Lucile Miller Papers, 1929-2011, chronicle Miller’s career as a professional ice skater as well as a manager of Holiday on Ice and the Ice Capades from the 1940s through the 1970s. Additionally, the collection documents her role in establishing an ice rink at the Williams Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, her interest in the career of Norwegian ice skating star Sonja Henie, and Holiday on Ice reunions.
The collection contains programs for Holiday on Ice, the Ice Capades, Ice Follies, Ice Vogues, Ice Cycles, and Skating Vanities, among other shows, concerning Miller’s interest in collecting material relating to professional ice skating. Photographs depict various programs, shows, and prominent ice skaters, as well as Miller during various phases in her life. Publications consist of books, manuals, and guides Miller collected on skating choreography and ice skaters, while magazines include issues of Ice Skating Magazine and Recreational Ice Skating; correspondence relates to her travels and familial affairs; newspaper clippings document Miller’s career as an ice skater and manager as well as other professional skaters, including Sonja Henie; brochures and flyers advertise various ice skating acts and shows; legal and financial documents consist of Miller’s contracts with ice shows as well as receipts; and rosters include the names of ice skaters, especially for Holiday on Ice reunions. Lastly, the collection contains films and LPs of various ice shows and posters from Holiday on Ice.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research use.
Use of audio material by appointment only; please contact sound archivist for more
information.
Use of video material by appointment only; please contact repository for more
information.
Index Terms
Subjects (Persons)
Henie, Sonja, 1912-1969.
Miller, Lucile -- Archives.
Subjects (Organizations)
Holiday on Ice (Show).
Ice Capades, Inc.
Ice Follies (Show).
Subjects
Ice skating -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.
Skating rinks.
Preferred Citation
Lucile Miller Papers, 1929-2011, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The
University of Texas at Austin.
Separated Material
Some material has been separated to the
the Artifact Collection and Library Unit.
Related Material
See also Ice Capades Collection.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Bethany Anderson, May 2012.
Detailed Description of the Papers
Inventory
4C721
Programs:
Hollywood Ice Revue:
1952-1955
Hats Off to Ice:
[ca. 1944]
Skating Vanities:
1945-1950
Sonja Henie:
1938-1942
1945-1947
1948-1949
1950-1953
Ice Capades:
1940-1942
1943-1945
1946-1951
1952-1957
1958-1962
1971-1975
1985-1989
Ice Cycles:
1946-1948
1951-1952
Holiday on Ice:
1946-1949
1950-1952
1953-1955
1956-1960
1961-1963
1964-1968
1970s-1980s, 1995
Ice Follies:
1931-1942
1943-1946
1947-1949
1950-1954
1955-1959
1961-1965
1971, 1976
Ice Vogues:
1949-1952
1953-1955
1956-1963
4C722
Miscellaneous:
1936-1956
1989-1998
4C722
Personal papers:
Correspondence,
1942-2005, and undated
Newspaper clippings,
1969-2008, and undated
Magazines,
2004
Photographs,
1929-1940, and undated
Miscellaneous,
1942-2004, and undated
4C722
Ice Capades, Early Years:
Reminiscences,
undated
Correspondence,
1941-1956
Legal documents,
1941-1942
Financial documents,
1941-1943
Newspaper clippings,
1941, 1997-2011, and undated
Travel materials,
[ca. 1940s]
Booklets and brochures,
1943-1960
Flyers,
1942 and undated
Photographs,
1942-1950, and undated
Miscellaneous,
2001-2011
4C722
2nd Ice Capades:
Photographs,
1942
4C722
3rd Ice Capades:
Newspaper clippings,
1943
Photographs,
1943
4C722
4th and 5th Ice Capades:
Photographs,
1944-1945
4C722
Ice Capades Stars:
Photographs:
[ca. 1944]
[ca. 1948-1950]
1948, 1956, and 1963
1963
[ca. 1954-1957]
[ca. 1965-1967]
Postcards,
[ca. 1970s]
4C722
Holiday on Ice:
Reminiscences,
1955
Correspondence,
1950-1983, and undated
Choreography and screenplays,
1961-1963, and undated
Brochures and flyers,
1948-1952
Travel materials,
1950-1954
Newspaper clippings,
1950-1963, and undated
Legal documents,
1951
Rosters,
2004 and undated
Employment materials,
undated
Photographs:
1948-1950, and undated
1960-1966
Miscellaneous
1960, 2003-2007, and undated
South America Ice Shows:
Articles and clippings,
1949
Travel documents,
1949
Photographs,
1949
4C723
Sonja Henie:
Correspondence,
1951-2000, and undated
Biographical information,
2000 and undated
Publicity scrapbook,
1940
Legal documents,
1938, 1953
Appraisal report,
1970
Newspaper clippings and articles,
Publications:
1953
1968
1985
Photographs:
1928-1968, and undated
1997
VHS documentary,
undated
Miscellaneous,
1938-2000, and undated
4C723
Williams Center:
Conference materials,
1970s
Newspaper clippings,
[ca. 1970-1980]
Photographs,
[ca. 1970-1980]
Photograph album,
[1970-1980]
Miscellaneous,
[ca. 1980]
4C723
Tour of Champions:
Correspondence,
1972
Contact lists,
1972
Programs,
1972
Photographs,
1972
Miscellaneous,
1972
Holiday on Ice Reunion:
Correspondence,
1986-2000
Programs,
2000
Rosters,
1982-2010
Printed material,
2010
CDs,
2007-2010
Photographs,
1991-2009
Miscellaneous,
1991-2000
4C723
Ice Show Photographs:
Egyptian Fantasy,
1963
Broadway Holiday,
1963
Holidayland,
1963
Holiday on Parade,
1963
Sleeping Beauty,
1963
Miscellaneous,
1948-1963, and undated
4C723
Ice Skating Materials:
Articles and newsletters,
1981, 2004
Magazines,
1948-1977
Photographs,
undated
4C724
Publications:
Ice Capades: Year of Entertainment,
1974
Basic Ice Skating Skills,
1968
Choreography and Style,
1980
Modern Skating,
1938
On Thin Ice,
1965
Advanced Figure Skating,
1965
Pair Skating and Dancing on Ice,
1943
Primer of Figure Skating,
1938
Olympic Figure Skating,
1979
National Ice Skating Guide,
1942-1951
Miscellaneous skating guides,
1950, 1972
Miscellaneous skating manuals,
1958, 1973
Skating Journal,
1937-1947
4C725
Ice Capades Films,
1960-1964, and undated
2AA56
Oversize materials:
1946-1971
1984-2006
2.116/OD1224
Oversize Holiday on Ice Poster,
1953, 2007
2.116/Top of Cabinet
Oversize Holiday on Ice Posters,
1950, 1952
2.325/R55.1
LPs, 33 1/3 RPM