11,813 stories by "Trav S.D."
I first learned about the multi-faceted public figure Burr McIntosh (1862-1942) from Laurette Taylor's 1918 book The Greatest of These, which I read when I participated in Necromancers of th…
Diminutive dancer Lee Murray (Leterio Rosario Mari, 1905-1969) made an impression in show business, and not always a small one. Originally from Brooklyn, he danced in vaudeville from childho…
It's been very gratifying looking into the background of Alan Reed (Herbert Theodore Bergman, 1907-77), best remembered as the original voice of Fred Flintstone. Reed had a ton of exciting c…
Walter O'Keefe (1900-1983) had a hand in nearly every form and corner of show business, and though almost completely forgotten in our time, was very well known in his. Irish-American O'Keefe…
A tribute today to character actor Alan Mowbray (Alfred Ernest Allen, 1896-1969). Like Arthur Treacher, Reginald Gardiner and others, Mowbray was one of Hollywood's "go to" Englishmen for se…
Texas-born character actor Lucien Littlefield (1895-1960) amassed nearly 300 screen credits over a 46 year career. He was one of those chameleon style actors in the vein of Lon Chaney, altho…
Today a tribute to Chief Yowlachie (Daniel Simmons, 1891-1966). If you don't know the name, surely you know that face! Yowlachie was a full blood Yakama native from Washington State. Delight…
August 15 is the birthday of the great British show biz Renaissance Man Jim Dale (b. 1935). Dale is a major star of every medium in his home country. In the U.S. he's only truly conquered Br…
What an interesting figure is Albert Spalding (1888-1953). The namesake of his uncle, A.G. Spalding, pro ball player and co-founder with his father James of the famous sporting goods concern…
Steve Porter (1864-1946) was a popular American singer and recording artist and successful entrepreneur, active from the 1890s to the 1930s. As his date of birth is not known we have chosen …
Philadelphia-born stage and screen star Ethelind Terry (1899-1984) was renowned for her physical beauty and her lovely singing voice, which briefly catapulted her to the front ranks of Ameri…
Here's a little preview/ by-product of my upcoming Wizard of Oz talk on August 24. Arthur Hill (1875-1932) originated the role of the Cowardly Lion in the 1902 Broadway adaptation of L. Fran…
We are coming up on the 80th anniversary of my favorite movie The Wizard of Oz (1939). To celebrate, on August 24, I will visit the birthplace of American amusement, Coney Island, to speak a…
Olympe Bradna (Antionette Olympe Bradna, 1920-2012) was from a famous family of Bohemian circus equestrians. She was the niece of Fred and Ella Bradna, stars of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum…
August 12 is the birthdate of the great Mexican stage and screen comedian Cantinflas (Mario Moreno, 1911-1993). Cantinflas is considered (and positioned himself as) the Charlie Chaplin of Me…
Though they might know his name, classic comedy fans know the work of T. Roy Barnes (1880-1937) chiefly from two performances. He's the insurance salesman who disturbs W.C. Fields' rest in I…
We've already had occasion to talk about the foundings of several of the major Hollywood studios of the classic era (RKO, MGM, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, United Artists, Walt Disney), most…
This is part two of our two-part series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Tate-LaBianca murders. Part One, on the murders themselves, is here. Today we review Quentin Tarantino's Onc…
Like the Beatles' White Album, this bloated post comes in a set of two. This is Part One. Part Two, a review of Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, will follow either later…
It's taken me a good little while to get a proper bead on Stan Freberg (1926-2015) and I wanted to be pretty familiar with his work before presuming to write about it. I knew of his legend f…
A post today about funny character actress Renie Riano (1899-1971), whose first name was sometimes rendered as Rene, Renee, or Reine. (It's short for Irene and was pronounced "Reenie"). Rian…
A celebration of African American musician and composer Luckey Roberts (Charles Luckeyth Roberts, 1887-1968). Roberts was legendary for his epic reach on the piano; one hand could encompass …
The film career of June Travis (June Grabiner, 1914-2008) was surpassingly brief and so shall this post be. Travis was only in movies for three years (1935-38), but a few of those films touc…
I definitely want to let you know about Blood Brains in a Jukebox, Dick Zigun's new comedy-horror-rock opera (with music by Nikos Brisco) which is coming in November. I hope you can attend, …
What a drag it must have been to be a Tin Pan Alley songwriter named Arthur Fields yet to bear no relation to Lew, Herbert or Dorothy. When Abraham Finkelstein (1884-1953) too the name early…
