Tony Guerrero(1906-1985)
- Actor
Tony Guerrero had very minor success in the movie business but, along
with his wife Peaches Jackson, went on
to became an historic presence in the tourism boom in his native Hawaii
during the twentieth century. Along with her somewhat more famous
younger sister Mary Ann Jackson, who
was popular early member of the
Our Gang (1922) comedy shorts, Peaches
was a child actress in early Hollywood. It is unclear as to whether
Peaches went to Honolulu in the mid-1930's as a showgirl with a revue
and there met local "beach boy" Guerrero, or if Guerrero moved to Los
Angeles in the mid-1930's and met Peaches there. Regardless, the two
were married and living in Los Angeles at that time and opened a
restaurant called the Hawaiian Hut. It became very successful but by
the end of the decade, Peaches had left show business to work in the
restaurant. Although even Tony had managed to land an uncredited minor
role in the Spencer Tracy film
Northwest Passage (1940),
by the time that movie was released, the pair moved to Honolulu and
opened a restaurant there in the heart of Waikiki Beach. They called it
The Tropics and it became an Hawaiian institution over the years, very
popular with many Hollywood movie stars. It was eventually renamed The
World Famous Tropics at Waikiki and in 1952, the couple went to Paris
to study at the Cordon Bleu, opening a second restaurant upon their
return to Hawaii, the Tropics Ala Moana. This restaurant was as
successful as the Tropics and the special house dressing became so much
in demand that it was eventually bottled and to this day, Tropics Salad
Dressings are popular on the West Coast and of course, in Hawaii, where
they are made. They are also available online. Tony died in 1985 and
Peaches in 2002, having lived a long and happy life together outside of
show business.