11,812 stories by "Trav S.D."
This just in off the transom: Jimmy Webb, former manager and buyer at the punk clothing punk Trash and Vaudeville has died at age 62. NB: this is NOT the same Jimmy Webb who wrote "Up, Up an…
Now…I could do a worshipful, respectful post about the genius of Rod Steiger (1925-2002) as a Method Actor, but, children, that has been done. By the bushelful. There's not exactly a short…
Happy birthday to our third President (1743-1826), principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and purchaser of Louisiana, among a thousand other accomplishments. Jefferson's mother…
Happy Easter! It's well timed this year, isn't it? Thanks to Spring Hay Fever I go to bed at least once a week convinced I'm going to die, and then wake up the next morning, lo and behold, I…
The name Harold Lockwood (1887-1918) might well be better remembered if the silent movie star's life hadn't been cruelly cut down at age 31. Originally from Newark, Lockwood started out acti…
Paul Douglas (Paul Douglas Fleischer, 1907-1959) was memorably cast as a cuckolded husband in Fritz Lang's adaptation of Clifford Odets' Clash by Night (1952), in which Robert Ryan beat his …
For someone who performed under three professional names, Harry Morgan (1915-2011) achieved the near impossible by becoming a household word. On stage he went by his given name Harry Brat…
Today we chiefly remember George Arliss (August George Andrews, 1868-1946) as the answer to trivia questions. He was the first Brit to receive an Oscar, as well as the earliest born to recei…
Today we give three blasts of the shotgun in salute to the late Kevin "Chuck" Connors (1921-92) and the western TV series he starred in The Rifleman (1958-63). It's no longer widely known, i…
50 years ago today, Paul McCartney issued a public statement that resulted in the break-up of the Beatles. But it needn't have. His press release, structured in the form of a self-conducted …
Carl Perkins (1932-98) may be the last of the major '50s rockers I haven't yet written about, but it's his birthday today, and tomorrow is a very important Beatles anniversary, so I figure I…
A hearty "Yah!" and a crack of the bullwhip today in salute to the great Hollywood actor Ward Bond (1903-1960). Raised in Nebraska and Colorado, Bond was a star of the USC football team, whi…
Thomas Meighan (1879-1936), though totally forgotten today, was a major star in his time, earning as much as $10,000 a week at his peak. Originally from Pittsburgh, he was a Broadway stage s…
There's a book review below, but first a necessary diatribe. I know there will be more than a few who object to the publishing or reading of a book by this author, much less the posting of a…
Some brief words of tribute to the influential singer Billie Holiday (Eleanora Fagan, 1915-59). "Influential" is kind of an understatement " I can't even count the number of female singers (…
I hope you won't be too disappointed to learn that the title of this post doesn't refer to a family of Little People. The Shorts were a family of actors of the early 20th century who started…
Apropos of nothing but badly needed escapism: we herewith rank the top game show phonies of my youth (the 1970s), from most to least nauseating. Categories include: Most Oleaginous, Most Lec…
In honor of the natal day of the great Gregory Peck (1916-2003), a little survey of some of his western films from across the decades. Duel in the Sun (1946) An astounding, glorious mess …
Today we recall that long-ago era when a man, even a movie star, could be called "Melvyn" with impunity. The one we have in mind is of course movie star Melvyn Douglas (Melvyn Edouard Hes…
Thank you, Kevin Fitzpatrick, for reminding us of actor/playwright/producer/director Winchell Smith (1871-1933), an important man of the theatre, and, indirectly, of early 20th century Ameri…
Esther Howard (1892-1965) is best remembered for playing dowagers and dames in comedies and crime dramas, but she had range " she also did Irish characters, homeless women, lady criminals an…
A brief sketch on the husband-wife eccentric dance team of Lorraine and Rognan, best known for their appearances in two Hollywood musicals, and the spectacular, tragic end of their act durin…
I used great deliberation in titling this memoriam to actor Leslie Howard (Leslie Howard Steiner, 1893-1943). We tend to remember him for one thing, his most famous role, but it's a practica…
My modus operandi in creating this blog is to constantly work a list of names on a calendar. Occasionally, a date arrives and I find myself stumped as to why I had placed a name there. Case …
Today being the birthday of magician William Ellsworth Robinson a.a. Chung Ling Soo (1861-1918) whom we first wrote about here. Seems a fitting time for a little plug for Jim Steinmeyer's 20…
