John H. Harris (entertainment)

He was the son of movie theater pioneer John P. Harris, and is best known as the long-time owner and impresario of the Ice Capades.

[1] In the depression year of 1932, John leased the Duquesne Gardens arena and began offering a variety of entertainments.

Harris brought in Olympic figure skater Sonja Henie to entertain the audience between periods of hockey games.

On March 31, 1936, she created a local sensation when she performed at a playoff game between the Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets and the Atlantic City Seagulls.

Harris quickly took charge of the show, using his film and entertainment background to model it after Broadway theatre extravaganzas.

"[1] In 1941 Harris hired 16-year-old figure skating champion Donna Atwood, who quickly became the star of the show, performing as such for fifteen years.