11,552 stories by "Trav S.D."
Far-Out in the 70s: A New Wave of Comedy 1969-1970 I’m freaking out twice over! First because I didn’t notice this mind-blower of a film series at the Film Forum until it had alr…
Some words of tribute to Frank B. Cooper (1891-1959), sometimes billed as F.B. Cooper, or Jack Cooper. Originally from Stockport, England Cooper started out performing in music hall in his n…
I see differing dates for the birthday of Carlotta Monti (Carlotta Montijo, 1907-1993); some give January 20, some the 25th. It makes me no never mind. The fact that today is the 25th is wha…
Film and TV director James Frawley passed away on Tuesday at the age of 82. Between directing the original Muppet Movie (1979) and half of the episodes of The Monkees, Frawley had a huge for…
We were watching an old episode of 30 Rock earlier this week and were amused when Liz Lemon bragged that she was going to see a movie at Anthology Film Archives. She said it to impress someb…
I promise this won’t be a habit, but it’s happened again! What are the odds? Yesterday we wrote about two old time performers named Sally Starr whose birthdays were two days apar…
I got a wonderful surprise when looking into the background of B movie western star Bob Steele (Robert Adrian Bradbury, 1907-1988); he too was in vaudeville. He grew up in a performing vaude…
Just a quick shout-out for the great cartoonist George McManus (1884-1954). Best remembered today as the creator of Bringing Up Father a.k.a. Jiggs and Maggie (or Maggie and Jigg…
Imagine my delight the other day when, after a brief confusion, I learned that there were not one but two 20th century performers named Sally Starr, both of whom worked with great comedians.…
A tribute today to the late Bill Bixby (Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III, 1934-1993). I would describe Bixby as a “likable, light” actor — he was more than up to a wide ran…
January 22 is the birthday of writer and former police officer Joseph Wambaugh (b. 1937). Wambaugh is a critical figure in the evolution of police drama, taking it into a direction of greate…
January 22 is the birthday of the legendary restaurateur Peter Luger (1922-41). Originally from Bavaria, Luger opened a dining and amusement establishment in then-predominantly German Wil…
Today we celebrate character actor J. Carrol Naish (1896-1973). Two surprising things about Naish’s Irish heritage (his parents were Irish immigrants to the U.S.): 1) That it exists at…
In addition to being Martin Luther King Day (see previous post), it also happens to be the first day of Broadway Week here in New York. We observe it with a little post about some musical…
Martin Luther King Day couldn’t be a better timed or more appropriate time to announce our upcoming blitz of African-American related content on Travalanche for Black History Month (Fe…
Returning this week: Me and Lee: The Musical, written by, songs by, and starring Jason Trachtenburg, of Pendulum Swings and the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players. Me and Lee is…
Sometime in the middle of the 1970s, to everyone’s delight, a direct marketing TV advertising campaign appeared out of nowhere hawking the records of a yodeling country singer named…
Paula Stone (1912-1997) was the daughter of Broadway and vaudeville legend Fred Stone and sister of Dorothy Stone, but she made her own “ripples” as well. Naturally, she started …
For our post on Cheers (1982-1993) we choose the birthday of the late Nicholas Colasanto (1924-1985), and we’ll make him a peg to hang the piece on as well. Cheers is one of my favo…
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was one of the first literary authors I ever read on my own for enjoyment, and from quite a young age. The initial entry points were undoubtedly the poems “…
Here’s an intriguing figure who will be well known to fans of Our Gang, Laurel and Hardy and other Hal Roach comedies. Lyle (pronounced “Lily”) Shipman (1889-1982) was born…
Christina Elizabeth “Dixie” Dunbar (1919-1991) took dance classes in her native Montgomery, Alabama, and demonstrated a talent that encouraged her mother to take her to New York.…
A nod today to Hollywood star Constance Moore (1920-2005). Despite the fact that she had very little experience in live theatre, there is sort of a vaudeville flavor to many of Moore’s…
Fehmer Christy “Chick” Chandler (1905-1988) was a blueblood who chafed at family discipline, chucked it, and jumped into show business with both feet, to the benefit of audiences…
Lillian Bond (1908-1991) was a London chorine who made good in memorable parts on stage and screen in the States, usually as sexpots and “other women”. Educated at Brompton Orato…
