The McKellen brothers began their rise to stardom by spending countless hours as “rink rats” on the ice of Muskegon’s old Mart Auditorium in the 1930s. Those many hours of strenuous skating allowed the McKellens to create a unique act of tumbling that attracted the attention of Sonja Henie, three-time Olympic Champion. They were offered a contract with the Henie’s Ice Revue, but turned it down because they were still in high school. Three years later, the Ice Follies brought their show to Muskegon’s Mart. Between acts, the McKellens performed for the management of the show and were offered a contract, which they accepted in February 1938. Jumps, flips and tumbling acts were a part of the McKellens’ program. It also included a hand-to-hand stand in which Gilbert would carry Gordon above his head around the ice.

In 1943, the brothers hung up their skates and joined the United States Army. Upon their discharge in 1946, the McKellens went back to work with the Ice Follies. A year later, they joined Tom Arnold’s Stars on Ice. A trip to London included a performance for England’s royal family. In 1948, the brothers signed with Henie’s Ice Revue. They performed four shows a day in New York over a three-week period. They returned to the West Michigan area in 1954 to skate before 6,000 spectators in the Grand Rapids Stadium Arena. The McKellen brothers retired in December 1955, but they did reunite for one last local encore performance at Muskegon’s L. C. Walker Arena with the Ice Varieties in the 1960s.
Gordon’s son, Gordon McKellen Jr. was a US Men’s Figure Skating champion in the mid-1970s.