SCRIPT

THE GIRL FROM GALVESTON

PART 1
OPENING FILM FOOTAGE
(Vintage film clips and photos of my great grand-
father and his brothers – origin story from rural
Ireland in the early 20th Century immigrating to
England and America in the 1930’s at a time of
extreme hardship & poverty- featuring their
successful sporting achievements as the back story)
PRESENTER: PIECE TO CAMERA (with instrumental
background music featuring the Lonesome Boatman by
the Fureys)
As a child growing up, I heard many stories from my
father about the exploits of my ancestors in
particular my father’s grandfather and his brothers
who emanated from a small hamlet in rural Ireland at
the turn of the previous century (a little dot on the
map – a place called Sneem in County Kerry– the last
peninsula of Europe before reaching America)– a life
built on humble beginnings shaped by the rugged
environment that
surrounded them.
They would have to row to school as it was the most
direct route from home at the foot of the mountains
(the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks) barefoot as they could
not afford shoes leaving formal education by 14 years
of age in order to work the land so there was food on
the table. Rowing was not just a way of life
transporting family members, livestock and other
provisions to and throw and for fishing as they lived
at the mouth of the estuary which flowed into Kenmare
Bay it was a sporting passion.
Along the coast of County Cork and Kerry regattas
would be held during the Summer months with crews put

1
forward from the different coastal villages and towns
scattered along the coast. There was fierce rivalry
and heavy betting. The Casey boys built up an envious
record of never been beaten from 1931,1932 and 1933.
Their father and coach would have them train every
day – he knew what times they needed to win in a
2000m race and would always add another 30 seconds
onto their times in training without their knowledge
so they would be already 30 seconds up on their
competitors on race day. He made a fair amount of
money in the betting!
When they were not rowing the seven brothers with
approximately a year between each of them would rough
play in the fields grappling and wrestling as a
pastime. My father mentioned that his grandfather
would say that it was his older brother who gave him
his cauliflower ears. The rough and tumble was to
stand them in good stead.
The two oldest boys now in the early 20s – Steve and
my great grand-father Paddy left the family home and
emigrated to London in search of employment in the
early 1930s. They both secured work as door men at a
London Casino. One night when Steve was throwing out
a member for ungentlemanly behaviour, he was
approached by two men who introduced themselves as
sporting agents and asked if Steve would be
interested in coming down to their gym in King’s
Cross to train as a wrestler and be paid for it. It
was too good an opportunity to pass up. He took up
their offer and mentioned that he also had 4 other
brothers like him. The promoters offered to pay for
the others to come over from Ireland and provide them
with accommodation - which they did.
Steve, Paddy, Jim and Tom began training as
professional wrestlers in the early 1930s in London
and spent their free time rowing on the River Thames
at the Ace Rowing Club in Putney. In 1936, they won
the National Championships 4 oar sweep and were
selected to represent the GB team at the Olympics

2
that same year in Berlin. Unfortunately, it was
reported that Steve has already received payment as a
professional wrestler which resulted in the four
brothers being deselected from the National team due
to the strict Amateur code at the time.
They decided to emigrate to the United States of
America however Paddy broke his back in a wrestling
match at the King’s Hall in Elephant & Castle and
decided to remain in London.
Steve had been brought to America at the age of 28 by
the late wrestling promoter, Paul Bowser, of
Lexington, who had guaranteed him $100,000 for a
series of American matches that they both correctly
felt would lead to the championship. Bowser once
called him “the greatest athlete” he had ever seen.

“I never met a man I was afraid of – in or out of the

ring,” Mr. Casey told reporters when he first landed
on the docks of East Boston in 1936 with 201
professional wrestling triumphs in Europe behind him.
Sporting a pompadour haircut, he promptly posted a
standing offer of $500 to anyone who could go 20
minutes with him in the ring.

Steve ‘The Crusher’ Casey went on to become World

Heavyweight Wrestling champion in 1938 defeating Lou
Thesz for the title at Madison Square Gardens in New
York a title he went on to hold six times over the
next
9 years.

I felt that the story of my great-grandfather and

great grand-uncles was already well documented– there
had been books and documentaries about them over the
decades. I had not heard much about the women in
their lives. I wanted to find out more about them.

PART 2

3
MONTAGE
Montage showcasing some of the most impactful moments
in history over the last 100 years by women from the
‘Me Too’ movement, the rise of feminism through to
female influencers and innovators who have helped
shape the world we live in today.

PRESENTER: PIECE TO CAMERA

I did not want to make another film about feminism or
a commentary about the role of women in society but a
short film that celebrates womanhood through the life
of one amazing person – an appreciation and respect
for all the ordinary women in the world who do
extraordinary things in their lives but may not get
the recognition they deserve. I also wanted to
explore on a personal level a different narrative on
the family history and in particular the contribution
of the mothers, wives and daughters.
My curiosity has taken me to Galveston Island in
Texas to discover more about one of the last
surviving members of my great-grandfather’s
generation. Myrtle Casey who is now 99 years of age
and will turn 100 in December.
Myrtle met her husband Jim Casey in the early 1940s
at a Galveston Auditorium wrestling match when Jim
was tossed out of the ring and landed right on Myrtle
who was sitting in the front row.
I was fascinated to find out more about her. Having
lived through some key defining moments in American
history like the Great Depression, the Second World
War/Pearl Harbour, the golden age of cinema, the
Vietnam war, the civil rights movement, marrying a
professional wrestler from Ireland and raising three
children Myrtle has lived an amazing life.
I was not sure where the journey would take me but I
was prepared for the adventure ahead. Under normal
circumstances, I would have made the trip to Texas to

4
meet Myrtle but with the global pandemic this option
was out of the question.
I had a preliminary zoom call with Myrtle and her 70
year old daughter Pat to discuss the idea of doing a
documentary about her – I was excited and nervous at
the same time as I had never met them before and I
had no idea how receptive they would be to my
proposal. The meeting seemed to go well but on a
subsequent email they explained that due to Covid
they would be limited to doing a Zoom interview
rather than more extensive filming which meant that
my preliminary plans for the documentary had to be
altered. This was entirely understandable.
My story starts in 1937 when the President of the
United States of America at the time – Franklin D
Roosevelt (FDR)visited Galveston Island, Texas (in
the Gulf of Mexico) whilst on a fishing holiday. The
whole island turned out that day to visit him
including Myrtle who was 15 years of age.
(roll the film clip of FDR speaking in Galveston –
specifically his joke about Texans)
PART 3 INTERVIEW WITH MYRTLE via Zoom
(due to filming restrictions because of Covid in
Texas Second camera used to film the
Presenter/Interviewer)
Act 1: Childhood 1920s/30s; Act 2: Adulthood 1940s
onwards; Act 3: Parenthood 1950s onwards; Act 4:
Womanhood reflections, Memories and Anecdotes
With B roll using vintage archive film footage
including references to the Golden Age of Hollywood

END – CLOSING MONTAGE

A montage of Myrtle’s life and memories shown through
a ‘slide show’ of archive photos and 1930s/1940’s
film footage with background music featuring Glen
Miller’s ‘In the Mood’

5
CLOSING CREDITS
Credits rolling against background music track
(Galveston – Glen Campbell)