![]() In addition to his camera work and film processing, his work at the station also included direction of a number of television film productions. Wilkison was also the General Manager of Photo Processors at the LBJ Broadcasting Corporation, which he later took over and renamed Cenetex Film Labs. During the Johnson administration, Wilkison covered the president's visits to Texas, preparing material for national and international news correspondents.Ī particularly notable moment in his career occurred on August 1, 1966, when Wilkison and KTBC reporter Neal Spelce risked their lives to capture footage of the Tower shooting at the University of Texas at Austin. This relationship would continue to shape Wilkison's career well into the next decades. At the time the station was owned by the Texas Broadcasting Company, which was owned by Senator Lyndon B. Gordon Wilkison began work as a cameraman at the local Austin television station KTBC (now FOX 7) during 1952, its first year of operation. Cactus Pryor announced to his KLBJ listeners in 2007 that he had Alzheimer's disease, and Austin's "original funnyman" died in 2011. He was nationally-known, but kept Austin his home, helping put the city on the map in the 60s and 70s. As an active member of the Headliners Club of Austin, Pryor starred in many humorous television news satires alongside Texas politicians, some of which can be seen in his film collection, as well as the Gordon Wilkison Collection and the Wallace and Euna Pryor Collection. ![]() He would appear at functions in character, often pulling a fast one on the crowd as he charmed them first in disguise, then again as he revealed himself and used his earlier conversations to entertain the crowd. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, he became a sought-after speaker and event host, famous for his roasts of entertainers and politicians, most of whom he counted as close friends. Cactus appeared in two films with his friend John Wayne, Hellfighters and The Green Berets. He joined the world of broadcast television at KTBC in 1951 where he was program manager and hosted a variety of television programs, including a football program with Darrell K Royal and many celebrity interviews. When he returned to Austin from his service in 1944, Cactus joined the broadcasting team at Lady Bird Johnson's KLBJ radio station, where he worked until 2008. Cactus attended the University of Texas and served in the US Army Air Corp. ![]() His father owned the Cactus Theater on Congress Avenue (hence the nickname), and starting at just 3 years old, Cactus made stage appearances before the shows began. Cactus, an Austin native, was born in 1923, straight into the entertainment business. "Cactus" Pryor was a comedic television and broadcast personality from Austin, Texas.
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