In Prohibition-era New York City, a dose of Texas flair enlivened the city’s roaring nightlife. Larger than life in personality and style, actress “Texas” Guinan commanded the nightclub circuit with her saucy wit. She sensationalized her life, blending fact with fantasy. The child of Irish immigrants, Mary Louise Cecilia Guinan was born on January 12, 1884, outside of Waco, Texas. Her family ran a grocery business while Guinan attended Sacred Heart Academy, where classmates knew her as Mamie. Even in childhood, Guinan craved mischief, pranking local shop owners and irking her teachers. She also cultivated skills in roping and riding, which she’d draw upon later in her film career. Combining her cowgirl skills with the musical training she received in Chicago, Guinan started performing in Wild West theater acts around the turn of the twentieth century. She also entered into a brief marriage with Denver cartoonist John J. Moynahan before following her show business dreams to New York City. Guinan struggled working as a chorus girl in NYC before becoming a regular on the vaudeville circuit and performing in musical shows like The Hoyden. She did this work for about a decade until, in 1917, a talent scout offered her the opportunity for a Hollywood career starring in silent westerns. So she rode off to California and into a new phase of her career. During her time in New York, Guinan acquired the nickname Texas. The moniker’s nod to her roots and its lone star bravado made it an apt name for an emerging star of western gunslingers. Beginning with The Wildcat (1917), Guinan portrayed heroines in films like Little Miss Deputy (1919) who possessed both strong wills and real gun skills. In 1921, she started her own production company in response to Hollywood’s ageism and beauty standards negatively impacting her film career. As a producer, Guinan displayed the same independence and ingenuity as her onscreen characters. She actively engaged in publicity, rights distribution, and cast actors that fit her films, rather than using a set company. Texas Guinan Productions made a few films such as Texas of the Mounted (1921) that are no longer extant before ceasing operations in 1922. Her silent film career on the decline, Guinan returned to New York and the stage.

During the 1920s, Guinan fashioned herself onstage and off as the grand dame of NYC nightlife. She personified the flashy and excessive spirit of the age. Guinan appeared on Broadway, but it was her rapier wit and brassy style that earned her the job of emcee at the Beaux Arts Hotel. It was a rare position for a woman in the 1920s. Starting in 1924, she reigned over several clubs and speakeasies—such as the El Fey or the 300 Club—first with mobster Larry Fay and then on her own. Guinan took to greeting patrons with the phrase, “Hello, Sucker.” It became her trademark, coming with enough sass to entice patrons to purchase more bootleg liquor. Effortlessly working a room, Guinan comedically blended entertainment and allure. She even turned her continuous arrests for violating Prohibition into a show, complete with music and photo ops. When federal or local authorities shut down one of her clubs, she simply opened up another. Audaciously flagrant, Guinan styled herself and her clubs to be the center of New York’s nightlife. Capitalizing on her reputation, she again took to the screen and the road.

In the late 1920s and early 30s, Guinan created touring shows and appeared in a few films. Her already mercurial fortunes declined with the Great Depression. Guinan’s autobiographical talkies like Queen of the Night Clubs (1929) were not commercial successes, but these films nevertheless kept her profile before the public. She traveled domestically with her club’s shows, but Europe rebuffed her attempt to present her act internationally. Her incendiary character prevented her 1931 European tour from obtaining an audience. Nevertheless, she brazenly turned the experience into a popular satirical show: Too Hot for Paris. It was this life on the road, however, that eventually toppled the imposing Guinan.

She died on November 5, 1933, in Vancouver from either amoebic dysentery she contracted in Chicago or ulcerative colitis. Guinan’s memorial at Broadway’s Campbell Funeral Church brought 12,000 people in to pay their respects. The service exhibited the brash glamour the late star embodied. Initially buried in White Plains, New York, her remains were later reinterred in a family plot at Calvary Cemetery in Queens. The rascally cowgirl from Waco had sauntered her way to big city stardom.

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From the 1940s to the 1970s, Wacoans could enjoy the full spectrum of the cinematic experience from the comfort of their own cars at the Circle Drive-In Theatre. This theatre, named for Waco's nearby traffic circle, was one of hundreds of drive-in cinemas that popped up across the country during the 1940s. While movie houses featuring silent films had been around since the late nineteenth century, the first drive-in theater was patented in New Jersey in 1933—a full decade after sound technology debuted in short films.  When the invention of personal car speakers in the early 1940s led others to duplicate the new innovation, the number of drive-ins in the United States subsequently skyrocketed. Built in 1946, Waco's Circle Drive-In was part of this postwar boom. 

The theatre opened on Friday, June 21, 1946, with a showing of Columbia Picture's Technicolor production "The Bandit of Sherwood Forest."  Although the Circle Drive-In was not Waco's first theatre of the sort, it quickly became one of the city's most popular. The theatre, designed by Dallas architect Jack Corgan, promised "absolutely the latest developments in modern drive-in theatre engineering, supplemented with all of the beauty of modern architectural genius." Moviegoers were not likely to be disappointed. The drive-in featured  an extensive array of amenities that included in-car speakers with adjustable volume control, a well-stocked concession stand, and tiled restrooms.  Additionally, each car ramp had been engineered to guarantee every car a prime and clear view of the screen, and had been paved to eliminate any dust that might obscure the audience's view.  For patrons who experienced a flat tire, attendees waited nearby to fix the tire free of charge.

Outdoor cinemas became especially attractive to those looking for a family-friendly pastime, and the Circle Drive-In was no exception. The theatre provided a free bottle-warming service for mothers with infants so that the whole family could tag along. For children who had trouble sitting through a feature film, there was a full play park, complete with swings, a seesaw, and sandboxes. Between each film, the theatre also showed a selection of cartoons for youngsters in the audience. 

