11,442 stories by "Trav S.D."
November 19 was the date of birth of our short-lived President James A. Garfield (1831-1881). I often like to boast (and in all truth as far as I can tell) that I am related to all the Presi…
November 19 was the birthday of Hollywood character actor George Barbier (1864-1945). What an interesting predicament. Barbier came to Hollywood movies at a time when his namesake, the Frenc…
Today's new Travalanche posts for November 18, 2025 are about musician and comedian Wilbur "Willie" Hall, and Dollywood/ Pigeon Forge. Earlier Travalanche posts for November 18 (in no partic…
At this point in this ongoing series I take the unusual step of giving a shout-out to an area of Tennessee my sons and I blew past in a rush to get somewhere else. This will thus be an odd p…
Fellow show buffs surely know the brightest moment in the career of Wilbur Hall (1894-1983), sometimes billed as Willy Hall. He's in Paul Whiteman's movie King of Jazz (1930). Hall is the gu…
Today's new Travalanche posts for November 17, 2025 are about Rock Hudson, who would be 100 years old today, and a Trav-a-log look at the culture of Knoxville, Tennessee. Thus, a little Rock…
Thanks be to son Cashel for building Knoxville (which I hadn't thought of) into our trip, for I loved what I saw of the town as we blasted through it, and I hope to go back sometime. And als…
Happy I am for this occasion to do a dedicated post on Rock Hudson (Roy Scherer, 1925-1985). The closest I have come previously were ones on McMillan & Wife and a couple of his movies. I…
Proceeding on from yesterday's post… The next leg of our journey was focused on the background of my paternal grandmother, Flora Parker (1912-1991). I remember Flora as a scary and primiti…
Today's new Travalanche posts for November 16, 2025 are about radio star Mary Margaret McBride, Ken Burns' American Revolution, and Part Six of the Southern Sojourn Series. Earlier Travalanc…
Well, I am appropriately excited, and you should be too. The American Revolution, Ken Burns' six part documentary series, co-directed with Sarah Botstein and co-produced by David Schmidt sta…
Here's a major figure from broadcast history whose memory has fallen by the wayside. Mary Margaret McBride (1899-1976) was a major star of radio, but unlike many entertainers or the kinds of…
I've been honored to know prolific author, jazz historian, and music critic Will Friedwald for years. The point of connection is obvious; we're deeply interested in the same era of American …
Today's new Travalanche post for November 15, 2025 concerns my appearance today on Will Friedwald's radio show Sing! Sing! Sing! Earlier Travalanche posts for November 15 (in no particular o…
Quite some time ago I took note of the fact that my father's hometown (yesterday's post) was just a stone's throw from Lynchburg, Tennessee, location of the Jack Daniels' Distillery, so I vo…
Today's new Travalanche posts for November 14, 2025 are about inventor and painter Robert Fulton, and a look at my dad's hometown in middle Tennessee. Earlier Travalanche posts for November …
Proceeding ahead from yesterday's post… As intended, this particular stop was to be the Jewel in the Crown of the experience, and will likely also be the longest post in the series. Nearly…
This post is an outgrowth of my recent one on Benjamin West. In putting that one together I learned the surprising fact that Robert Fulton (1765-1865), whom many of us have known about since…
Today's new Travalanche posts for November 13, 2025 are about Robert Sterling (the tv version of Topper), and a look at Tallulah Bankhead's hometown (and my great-grandfather's), Huntsville,…
To pick up where we left off " the next stop in our Odyssey was Hunstville, Alabama, just a couple of hours south of Nashville. "The Rocket City"? you may well ask, based on the sign above. …
We have taken a trip to the silver mines this morning, discovering a lode of unsuspected ore in the life and career of Robert Sterling (William S. Hart, 1917-2006). I say "unsuspected" becau…
Today's new Travalanche posts for November 12, 2025 are about character actor Liam Dunn and and the culture of the Southern frontier as transmitted through the museums of Nashville. Earlier …
Here's a mind-blower and no mistake: character actor Liam Dunn (1916-1976) was only 59 years old at the time of his death! During his heyday, the last ten years of his life, audiences surely…
Part Two of our extended series on our recent heritage trip, as well as Part Two of our visit to Nashville. The hijinx we reported in yesterday's post about Nashville music and nightlife was…
Today's new Travalanche posts for November 11, 2025 are about Rob Riggle (and his connection to both Veteran's Day and September 11), Millicent Patrick (Creature from the Black Lagoon), "mys…
