11,542 stories by "Trav S.D."
Now that Jay Leno (b. 1950) has become Tip O'Neill, I like him again. I caught him on Bill Maher's show the other day after not having watched him in action for like a decade, and was deligh…
I only just became aware of actress Adele Mara (Adelaida Delgado, 1923-2010) on account of her appearance in the Joe E. Brown comedy western Shut My Big Mouth (1942). She was a Columbia cont…
Someone has decreed today to be Superhero Day and who am I to argue? While I have gotten more than my share of enjoyment out of most of the key comic book franchises, parody (of ANYTHING) is…
This one goes out to Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (1932-2014). Lebanese-American Kasem was from Detroit, and got his start in local radio in high school and later as a student at Wayne Statue Un…
Well now. It was no small matter getting to the bottom of the multi-generational Redgrave pool, with so many twists and turns and tributaries. It's enough material for a book, but as with my…
A few words on silent comedy supporting player Frank J. Coleman (1888-1948). A native of the Hudson River town of Newburgh, New York, Coleman started out acting with barnstorming outfits lik…
James T. Powers (James T. McGovern, 1862-1943) was a great 20th century stage clown, as well as a songwriter and playwright. Born in New York City of Irish-American parentage, Powers fell in…
Today we corral vaudeville animal impersonator Fred Woodward (1882-1960). Yes animal impersonation was a whole sub-specialty in vaudeville! Other animal impersonators we have profiled on Tra…
The Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show was just the most visible face of a vast economic empire based in Oklahoma. The 101 Ranch, located near Ponca City, in what was then known simply…
Paul Desmuke (1876-1949) was a native of Atacosca County, Texas. Born without arms, he became extremely proficient in the use of his feet. With his lower extremities, he could write, play th…
Yes it's true!, April 24 is the birthday of both Barbra Streisand and Shirley MacLaine (Shirley MacLean Beaty, b. 1934). Atsa lotta show biz for one day! The daughter of two Virginia educato…
I've had a couple of dozen occasions to refer to Barbra Streisand (b. 1942) on this blog, yet have never done a post on her (despite having done three posts on Bette Midler, and plans for mo…
Stella Adams (1883-1961) appeared in over 150 films, most notably as star, co-star or featured player in comedies produced by the Nestor and Christie studios. A native of Sherman, Texas, Ada…
Adele Blood (1886-1936) was a socialite and stage star whose finish was as spectacular as that in any melodrama. Three years later, a gun shot rang out again in a horrible echo of that theat…
Just got the news from her daughter Kaitlin Hopkins (also a lovely actress) that the highly respected stage and screen star Shirley Knight has passed at age 83. Knight was "Heavenly" (the…
The most startling thing I encountered about Hollywood bit player Rondo Hatton (1894-1946) this morning was that he never appeared in any of the Dick Tracy pictures with Ralph Byrd, whose bi…
A shout out today for a mug name of Ralph Byrd (1909-52). A native of Dayton, Ohio, Byrd first toured with the Albright Players stock company, and sang with dance bands. By the early 30s, he…
Great news, shut-ins! Bear Manor Media, publishers of my book Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube., are slashing 25% off the sale price of all books t…
Chinese-American character actor Sammee Tong (1901-1964) was a staple of films (and later television) for three decades, normally in supporting roles as cooks, servants, houseboys, and the l…
George O'Brien (1899-1985) is best remembered today as a star of western films (especially those of John Ford), and is less remembered by mainstream vintage movie buffs. But he also starred …
Ralph Earl Madsen (1897-1948) went by many handles during his professional life: R.E., Texas, Tex, "Big Boy", "Sky High" and Mr. Longellow among them. Madsen was sometimes rendered as "Mades…
Just some brief notes today on a distant cousin of mine, Barbara Hale (1922-2017). (When I say "distant" I mean our common ancestor was in 17th century Virginia. My great-grandmother Lucilla…
Just a few words on an obscure but interesting chap who made his mark, independent film producer Edward Finney (1903-83). An NYC native and graduate of City College, Finney was clearly the s…
Some jottings on the topic of Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) from my notebook on his natal day. In concession to varying attention spans, this survey of his plays will not be strictly chronolog…
 There's an unavoidable Hollywood Babylon structure to the life and death of William Holden (William Beedle Jr, 1918-1981). Not just because of his spectacularly awful, tragic-comic deat…
