Vera Ralston

This is a 1953 Lydia Lane article, where actress and ice skater Vera Ralston talks about old beauty secrets and dieting. Enjoy!

Vera Ralston, Who reached the top as an Olympic Ice skater, has made a remarkable transition from athlete to Hollywood glamour girl. Last week end I met Vera at the Lakeside Country club where she plays golf regularly. We bad lunch together, and I noticed that she ignored the array of tempting buffet dishes and asked for a green salad and cottage cheese. “I’m starting a picture soon at Republic,” she told me, “and I have to lose weight.” “Do you have a weight problem?” asked. ‘ “Yes, I do!” Vera exclaimed with great frankness. “I exercised so bard while I was skating that ever since I’ve given it up I’ve had trouble keeping my weight where I want It.” I asked If she had found other difficulties in adopting a new career. “Being the star of an Ice Follies and being the star of a motion picture are very different.” Vera told me in her distinctive voice which has just a trace of an accent. “In skating it’s entirely up to you. There is the ice, there is the music and the audience sees what you do on your skates. There is nothing to go wrong like having a stupid script, an untalented director or being badly photographed. “Making a picture Is a cooperative venture and you must learn to work harmoniously with everyone on the set from the electrician to the director.” “You’ve had two successful careers,” I said, asking for a set of rules which helped her climb to the top.

“Courage,” she murmured after a thoughtful pause. “You must have courage to do what you want to do, courage to face yourself and admit it if you discover you’re not good enough to get to the top. “Once you are sure you are traveling the right road you must have discipline to accomplish your goal. When I started to skate they soon discovered that I could be a champ,” Vera continued. “What I had to do without! In this world you never get anything for nothing but If you love what you are doing your work can be a pleasure, “I know this is true because my family first wanted me to be a ballet dancer and I didn’t enjoy dancing the way I did skating. The two are very similar but ice is faster and more dangerous. I loved the excitement of it. In a spin you go at a rate of 60 miles an hour.” I wanted to know the most difficult thing she’d had to overcome. Vera replied, “I have had to eat less. “In Czechoslovakia we have breakfast, a mid-morning snack, a big dinner in the middle of the day. At 4 we have coffee and cake, and in the evening another big meal.” Vera said. “How do they keep their figures!” I exclaimed. Vera laughed, “They don’t. But had to because when you are skating you must maintain your weight or lose your balance. Think what a tiny edge is carrying your body! I could tell the moment I started to glide if I had gained.”

“How did you reduce?” “I don’t believe in taking reducing pills. I think they go against nature,” she said. “What is your favorite way of reducing?” I asked again. “Cutting down everything I know Is fattening and substituting for it filling but low-caloric foods,” Vera replied. When you have eaten heavily your stomach stretches and you go through; a rough period when you get hunger signals which you must ignore. Part of a successful reducing plan is bringing your stomach back to normal. However, I have a few nonfattening fillers which make it easier.” “Such as?” I asked. “Iced carrot sticks can be very tasty and I keep a jar full of these in the Icebox or on the set. I also find a Swedish type cracker satisfying but not fattening. Watermelon, when in season, is very low calorically and a little of it stops the hunger pangs.” “Does a sweet tooth bother you?” “It used to a long time ago but I’ve been able to give it up,” Vera replied. “There is a wonderful new sugar substitute which is almost too good to be true because it is deliciously sweet and has absolutely no calories. It’s called sucaryl, and is available In most drugstores in either liquid or tablet form.” I asked Vera to tell me what changes the make-up men in Hollywood had made which improved her appearance the most.

“When you are skating, people are far away and you have to exaggerate your make-up. I had very thick eyebrows and I didn’t realize what a difference they made in my face until I started making pictures and now they are plucked thinner.” “What is your favorite cosmetic” “I like to take my make-up off with oil and to use a little cream when my face feels dry but my favorite beauty recipes have come from Czechoslovakia. They may be old fashioned,” Vera murmured, “but they work.” “This sounds interesting,” I said. 1″Tell me more.” Vera paid high tribute to the make-up men for her glamour, but explained that she still remains loyal to the beauty recipes her family used in Czechoslovakia. “Old fashioned beauty tricks have the test of time,” she explained. “If you find a way of getting good beauty results, you should continue to use it even if the method is many hundreds of years old. For example ( I like to cover my face with a thin film of yogurt. I let this dry thoroughly before removing it with I warm water. This simple trick keeps the skin soft, and the same c method can be used to soften the hands.”