Furthermore, the ability to view a film from the comfort of one's own car appealed to a wide variety of viewers. Moviegoers could come dressed as they wanted and even smoke without fear of clouding up an indoor theatre. The drive-in was hailed as "the answer to the prayers of the invalid and aged," as those with limited mobility could enjoy a film more easily than ever.

The Circle Drive-In's program, which changed four times weekly, offered a diverse selection of the latest films, ranging from westerns to romances to kiddie flicks. As technology continued to develop in the following decades, so did the drive-in. In-car heaters were added in the early 1950s, ensuring maximum comfort for viewers even in the colder months. The theatre also installed an "electro-aire system" in snack bars and restrooms in 1953 to rid the air of germs and prevent the spread of sickness and disease. While the technology was later proven to be largely ineffective, the installation was seen as an important effort in the wake of various epidemics.

In the 1960s, however, drive-in theatres began losing customers—and, therefore, revenue—to indoor theatres that were not restricted to nighttime hours and could offer a more extensive selection of viewing times. Indoor theatres also offered consistent air-conditioning and operated even in inclement weather.  The development of the VCR in the 1970s took a further toll on drive-in theatres, as audiences could now view virtually any film of their choosing without leaving home.  Finally, gas prices in the 1970s forced many families to purchase smaller cars that were more fuel efficient, but decidedly less comfortable for movie viewing.  Given the massive decrease in family attendance, many outdoor cinemas—the Circle Drive-In included—began to feature slasher horrors and X-rated films almost exclusively.  The vast majority of these theatres ultimately succumbed to financial pressure, opting to sell their properties as land prices rose in the wake of expanding suburbs.  After years of steady decline, the Circle Drive-In closed its gates in 1980. 

Currently,  the theatre grounds are used to house a local flea market, which draws hundreds of visitors each week. Although the drive-in theatre is no longer in operation,  the screen tower still stands off of Waco's LaSalle Avenue, the reminder of a bygone era in both cinema and society.

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During the 1890s, the city of Waco was in a period of financial growth, and citizens were in need of a place to be entertained. Waco was home to several theaters and opera houses; however, local businessmen desired a large auditorium that would bring prominent stage productions, conventions, and money to the citizens of Waco. Respectable citizens called for a place to bring culture, as well as crowds and their wallets, to the young Brazos city.

After failed attempts to raise money for an auditorium in 1893 and 1894, due to the construction of the Texas Cotton Palace, a movement to build an auditorium began in 1899. A group of local businessmen, known as the Karnival Klub, strived to promote the interests of the city and presented plans for the Waco Auditorium. The Waco Auditorium Company was formed, and citizens of Waco donated money and bought stock in order to support the construction.

Plans for the building developed quickly. Built at the intersection of North Sixth Street and Columbus Avenue the Waco Auditorium held a prime location, sitting on top of a hill, and near the city’s businesses and hotels. On Thanksgiving Day, 1899, the greatly anticipated Waco Auditorium was dedicated. A heavily promoted opening included guests such as Governor Hogg and William Jennings Bryan to see the evening’s acts.

The building was originally built to seat about three thousand people, but by 1901, renovations cut capacity by half due to the lack of sold-out performances. The interior of the building was lush and elegant—dark red velvet covered seats, walls finished with terra cotta, crowned by a canary ceiling. Attending productions at the Waco Auditorium during its early seasons was a social and cultural event and was a place to socialize and to be seen by others. Visitors arrived by coach and wore their finest jewelry, and beautifully dressed women filled the mezzanine boxes.

The Waco Auditorium’s early seasons brought sophistication and refinement to Waco. Theatrical companies traveled to Waco in large numbers because of the large and modern facility, as well as Waco’s convenient location between Austin and Dallas. Acts included Shakespeare plays, opera, symphony orchestras, lectures, dances, musicals, minstrel shows, vaudeville, and magicians. By 1915, silent movies with orchestral accompaniment became a popular attraction. Prices of tickets ranged from ten cents to four dollars, depending on seating, time of the act, and caliber of performer.

By 1915, the Waco Auditorium had undergone many changes in management. Several previous theatrical seasons were slow, and ticket prices were reduced as a result. That year the auditorium’s longest manager, Gussie Oscar, took over the task of scheduling acts. Oscar traveled to New York City every summer to view and select performers. She organized more performances than any other manager at the Waco Auditorium and brought in big-name artists such as Fred and Adele Astaire.

With the decline of traveling acts during World War I, Oscar began booking controversial acts such as wrestling matches and chorus girls with flapper attire. Oscar also booked large amounts of vaudeville acts and movies to fit the needs of Camp MacArthur soldiers. Because of the level of popularity of movies such as The Birth of a Nation, Oscar violated Waco’s Sunday Closing Law resulting in her arrest. Oscar pleaded for a settlement and promised to never schedule shows on Sundays again, however, she was arrested once more in her career for the same offense. Oscar continued to run a strict business, though, and fired employees who showed up to work late or out of uniform.

The auditorium’s business began to decline during the 1920s for several reasons. New movie houses competed for consumer dollars and theater audiences declined. Camp MacArthur also closed its doors after the war, meaning soldiers were no longer a large source of revenue. The physical shape of the auditorium suffered due to the lack of funds from ticket sales to refurbish it, and it became difficult to schedule performances. The Waco Auditorium was sold in 1928, and torn down in 1929.

Because of the venue, Wacoans were introduced to Harry Houdini, Will Rogers, the Marx Brothers, and many others. The Waco Auditorium entertained citizens with over 2,400 performances for thirty years, and brought sophistication and culture to the city.

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