Tyra Vaughn

Tyra Vaughn was born on March 13, 1923, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the oldest daughter of a well respected police sergeant.

Near the war's end she had the honor of meeting legendary actor, comedian, and patriot, Bob Hope, who was so impressed by her abilities that he arranged for her to come out to California to work as a dance instructor at the famed Hollywood Athletic Club where she was later discovered by filmmaker Samuel Goldwyn, who selected her to be among one of his new installments in the ensemble of his 1940's era 'Goldwyn Girls'.

She began appearing in movies during the mid-point of the 1940s, staring off with small parts in such motion pictures as The Razor's Edge (1946), Down to Earth (1947), Romance on the High Seas (1948), Duchess of Idaho (1950), April in Paris (1952), and How to Marry a Millionaire (1953).

During her time as a student at West Scranton High School, she often appeared in school musicals and was labeled as the 'top banana' during her teenage years straight up until her 1941 high school graduation. With the outbreak of World War II, she contributed her skills to her county by traveling with the USO as a professional entertainer and singer for several years.

At first she felt the only speaking role she'd have in movies was her portrayal of 'Miss Chalmers' in Shadows Over Chinatown (1946), she was later able to appear in several episodes of the series Lux Video Theatre through the help of actress Esther Williams who befriended Tyra while she was playing the bit part of a 'goody two shoes' in the 1950 MGM musical Duchess of Idaho.

In 1947, she adopted a baby boy and raised him on her own, a concept that was considered almost impossible, if not commonplace, at the time.

She had a deep enjoyment for the Tootsie Roll candy and was given the nickname 'Tootsie' by actor/crooner Dick Haymes one day on the set of Up in Central Park (1948) when he saw her snacking on half a box.

Between 1950 and 1957, she appeared in several guest spots where she got a handful of colorful characters to play and later chose to end her acting career upon the series end 1957. Still as of today, not one piece of any of the Lux Video Theatre broadcasts containing her body of work, or any other in general for that matter, have ever been found.

Upon this ending, she continued living life to the fullest in California and worked as a dance teacher within the Greater Los Angeles area until her retirement in 1988, a few months after she welcomed her 65th birthday.