Skating History Lesson: Hollywood Professional School
In 1971, I was about to enter 10th grade; I was overwhelmed because I was a competitive figure skater who was on the ice six to eight hours a day. I was doing singles and also dance (and even some pairs), and I was very worried about how I would fit all that I wanted to do into a twenty-four hour day.
Me and my partner, Gary Forman during the 1971-72 competition season during my sophomore year at Hollywood Professional School—this photo was on the "SKATERS PAGE" in the 1972 HPS Annual
As the summer ended, and the school year approached I begged my parents to allow me to attend Hollywood Professional School, a school that many skaters in the southern California attended due to their heavy skating schedules. Somehow I talked them into it, and they called the school and set up an appointment for an interview with Bertha Mann, the executive director and owner of the famous school.
Was I excited! Why? Because………
During the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, many skaters found Hollywood Professional School to be a dream come true, since during the hours of 8:45—12:45, five periods were squeezed in. That gave skaters plenty of time to skate before school in the morning and after school. It was great to skate in the morning from 6:00 – 8:00 AM, and then also be able to get back to the rink around 1:00 or 1:30 PM, and get some extra hours of ice time in before the rink became crowded around 3:30 PM when most school age kids arrived at the rink. Also, since the school understood skaters were training, homework was manageable and life for skaters that attended HPS was free of stress. If time needed to be taken off for travel or competition, the school gave students their work in advance to take on the road.
My parents insisted I take college preparatory classes; my schedule was filled with English, Geometry, Biology and Drivers Education, Typing, History, and French. Although this course load sounds difficult, much of our work at HPS was also done in class, so I was able to get most of my homework done between 8:45—12:45, and the rest done in the car on the way to the rink.
I finished my sophomore year as a happy teen, and was so sad when my parents told me that they just couldn’t manage the drive out to Hollywood for my junior year. Our family moved to Arcadia in early 1972, so, during the 1972—73 school year, I attended Arcadia High School as a junior, and combined a half-day schedule from 9:00 AM until 12 noon with correspondence courses from the University of California so I could skate. At the end of my junior year, I was behind since the correspondence courses were terribly difficult, and pleaded with my parents to allow me to attend HPS once again as a senior. They gave in, as long as I agreed to drive myself to Hollywood.
Hollywood Professional School was really not a school for skaters, but for child actors and performers. Some of its famous alumni and graduates are: Betty Grable, Connie Stevens, Mickey Rooney, Ryan O'Neal, Tatum O'Neal, and Griffin O’Neal, Peggy Lipton (Mod Squad), Marta Kristen (Lost in Space), The Cowsills (the family the Partridge Family TV show was based on), The Original Mouseketeers--including Annette Funicello, Cubby O'Brien, Tommy Kirk, Tommy Cole (who won an Emmy for his work as a make-up artist on another TV show) and Lonnie Burr (--Lonnie mentions that he also skated!), The Brady Bunch, Butch Patrick "Eddie Munster," Peggy Fleming, Val Kilmer, Melanie Griffith, and MacKenzie Phillips. Children of the stars also attended so that they could travel with their famous parents and manage their academics.
This photo is from the 1973
Hollywood Professional School Annual. Notice
"The Brady Bunch Kids" are studying
in the school’s library.
Gary Casteel, a young actor who attended HPS in the 1940s, writes the following:
‘Being involved in some motion pictures, modeling, stage productions and TV shows, my parents and I quickly learned that attending a private (or public) school with its rigid schedule and inflexible attendance requirements, did not match the time I was required to spend on a set, in rehearsal, in photo shoots, or wardrobe fittings.
That is where Hollywood Professional School (HPS) comes in... The story I heard was that several years earlier, Louis B. Mayer of MGM had a young star that faced the same situation. They asked Mrs. Mann to open a school for "Professionals" in many fields, primarily the performing arts, to attend K-12 grades in a non structured, flexible environment. They could start at 9 am, attend five hard core classes in a row, then be finished about noon. That would leave the full afternoon for their "jobs." Rather than study hall, home room, PE, home economics, or other "soft" classes, they concentrated on English, science, math, Spanish or French, history, geography (is that still being taught?) art, music and of course drama. It was located right on Hollywood Blvd. just a few blocks east of Vine Street.
That first young star was Judy Garland. Along with her came Mickey Rooney. In later years Mickey's children attended HPS. (Along with the Mouseketeers. Sorry. I couldn't resist that play on words.)
Actually,Mickey Rooney Jr was a Mouseketeer at one time.
The stated objective of the program was: "The Hollywood Professional School is an accredited college preparatory school which has been established for the purpose of offering a strong academic foundation to professional students actively engaged in motion picture or radio work." It was opened a few years prior to the advent of television.’
One skater in particular knows more about Hollywood Professional School history than anyone I know. Her name is Elaine Ballace. Elaine, was not just a skater; she was a child actress/model that also skated. Elaine turned professional at age 8, and used her skating talent in commercials and on television. She was also a Guinness Sports Record Holder for Most Revolutions in a Spin.
Elaine Ballace –skater, actress, model, HPS graduate and child skating star—Elaine knows more about Hollywood Professional School, its skaters, and its history than anyone I know
Elaine graduated from Hollywood Professional School in 1967 and was HPS Senior Class president during the 1966-67 academic year. She recently organized the Hollywood Professional School Reunion 2000, and spent numerous hours trying to find HPS alumni. Through her searches and enthusiasm, I learned about the many world, Olympic, national competitors, and show stars that are a part of HPS history.
