11,813 stories by "Trav S.D."
Stanley Adams (1915-77) is well known to fans of the original Star Trek for his bravura, over-the-top performance as the unscrupulous trader Cyrano Jones in the episode "The Trouble with Tri…
As we announced here, our Stars of Vaudeville blog series turned ten years old this month. To celebrate we hope you will join us at this: April 16: The Stars of Vaudeville 10th Anniversary C…
Jewish sports legend Benny Leonard (Benjamin Leiner, 1896-1947) also dabbled in vaudeville and silent film. Considered by many to be one of the greatest boxers of all time, he was the world …
Having had many an occasion to refer to this organization, and having done posts on many of its rival concerns, today a brief look at the Sells-Floto Circus. Like all the big American circus…
San Francisco born Milburn Morante (sometimes rendered Moranti, 1887-1964) started out in vaudeville with his brother Al and father Joe as one of The Three Morantes. Morante's first known fi…
A few words on familiar character actor Jed Prouty (Clarence Gordon Prouty, 1879-1956). A Boston native, Prouty broke into vaudeville and stock theatre as a teenager. There is a Jed Prouty I…
Celebrity impressionist, comic and character actor Frank Gorshin (1933-2005) has somewhere around 250 film and tv credits, and scores of live theatre and nightclub credits to his name. It wo…
Army brat Charlotte Merriam (1906-1972) was only 13 years old when she was cast in the Universal picture A Flip of the Coin (1919). This led to her appearing in a series of comedies with Edd…
Marion Aye (1903-1951) had a fairly good run of about six years in silent film, mostly comedies, culminating with a fairly abrupt parting of the ways, and eventually tragedy. The daughter of…
We've spilled a good bit of ink, virtual and otherwise, on the topic of silent screen comedian Larry Semon over the years. Much like his better remembered rivals Charlie Chaplin and Buster K…
Thanks to the still thriving chain of dance schools, the name Arthur Murray remains nearly as famous as it ever was. Certainly more famous than Moses Teichman, his given name. Murray (1895-1…
Florida-born Frances Langford (Frances Newbern, 1913-2005) was one of the most prominent members of that rare, fleeting subspecies: a star whose stardom and lasting memory burned brightest i…
Huzzah and Many Happy Returns of the Day! Today marks the 10th anniversary of my Stars of Vaudeville series, which is effectively the 10th anniversary of Travalanche. I had actually launched…
Some props for comedy character actor Jack Shutta (Charles Schutte, Jr., 1899-1957). Shutta started out in the family vaudeville act with his mother Augusta "Gussie" Shutta and his older sis…
A celebration this morning of Arthur "Dooley" Wilson (1886-1953). Today people know him pretty exclusively for his pivotal role as "Sam" in Casablanca (1942). But there's much more to his li…
The story of African American vaudeville performer Andrew Tribble (1876-1935) is crazy/rewarding all sorts of ways. Hailing from Richmond, Kentucky, he was the descendent and namesake of (wh…
Leona Anderson (1885-1973) had two careers in show business: one was about silence, one was about noise. The younger sister of cowboy star and mini-mogul Broncho Billy Anderson, Anderson app…
A few words about international stage and screen star Jack Buchanan (1891-1957). Buchanan was a British star, but he got a bit of a toehold in the U.S., as well, which ought to make him of m…
Here at the Travalanche Ranch, we're planning exciting stuff for throughout the year and into the next, but the time has come to let you know about all the exciting plans we have lined up fo…
Beloved character actor Ned Glass (1906-1984) is best remembered from two highly visible turns in the early 1960s: as Doc in West Side Story (1961) and as Gideon in Charade (1963). I was alr…
I have a couple of questions about the Dodge Sisters that are so delightful that I don't know that I ever want them answered. One sprouts from their names: Beth and Betty. Those are both com…
April 1 was the birthday of silent screen comedian Billy Mason (1889-1941), billed sometimes was William Mason, Smiling Billy Mason, Willy Pepper, or Baseball Bill. Originally from South Dak…
Scranton-born Carrie De Mar (1875-1963) was an influential star of vaudeville and musical comedy around the turn of the last century. De Mar's theatrical debut was with the Chicago Opera Hou…
April 1 was the birthday of Flora Zabelle (Flora Zabelle Mangasarian, 1880-1968) and it's unfortunate, for portions of her biography make it seem as though the teller were pulling your leg. …
With great pleasure, we close out Women's History Month, with a tribute to music hall star Jenny Hill (Elizabeth Jane Thompson, 1848-1896). Hill is often described as a contemporary of Bessi…
