entertainers – Texas History Notebook

Boom Town (1940)

A year before its release, news out of Hollywood touted the MGM project “Boom Town” by naming its all star cast of Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette Colbert and Hedy Lamarr, each of whom were box office draws. The project was set to begin production March 15, 1939 with Jack Conway directing and Sam Zimbalist producing. It was described as the story of a Texas oilfield penned by screenwriter John Lee Mahin who adapted a story by James Edward Grant.

Texas Guinan

Mary Louise Cecilia Guinan (pronounced “guy-nan”) was born January 12, 1884 in Waco, McLennan County, Texas to Michael Guinan (1854 – 1935) and Bridget Cecile Duffy Guinan (1857 – 1939). Her nickname as a child was “Mamie” and she was the second of four children. Both of her parents were born in Canada and their ancestry is said to have been Irish. While living in Waco, the father was part owner of a wholesale grocery and candy business named Eagon, Guinan & Co. near downtown on Austin Street. Various articles note that she attended school at the Loretta Convent in downtown Waco. They likely lived in Waco until the early 1890s. By the time the 1900 federal census was taken, the family had relocated to Denver, Colorado. In 1900, Mary Louise was about 17 years old and was still living at home. The father’s business was listed as being the owner of a public warehouse. Her parents also owned a ranch at some point. She learned to ride horses and she was otherwise an active child. As she grew up, she studied singing and and would later be drawn to the entertainment business, including vaudeville. Along the way, as a reference to her birthplace, she began to adopt the nickname “Texas” and used it for the rest of her career.

Cactus Pryor

Richard S. “Cactus” Pryor, Jr. was a well known Texas media personality for many years. His grandfather, Jonathon Pryor had served in the Union Army out of Illinois during the Civil War. Jonathon made his way to Austin, Texas by 1880, which also was the year he married Carrie Wallace of Hearne, Texas. The couple had at least six children before Jonathon’s death in his early fifties in 1895. Carrie survived him until her passing in 1944. Their second child and oldest son was Richard S. “Skinny” Pryor, born in 1883.

Ron Ely, Actor

Ronald Pierce Ely was born in Hereford, Texas on June 21, 1938 to Vernon Howard Ely and Sybil Ely. His father Vernon died at the age of 38 the following year, after which his mother raised Ron and his sister. A 1966 newspaper article in the Clay County Reader out of Henrietta, Texas noted that Ron was born and raised in Texas and that he had worked in the summers shoveling grain and working in the oilfield near Amarillo.

Teresa Graves, Actress

Teresa Graves was born on January 10, 1948 in Houston, Texas to Marshall “Mannie” Graves and wife Willie Patterson Graves. Her father was a laborer and her mother was a housewife. Teresa had at least two brothers and one sister. The family moved to California in the early to mid 1950s where Teresa graduated from George Washington Preparatory High School around 1966 where she was a top student and active in the arts. She was a talented singer and came to the attention of a newly formed performing group called the Doodletown Pipers. Teresa was invited to join the group and declined college scholarship offers to join the group. She is listed as a founding member and sang with them for about three years.