Peter Graves, Man; Husband; Father and Actor

 'Highschool'  3 Now he was torn. Time spent out in the field practicing his technique and preparing for the various meets, meant he had less and less time for his first love, music. He wanted to try to fit both in, but his coach took him aside and said to him…. By the time Peter turned 15, he became one of the youngest members of the Musicians Union and at 16 took another job as a radio announcer for WMIN in Minneapolis.  (Interestingly this event may have helped him to get an early uncredited part in the film ‘Up Front’ 1951, where he gave voice to the announcer on the radio in the locker room.) By the time he was due to Graduate the Southwest High School in 1944, the Southwest Wagistanian year book highlighted him as ... PETER AURNESS, 'That man has talent to spare', Class Day, Track captain, Radio club, 'S' club (track and field). But his first thought, like so many young people at that time, was to sign up, as WW2 was still raging overseas and showing no si...

 'Highschool'  2 His love of music started to pull him in another direction and he began to make money playing in dance halls. At the same time, he also started competing in Athletics races and won the state championships in the 120 yard High Hurdles in his second year. His coach didn’t approve of his job as a musician who played music late into the night in smokey halls that may end up damaging his lungs and reducing his lung capacity.  The text that goes with this picture, is below. During the late 1930s and for most of the 1940s, Minneapolis high schools dominated the Minnesota boys state track and field meet, with a Minneapolis team winning the championship 12 consecutive years. In 1943 and 1944, an athlete from Minneapolis Southwest dominated one event – the 120 yard high hurdles – winning two state titles. The athlete was named Peter Aurness. In 1943, at the University of Minnesota’s Memorial Stadium, Aurness won the event with a time of 15.5 seconds to help S...

 'Highschool' 1 Both boys grew like weeds through High School, and suffered some bullying because of it. It may have been the cause of why James slowly lost interest in scholarly pursuits and began to search wider afield to satisfy his thirst for life. Peter meanwhile, was eager to learn, and managed to put the bullying behind him, and along with his growing interest in music, he developed a love of all things ‘sport’ related.   Track and field caught his main interest, (pic 1 and 2) and he served a term on the school's Athletic Board (pic 3). As before his pursued them  with the same eagerness and determination that he had with all his pursuits. The following pictures taken from the 1943 Southwest Year Book

 'Parents' The boys could not have had better parents. Ruth Aurness. Born Ruth Eleanore Duesler, daughter of Hess Graves Duesler and Mabel A. Schraudenbach. She was born on February 25, 1899, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and h er family history was a mix of German and Norwegian origins. She grew up in Minneapolis and married Rolf Cirkler Aurness, a businessman of Norwegian heritage, on August 30, 1920. Ruth’s life was characterized by both personal and professional growth. Her family was heavily active in both the business and media spheres, laying the groundwork for her children’s future success in Hollywood. Always the nurturing mother, at the same time, Ruth had a career in journalism, giving her a solid foundation in the realm of media and communication. She was always proud of both her sons and the life they had carved out for themselves. Ralph Aurness. Although there is some information about Mr. Graves mother, there is very little mentioned about his father. It may hav...

  'Childhood'  2 Music played a large part in young Peters life. Infatuated with the music of Benny Goodman, he longed to play the clarinet just like his idol, and when the chance came in High School to be part of the school band he eagerly waited in line, hoping to be given the longed for clarinet. Sadly, because he was a bit taller than his fellow class mates, he ended up with a tube. He dragged the miserable instrument home crying for much of the way. In an article that his mother did for The M inneapolis Star August 29th 1958, she outlined the events that happened afterward… Looking back at her youngest son, born in Minneapolis in 1926, three years after Jim’s birth, Mrs. Salisbury recalled: “Jim and Peter are brothers, but they are complete opposites. Jim was restless and adventuresome… always in search of some experience beyond the immediate. “Peter was happy and adjusted from infancy. He was a healthy, superior baby who even as a youngster displayed amazing powers of ...

 'Childhood'  1 Peter Aurness born 18th of March 1926 to Mr. And Mrs. Rolf Aurness. Here is the little rascal, 6 months old and already has a winning smile. Story time with his brother James and his wonderful mom Ruth. Out for a Sunday afternoon walk with his brother James and his grandparents. James and Peter having fun at the beach. All wrapped up on a cold day in Minnesota, On the same day as their father takes them skiing. From an early age he taught them to hunt and fish and ski.  Most kids had a dog for a pet, at this age the boys Aurness had chickens! By his own admission, Peter had an idyllic childhood. Living not far from the banks of the Minnehaha Creak, a 22-mile-long tributary of the Mississippi river that flows east from Bray’s Bay Dam; together with James they would spend hours playing on its banks and swimming in the waters with their friends.                                 ...

Hi, this is a new platform for me and you will have to bear with me. I consider myself to be more of a researcher than a writer, but after almost 5 years of research, now seems the right time to put pen to paper, so-to-speak. I have accumulated a wealth of information and photographs many of which have not been seen before, and many that have been seen but with no context. I have countless articles and interviews that I would love to share with you, but I fear it will be a slow process as I also run a Facebook page. For today I will leave you with a promotional photo from 'Fury', his first TV series 1955 - 1960.