Classic Movie Travels: Marcy McGuire﻿

Classic Movie Travels: Marcy McGuire – Iowa and California

Marcy McGuire was an actress and singer who was already working in the entertainment industry by her teenage years. She was born on February 22, 1926, in Kansas City, Kansas, as Marilyn Jeanne McGuire, to film projectionist James McGuire and his wife, Annona. Her parents divorced during her childhood.

In the 1940s, McGuire’s mother remarried to vet Carroll F. Alexander. They lived in a Des Moines, Iowa, home, along with a housekeeper. There, she attended Roosevelt High School.

Soon after, McGuire sang in nightclubs and signed with RKO Pictures and was cast in Seven Days’ Leave (1942) at the age of 16. Her bright, spunky personality shone through in additional film roles, including Higher and Higher (1942), Career Girl (1944), It Happened in Brooklyn (1947), and You Gotta Stay Happy (1948). RKO sporadically made use of her talent, typically casting her as a boy-crazy character. This is best evidenced in Higher and Higher, in which McGuire acts as a housemaid who swoons over Frank Sinatra. Sinatra portrays himself.[

Marcy McGuire and Frank Sinatra — Frank Sinatra and Marcy McGuire

In September 1947, McGuire married actor Wally Cassell. Their marriage produced two children. McGuire and Cassell remained married until his passing at age 103.

McGuire also appeared in Jumping Jacks (1952) with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. After appearing in an uncredited role as a maid in Summer Magic (1963), McGuire retired from Hollywood.

McGuire passed away on August 7, 2021, in her Palm Desert home. She was 95.

McGuire’s Kansas City home was located at 2503 N. 20th St., Kansas City, Kansas. The original home no longer stands.

McGuire’s next home exists today at 3937 Douglas Dr., Des Moines, Iowa.

Mary McGuire's home, Des Moines, Iowa — McGuire’s home in Des Moines, Iowa

Her alma mater, Roosevelt High School, stands at 4419 Center St., Des Moines, Iowa.

McGuire’s alma mater, Roosevelt High School in Des Moines

When McGuire passed, her residence was located at 681 Red Arrow Trl., Palm Desert, California. This home remains today.

Mary McGuire's home, Palm Desert, California — McGuire’s home in Palm Desert, California

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–Annette Bochenek for Classic Movie Hub

Annette Bochenek pens our monthly Classic Movie Travels column. You can read all of Annette’s Classic Movie Travel articles here.

Annette Bochenek of Chicago, Illinois, is a PhD student at Dominican University and an independent scholar of Hollywood’s Golden Age. She manages the Hometowns to Hollywood blog, in which she writes about her trips exploring the legacies and hometowns of Golden Age stars. Annette also hosts the “Hometowns to Hollywood” film series throughout the Chicago area. She has been featured on Turner Classic Movies and is the president of TCM Backlot’s Chicago chapter. In addition to writing for Classic Movie Hub, she also writes for Silent Film Quarterly, Nostalgia Digest, and Chicago Art Deco SocietyMagazine.