Hollywood Professional School Graduating Class 1966 – Note Peggy Fleming standing in front next to the school’s director, Mrs. Bertha Mann
The most well–known skater that is a graduate of Hollywood Professional School is Peggy Fleming, 1968 Olympic Champion, and graduate of HPS in 1966.
Another skater that graduated from HPS (attended from 1958—1961) who competed in pairs in the 1968 Olympics is Roy Wagelein. Roy graduated from HPS in 1961, but also competed in Worlds in 1966, 1967, and 1968. Roy also competed in the last North American Championships in 1967.
Roy has the following comments about Hollywood Professional School and how the school benefited his skating career:
"I got to Worlds three times and to Olympics partly due to Hollywood Professional School. The short school hours gave me the opportunity to skate everyday from 1:00—6:00 PM. Most of my friends at the school were skaters, but I was also good friends with the son of the school’s director."
Another HPS alumnus, Roger Berry (dance) competed in worlds in 1967 and also in that same last North American championship. Jennie Walsh, World Team member, 1967, also attended Hollywood Professional School.
Billy Chapel, National Junior Mens Champion 1963, who went on to compete in Worlds in 1966, was another HPS graduate. He became a great ice show star and is still involved in performing and skating.
Some other skaters who attended HPS in the late 50 and early 60s are Gail Thomas, Mary Jane Hill, Susan Kellerman, and Jackie and Jerri Crandell.
The tragedy of the 1961 plane crash that took the United States World Figure Skating Team affected Hollywood Professional School too. At least two 1961 World Team members were HPS alumni: Roger Campbell, an HPSer, and his partner Donna Lee Carrier were killed in that crash. Another member of that team, who was killed in that crash was Jim Brewer, who was an HPS alum.
In the seventies, when I attended HPS, my coach Doug Chapman (coach of Olympic Silver Medallist and World Champion, Dianne DeLeeuw ) encouraged most of his students to attend HPS.
The school always had a "Skaters Page" in the school Annual. In the 1967 Annual, on the "Skaters Page", I found photos of several of Doug’s students which included Sally Black, a talented Senior level skater and national competitor who skated in Culver City in the late 60s. Other skaters from both the All Year Figure Skating Club and Los Angeles Figure Skating Club included on this page are: Bob Stephens (successful show skater), Robert Bradshaw, Jimmy Demogines (1969 National Novice Mens Champion), Diane Garcia, Nancy Kassing, Luana Lawrence, Adela Vaclav, and Wendy Halber.
I also remember that International, Olympic and World Coach, John Nicks encouraged his students to attend HPS, and when I attended HPS in the 70s, one of his students, 1972 National Novice Silver Medallist, Roberta Loughland attended HPS. Marian Murray, Canadian National Pairs Bronze Medallist in 1972 and also World and Olympic competitor, also attended; she came to southern California to train with Mr. Nicks. Not only did excellent coaches attract skaters to California, but Hollywood Professional School did too.
Other skaters I remember from the 70s and 80s were Julie Saba, Mary Jo Shields, Wendy Sedgeman, Heidi Wolfinbarger, Maria DiDomenico (1978 National Junior Pair Champion), Larry Schrier, Eric Sassaman, Debbie Lean, and Amy Dinces. Amy Dinces, like Elaine Ballace, was not only a skater, but involved with acting and modeling.
Hollywood Professional School has a rich history. The school closed in 1985 shortly after the school’s director, Bertha Mann died. In the last Annual, the following is printed about the school:
The school’s philosophy is as follows: THE HOLLYWOOD PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL is an accredited co-educational day school, which was established for the purpose of offering a strong academic foundation to professional students actively engaged in motion picture work, or students devoting part of their time to the development of special talents in the cultural fields.
Those of us who skated fell into the category described above: we were devoting our time to developing our skating talent. Hollywood Professional School needs to be recognized in the history of skating in the United States. The building where Hollywood Professional School was no longer stands, since it was torn down after the Los Angeles earthquake in 1994. A vacant lot now stands near Hollywood and Western, but the memories of a place that affected so many lives still lives on.
I graduated from Hollywood Professional School in 1974. I went on to receive a B.A. from Colorado College while training at the world famous Broadmoor World Arena, and did post-graduate work at California State University in Long Beach in Education, where I earned my California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. I am proud to have Hollywood Professional School as part of my childhood memories, and am so glad that such a school was available to me during my competitive skating years.
The graduates and alumni have made Hollywood Professional School alive once again. We just recently came together for reunions during the summers of 2000 and 2005.
Happy Skating and Remembering!
Hollywood Professional School graduate 1974
Click here to read more of Jo Ann's HPS memories
Jo Ann Schneider Farris began ice skating in 1964. In 1975, she won a silver medal in the United States National Figure Skating Championships (Dance) and became a United States Figure Skating Association Gold Medallist in 1976. In 1983, she began her career as an ice skating coach, and has trained skaters of all ages and levels. She is the author of HOW TO JUMP AND SPIN ON IN-LINE SKATES, a book about in-line figure skating, that was published in July 2000. She lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado with her husband and three children, Joel, Rebekah, and Annabelle. She teaches both ice and in-line skating, and is About.com's Guide to Figure Skating. Jo Ann is a graduate of Hollywood Professional School and Colorado College, and holds a California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from California State University at Long Beach. When Jo Ann is not coaching skating or jumping and spinning on in-line Skates, she enjoys cross-country skiing, swimming, bike riding, writing, creating web sites, playing hockey with her son Joel, in-line skating outside with her family, and playing and singing with her husband and children.