Texas Guinan was a Broadway star, Wild West actress and a nightclub queen described as "great hearted Texas, friend of the world."
Guinan, preferring to be called by her native state, Texas, started her professional career in films, jumping from there to the stage as a comedienne and singer. Guinan became as familiar a figure in Broadway night life as the Statute of Liberty was to visitors. From a humble debut with a girlie troupe that was not overdressed, Tex quickly became one of the most famous figures on Broadway. She was a champion of slang and a minter of catchy phrases, not the least known of which was, "Give the little girl a hand."
In Hollywood, she made western short reel films and was an entrepreneur who was investigated by the law. Post office investigators sifted the operation of the "Texas Guinan Fat Reducer" and Texas Guinan Inc. Court litigation followed.
Guinan was no stranger to the court and feared it not. Her last years in the Broadway sector found her in sardonic combat with Prohibition authorities with whom she played hide and seek, opening up a new nightclub as soon as the dry agents raided her last one.
In court the blond, ready-witted hostess whose "Hello Sucker" echoed around the world displayed an uncanny talent for emerging free from the law's clutches. And the public loved her for it. The popularity of the scintillating hostess continued to soar until seating space at her nightclubs was at a premium.
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