Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Remembering 'Ice King' John Curry


Damian and I stumbled upon a documentary called "The Ice King" the other night and were blown away. It's about John Curry, who some believe is the greatest ice skater of all time. Won't lie, I was not familiar with him at all, despite his winning the gold medal at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck alongside Dorothy Hamill -- I had her haircut, so ... -- and his being out(ed). 

That I grew up with Dorothy, JoJo Starbuck and Peggy Fleming as household names makes me think that male figure skaters weren't as "big" as women back then, although nationality may have been the main reason. (Scott Hamilton is the first Olympic gold medalist whose name I knew, followed by Brian Boitano -- who people thought was my college boyfriend's twin!)


I don't want to give away too many details -- those of you who are familiar with the British skater's story already know what I'm getting at -- but it's no understatement to say Curry was truly a trailblazer on so many levels, both on and off the ice.

That I'd never even heard of him makes me sad -- and is a perfect example of why LGBTQ history in schools might be warranted. I'm not sure if Curry would make the syllabus or not, but surely some fun student would write a term paper about him and keep his story alive, as this documentary so brilliantly does.


"The Ice King" is the searing documentary of a lost cultural icon, a story of art, sport, sexuality and rebellion.


We watched it on the LGBTQ streaming service Dekkoo, where during our trial we also caught "Un Rubio." "The Blonde One," as it's called in English, is a little but intriguing Argentinian film about the relationship between two roommates, both of whom have had varying degrees of self-acceptance about their sexualites. 

The one-two punch of these two fine films has me considering a paid subscription, although I'd be lying if I didn't admit they're all starting to add up. I see the service has its own series as well. Let me know if you are into any of Dekkoo's original offerings as I make my decision before my free 10 days is up! 


P.S. I hear that "The Ice King" is also streaming on Tubi, can be rented on Prime Video HERE and purchased on DVD HERE.

7 comments:

Nola Bill said...

Thanks for the recommendations. The same pervasive blanket of homophobia that made me deny who I was in the ‘70s and early ‘80s doubtless included marginalizing men’s figure skating. On Dekkoo I’d recommend “From Zero to I Love You.” A sweet (sometimes bittersweet) and to my mind realistic romance.

Nola Bill said...

Thanks for the recommendations. The same pervasive blanket of homophobia that made me deny who I was in the ‘70s and early ‘80s doubtless included marginalizing men’s figure skating. On Dekkoo I’d recommend “From Zero to I Love You.” A sweet (sometimes bittersweet) and to my mind realistic romance.

Peter Brendan said...

Kenneth, I am really enjoying my Dekkoo subscription. I also highly recommend 'Cousins', a charming Brazilian film which I have watched multiple times. Others I have enjoyed are 'Keep The Lights On', 'Orpheus Song' and the just-added 'The Prince'. Sure, there is a generous selection of B-grade films, but this service is the best I have discovered for LGBTQ material. Certainly much better than Logo and Here.

BosGuy said...

Hi Kenneth,
I have a Dekkoo subscription and watch it somewhat irregularly but mostly because I'm unaware of what they have to offer and end up spending most of my time between N'flix and Prime.

What I do like about Dekkoo is that they have a lot of short movies and programs that run for 30 minutes or less (sometimes much less) and I like these shorts if only because they don't require much time or attention. I have never really been hooked by any of their series but if you find one you like, definitely share.

JP Aragon said...

"The Ice King" looks like a must watch but I'm tired of these Argentine "gay" films which yes feature some good looking actors but there is a lot gay teasing but no actual action

Tom said...

I was a sophomore in high school during the 1976 olympics, and I remember watching John Curry skate. This was when you pretty much watched the olympics when they were on, the other networks didn't put much opposite them. Curry was like no one else before him. Amazing.

David Hobson said...

I had the flu during the 76 Games- since I slept all day, my mother let me stay up and watch the Olympics (I was 7). I remember seeing Dorothy Hamil and John win their gold medals. Johns winning performance still ranks as my favorite and best skate I've ever seen. Yes- the jumps are harder today, but there was aseemlessness to his skating- total perfection!