11,514 stories by "Trav S.D."
That's right. Howie Mandel (b. 1955) wanna make something of it? Mandel first made his mark 40 years ago in the most uncharacteristic way possible " he was cast in the groundbreaking medical…
November 28, 1942 was the date of one of the worst fires in American history, the burning of the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston, which caused the death of 492 people. It is the biggest n…
Just heard from friend and funny man Bob Greenberg that comedian Freddie Roman (Fred Kirschenbaum, 1937-2022). Though he has many great stage and screen credits, Roman was best known for bei…
Dad Gum it, I'm not going to allow the death of Freddie Roman or the 80th anniversary of the Cocoanut Grove Fire divert me celebrating the birthday of Paul Shaffer (b. 1949), though I'm quit…
Jaleel White was born this day in 1976. The name may not ring an immediate bell in and of itself, but perhaps a light will dawn if I mention that he was the child actor who played the part o…
Born this day in 1955, entertainer Buddy Big Mountain. Impossible to determine whether he is America's first Native American ventriloquist (I'm guessing there must have been somebody before …
80 years ago today saw the Hollywood launch of the motion picture classic Casablanca (1942). It went into nationwide release a couple of months later. I first got heavily into this classic m…
No words could make someone my age feel so old or so heartbroken as: Irene Cara: Dead at 63. It was just announced, no cause has been released. I've contemplated tributes to her here before,…
The screen career of Priscilla Dean (1896-1987) lasted about 20 years (1912-32), with the peak being the decade from 1917 to 1927. Silent and classic comedy fans may known her best; she was …
Apparently this Thanksgiving I am giving thanks for Billy Connolly (b. 1942), who turns 80 years old today. Actually it's now SIR Billy Connolly " The Big Yin was knighted in 2017. What an i…
The great Russian born Parisian designer Erté (Romain de Tirtoff, 1892-1990) was born 130 years ago today. I've known about Erté for over 30 years, and today it's making me miss the friend…
Last evening we got the bad news about the passing of much respected Village Voice critic Michael Feingold (1945-2022). I'd gotten a sense he wasn't well from our last exchange in early 2020…
As we mentioned in our recent podcast special about the Little Rascals, the great neo-big band outfit Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks is starting a 7 week residency at Birdland, with weekl…
Coleman Hawkins (1904-1969) is largely pioneered with largely reinvented the tenor sax a as a jazz instrument, as well as being on the pioneers of be bop. Hawkins was a musical prodigy, play…
Happy World Children's Day! We've chosen this symbolic day to release our new podcast special exploring the 100 year history of Our Gang a.k.a. The Little Rascals. It's a half hour long, and…
Tommy (1905-56) and Jimmy Dorsey (1904-1957) were among the biggest musical names of the Big Band era, and we've had dozens of occasions to mention them here, so today we shine the spotlight…
The screen career of Eugenia (sometimes Eugenie) Gilbert (1907-1978), coincided almost precisely with the decade of the 1920. (It's an auspicious day for those with her surname; W.S. Gilbert…
Man, do I find myself intrigued by the career of character actor Robert Weil (1914-2002). On account of the kinds of projects he did, I'm going to guess that his origins were in burlesque, o…
Martin Scorsese (b.1942) turns 80 today, so I thought it would be a good time for some kind of omnibus post on him, having scribbled about his movies piecemeal over the years. Thus far in so…
Question #1: Is Casper the Friendly Ghost cool? Answer: WRONG! Caspar is WAY cool since Daniel Johnston wrote a song about him. Question #2: Is he the only cartoon character named Casper? An…
Born 100 years ago today, the amazing, always memorable Royal Dano (1922-1994). Dano was a supporting player, but one of those ones who was so distinctive that he stood out even in bit parts…
Returning to work at Theater for the New City for a couple of months earlier this year gave me a shot in the arm in more ways than one. We've been living in a sort of frustrating exile since…
Which is more than Edina and Patsy would admit to doing " turning 30, I mean. One of the principal jokes of Absolutely Fabulous (1992-96) was that the two characters, played by Jennifer Saun…
November 15 was the birthday of dancer, choreographer, actress and painter Tilly Losch (Ottilie Ethel Leopoldine Losch, 1903-1975), not to be confused with Lillie Tossas (not that you would,…
November 15 was the date of the birth of Martin Nodell a.k.a Mart Dellon (1915-2006). Who's he when he's at home, you wonder? Well, he's the chap who originally cobbled together the perplexi…
