11,812 stories by "Trav S.D."
Had she lived just 13 more years, Deborah Kerr would be 100 today. The photo above is from one of my favorite performaces of hers, from what is perhaps the best screen adaptation of The Turn…
I learned the sad news of Tommy Kirk's passing yesterday, but was too much engaged with preparing my silent comedy talk to do a timely appreciation. Kirk's most classic film, I think most pe…
So honored and thrilled to be one of the guests in Noah Diamond's second virtual presentation for Fredonia Marxonia, entitled There's Nothing Like LIberty: The Marx Brothers and America. He'…
The briefest of nods to the dashing magician Paul Rosini (Paul Vucic, 1902-1948). Born in Trieste, this future master of close-up magic moved to Chicago with his parents at the age of ten. H…
We took the opportunity of the lock-down to binge watch old episodes of The Love Boat (in addition to about a hundred other shows). Its many pleasures include seeing late (often last) screen…
We have been remiss in not previously mentioning Kay Deslys (Kathleen Herbert, 1899-1974), key cast member of many a classic comedy. Born in London, Deslys had performed in music hall, vaude…
This coming Wednesday, September 29 will be National Silent Movie Day! As the author of Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickleodeons to Youtube, as well as about 500 post…
A good time was had by all at last night's Congress of Curious People at Coney Island USA. It was an unusual one, affected in innumerable ways by the ongoing pandemic ordeal. For the first t…
A tip of the hat today to Native American actor and rodeo star Will Sampson (1933-87). Samson was a full-blooded Muscogee, who stood 6'7″ " approaching giant proportions. Originally fr…
This morning we pay homage to actress and comedienne Joyce Jameson (1932-1987). Jameson specialized in playing hookers, floozies, chorines and cheap dates. I first made note of her from the …
There are some actors whose unfortunate knack is in not leaving an impression. Such is the case I fear with Donald Cook (1901-1961). Looking at his list of credits, I realize that I had seen…
It's a virtual certainty, I think, that the first time I became aware of Juliet Prowse (1936-1996) was when she was the guest star on the first episode of the first season of The Muppet Show…
A few notes on the multi-skill variety entertainer Edward Maro (Walter Truman Best, 1868-1908). Originally from Montpelier, Vermont, Maro mostly worked on the Chautauqua and Lyceum circuits,…
The photo above symbolizes the cocoon I have been hibernating in since early last year. Though I have done a respectable number of zoom events and presentations over the past 18 months, it's…
We are delighted to report that the stage adaptation of Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! re-opens today on Broadway, another sign of slowly returning post-pandemic normalcy (touch wood). We thou…
A quick plug for a book I haven't read (yet) but sounds terrific and undoubtedly of interest to all you latter-day vaudeville fans out there, Bert Williams, Eva Tanguay, and Julian Eltinge e…
September 23, 1969 was the airdate of the first program officially branded an ABC Movie of the Week. The premiere film was a thing called Seven in Darkness, about a plane full of blind peopl…
Just learned last night of the September 21 passing of Melvin Van Peebles (Melvin Peebles, 1932-2021) at 89. No doubt most of the tributes to him this week will deal primarily, if not exclus…
I have numerous events happening much sooner on the calendar that I need to promote but I'm allowing this one to o'erleap the others for a very important reason " it's a brand new event happ…
Today we bow before the Chevalier Ernest Thorn (Moses Abraham Thorn, 1853-1928). The "Chevalier" was a genuine title, a French knighthood bestowed upon him by King Norodom I of Cambodia (the…
Texas born Nell O'Day (1909-1989) was a kind of show biz Renaissance woman: Broadway dancer and performer, horseback ridin' star of westerns, writer of plays and screenplays, and more. Start…
Today, Dorothy Dalton (1893-1972) is perhaps best remembered for her two marriages, to actor Lew Cody (to whom she was married twice, 1910-11, 1913-14), and the Broadway producer Arthur Hamm…
Jakob "Jackie" Gerlich (1925-1960) is best remembered today as a member of the "Lollipop Guild" in The Wizard of Oz (1939) alongside Jerry Maren and Harry Doll. Gerlich was born in Vienna an…
I've kept a lid on this sad news for several days, awaiting the official announcement, but I see now that word has begun to get out " friend, colleague and mentor George Ferencz passed away …
Beatles fans know the name "Charles Hawtrey" from the Let it Be album. John Lennon intones it in his introduction to "I Dig a Pony", which he characteristically renders as "I Dig a Pygmy" (w…
