11,537 stories by "Trav S.D."
Josephine Joseph is almost exclusively known today as the He/She in the movie Freaks (1932). His/her most memorable scene was the one where stuttering Rosco Ates says to Hercules (Henry Vict…
Oscar-nominated actress Susan Peters (1921-1952) enjoyed a spell in the sunlight that was all too brief due to a hunting accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. But she fought …
I am old enough to remember Ken Curtis (1916-1991) as the kooky comic relief on Gunsmoke, as Matt Dillon's deputy sidekick Festus. It's rewarding to learn that he has a rich show biz pedigre…
It's Canada Day today and well past time I should talk about my favorite comedy show of all time, SCTV. I've referred to it three dozen times so far on Travalanche, and written about several…
When Margherita "Madge" Evans (1909-1981) chalked up her final screen credit in 1958 she had been a professional for nearly a half century. She started out as a child model at age two, in ad…
I've long wanted wanted to create a July 4th celebration that also celebrated one of the more famous people to have that birthday (though there are dissenters as to whether he was born that …
I regret to report that Nelson Eddy (1901-1967) is not what you get when you cross Duane Eddy with Nelson, 'cuz that would be a mighty cool music act. I have been remiss in not posting about…
I like the photo above because it provides one justification for the screen name of western actor Slim Pickens (Louis Burton Lindley Jr, 1919-1983). He actually was slim at one time (those o…
Neil Burgess (1846-1910) was a comic drag performer in the early days of vaudeville who specialized in playing elderly widows. Originally from Boston, his first such turn came when he had to…
Andrew Tombes (1885-1976) was a comical character actor of stage and screen whose career lasted about 50 years. Originally from Ashtabula, Ohio, Tombes started out as a comedian in minstrel …
Well, today is the last day of Pride Week in NYC, and would have been the day of the Pride Parade (though it was the day of a Pride Protest March), and we are a couple of days away from the …
The Keech Brothers were Alvin (1890-1948) and Kelvin (1895-1977). Born in Honolulu before Hawaii was even a U.S. territory (though the colonial takeover had begun), the boys were adept ukule…
I'm a multi-tasker: my daily routine includes catching up on the highlights of the previous night's late shows on Youtube, while I do the busywork of sharing my blogposts. It's an exciting t…
So Chaplin Days begins today (you can see my video talk on "Chaplin and Vaudeville" here) so it seemed a propitious day for a preliminary post on a contemporary artist I'm presently obsessin…
Maurice Rocco (Rockhold, 1915-1976) was the boogie-woogie piano showman who originated the idea of playing while standing up. He claimed he first did it when a tough guy appropriated his ben…
A reader got in touch yesterday to comment on a list we shared here about five years ago which reported on the popularity of the various classic comedians on Travalanche (he was pleased to s…
Comedy writer Wilkie C. Mahoney has one champion on this world, and a fierce one it is. Journalist Bob Sarber knew him personally as a family friend when he was growing up. Nine months ago, …
Wow! just got a stellar plug for my book No Applause by Adam Buckman on MediaPost's TV Blog. The context is blackface and comedians Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel. It's pretty intimidating to…
I am very proud to be taking part in two very cool online events happening this week, which I hope will check out: My two part online video talk on Charlie Chaplin and Vaudeville will go onl…
An appreciation today for stage and screen director/choreographer/dancer/actor Bob Fosse (1927-1987). Your author had to mature and steep himself in show biz history for decades before truly…
Today we write of a family that figured in films for a time. The father, Arthur Forde (sometimes billed as Arthur Hanna Ford, 1871-1952) would prove to be the most minor. Originally from …
Those who visit New York's Broadway district may have had occasion to encounter the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street). As a vaudeville fan I was pretty irate in 2003 when the owne…
Well, the great Sir Ian Holm (1931-2020) has shuffled off this moral coil. I am overdue to include this RADA/ Royal Shakespeare alum to my Hall of Hams; let this occasion prompt his inclusio…
Cornfed comic actor Pat Buttram (1915-1994) was known primarily for three things: 1) playing Mr. Haney on the sitcoms Green Acres and Petticoat Junction; 2) highly recognizable voice-overs i…
We've had cause to mention Dick Foran (John Nicholas Foran, 1910-79) a few times on Travalanche. It's hard to drop a lasso around this actor " he's most commonly characterized as a B movie w…
