As the stage was set for World War II, in the late 1930s, elements were also falling into place for the birth of one of the most unique and spectacular entertainment mediums of all time, the Great American Touring Ice Shows. In that pre-television age, elegant entertainment extravaganzas had never been so accessible to so many people. The shows brought superb skaters, breath-taking costumes, elaborate sets, live orchestras, and a wide variety of entertaining acts to cities across the nation. The shows came to your own hometown-or within driving distance-with an entertainment package for every member of the family. They enjoyed their heyday in the late 1930s and throughout the 1940s and served as a brief respite and valuable morale booster for a country totally immersed in global war. During his years as a star performer with Ice Capades, Ice Cycles and Holiday on Ice, author, James (Jimmy) Lawrence, was privileged to know most of the people associated with the birth of the major touring ice shows. The need to preserve long cherished memories of those phenomenal shows and to record their part in the history of popular entertainment in America inspired him to publish "Memories of The Great American Ice Shows." The book describes day-to-day activities on tour, provides a glimpse behind the curtain, and introduces a cast of unique and colorful characters who created or participated in the success of the great shows. Memories of The Great American Ice Shows is a funny, touching one-of-a-kind memoir about an American phenomena that blossomed, flourished and then passed into history never to be seen again.