11,555 stories by "Trav S.D."
Ben Model and Undercrank Productions have rocked my world yet again! Last night I watched their jaw-dropping new release, The Kinetophone! A Fact! A Reality! (available to the public t…
August 7 is the birthday of that great Jazz Age figure Gene Buck (Edward Eugene Buck, 1885-1957). Detroit-born Buck originally gained fame as a cover illustrator for Tin Pan Alley sheet musi…
Yesterday’s talk on Coney Island and Burlesque at Coney Island USA was a smasheroo thanks to a full house and a great performance by performing partner Vexy Minx a.k.a Enshara, whom th…
Charlie Chaplin’s mom (1865-1928) was born on August 6. The daughter of a London shoemaker, her birth name was Hannah Hill. At age 16 she went into music hall and changed her name to L…
Just got the news that Charlotte Rae has died at age 92. The jolly, effervescent, stout little ball of talent is best remembered for her character Edna the housekeeper on Diff’rent Str…
Having had occasion to refer to her a few times, today just a very few brief words on the great Latin beauty Dolores Del Rio (MarÃa de los Dolores Asúnsolo López-Negrete, 1904-1983)…
A brief shout out today to the great comedy writer Mel Tolkin (Shmuel Tolchinsky, 1913-2007). Born in a Jewish shtetl in the Ukraine, Tolkin moved to Montreal with his family when he was 13.…
I’ve wanted to do a post on this topic for ages. All in the Family (1971-1979) was a central, formative TV experience for me. My family watched it religiously, at least during the firs…
A brief shout-out on behalf of influential Broadway, resort, and television impresario Max Liebman (1902-1981). Liebman was born in Vienna Austria, and grew up in Brooklyn, where he attended…
August 2 is the birthday of Ashcan School artist John Sloane (1871-1951) so we thought we’d take the opportunity to share one of his works, and one of our favorite paintings in the Bro…
Some brief tribute to Myrna Loy (Myrna Williams, 1905-1993) today. The wider public tends to remember her exclusively for her Thin Man films with William Powell, and I’ll probably writ…
I’ve been attending (and covering) Theater for the New City’s annual free street theater production at least since 2004, when I included it in an article I wrote about protest th…
Larry Crane (Lawrence McCrann, 1877-1950) was a close-up magician who billed himself on the vaudeville stage as “The Irish Wizard”. Born in County Rosecommon, Ireland in August o…
All Hail, Ted Cassidy (1932-1979)! At 6’9″ tall you bet we bow down to him, although one would hardly need to — he was 3/4 of a foot taller than me! As his fans know from h…
Hey check it out! Michele Gouviea, chair of the West Fest Committee sat down with Joanna and Kevin’s Big Show to talk about the upcoming West Fest, our celebration organized around …
Princess Radjah (sometimes spelled Princess Rajah) was one of those rare but irreplaceable links between the sideshow midway and the big time vaudeville stage. Her real name was Rose (or Ros…
Well now, sometimes I’m tardy getting to time-sensitive material but seldom this tardy! And yet, perhaps a review of 100 year old movies isn’t so time-sensitive after all. Volume…
Wow. It is a testament to a life well lived that when I googled Norman Lear just now to find an image for this post, all the top images are from THIS YEAR. The guy just turned 96 years old, …
We’ve had occasion a few times here to refer to farcical American dramatist Charles H. Hoyt (1859-1900) so we do a post on him today, his birthday. A New Hampshire native, Hoyt attende…
July 25 is the birthday Irish-American vaudeville singer Andrew Mack (William Andrew McAloon, 1863-1931). Born and raised in Boston, McAloon started out in minstrel** shows as a teenager und…
I’ve had occasion to refer to this chap a few times on Travalanche so now I devote an entire post to playwright/screenwriter/director/ producer William C. de Mille (1878-1955). Today t…
July 24 is the birthday of Lynda Carter (b. 1951), so we take the occasion to recall the role she is best (almost exclusively) known for, the title role in the TV series Wonder Woman (1975-7…
A tribute today to character actress Mabel Albertson (1901-1982), perhaps best known for playing Darren’s mother on Bewitched, whose visits usually culminated in the hilarious catchphr…
August 4, 5pm: Coney Island and the Birth of Burlesque Coney Island Museum (Coney Island USA ) Talk included with Museum Admission. $5 for Adults, $3 for Seniors, Kids (under 12) and residen…
With very little imagination one can picture this bare-bones, but highly skilled production, touring on the back of a wagon from village to village across the Pale of Settlement. It's not po…
