11,832 stories by "Trav S.D."
Originally posted on Mary Miley's Roaring Twenties: Vaudeville’s heyday lasted from about 1890 to about 1930. During that time, an estimated 2 million people EACH DAY attended a v…
A problem of ethics, and by extension, a problem of justice and of politics: what do we (society) do about the quantifiably, measurably, observably amoral? Systems are crude; we can only dev…
The Revelers were a popular and influential vocal group of the Jazz Age. The act consisted of a vocal quartet plus a pianist. The quartet, originally known as The Shannon Four, began p…
Herr George Techow of Hamburg, Germany toured the Keith Circuit and circuses such as Hagenbeck-Wallace, with a collection of trained house cats who could walk on their front feet, jump throu…
Gae Foster (born 1903) was from Bunker Hill, California. By age 17 she was already dancing with Fanchon and Marco in vaudeville and presentation houses. By 1925 she was assisting Fanchon in …
This new series of posts came out of the realization that I have relatives and roots in all 50 U.S. states. My ancestors lived in 14 of them (all on the eastern seaboard or adjacent), and I …
I’m informed that it’s National Bird Day, which raises the interesting question, “Is it National BIRD Day? Or NATIONAL BIRD Day?” i.e., a day to celebrate all of our …
This new series of posts came out of the realization that I have relatives and roots in all 50 U.S. states. My ancestors lived in 14 of them (all on the eastern seaboard or adjacent), and I …
Filed under: Comedy, Contemporary Variety, German, PLUGS, Singers, Singing Comediennes Tagged: burlesque, cabaret, Jenny Lee Mitchell, Mad Jenny, Slipper Room, Weimar
This new series of posts came out of the realization that I have relatives and roots in all 50 U.S. states. My ancestors lived in 14 of them (all on the eastern seaboard or adjacent), and I …
Today is the birthday of Florence Lawrence (Florence Annie Bridgwood, 1890-1938). Today she is best remembered as “The First Movie Star”, both because of her success as “Th…
This new series of posts came out of the realization that I have relatives and roots in all 50 U.S. states. My ancestors lived in 14 of them (all on the eastern seaboard or adjacent), and I …
Filed under: Burlesk, Contemporary Variety, PLUGS Tagged: burlesque, Dirty Blues Burlesque, Hangover Edition, Sid Gold's request Room
Happy New Year! Below, our annual pictorial recap of the year that was, here in Travyland. And boy would I like to turn the clock back a year! January: Was thrilled to be on the very first e…
During this festival of renewal, from deep within a nation a city predicated on change, a post on the virtues of preservation. I read Matthew Arnold’s Culture and Anarchy a few years b…
In honor of the day, some favorite movies featuring New Year’s Eve scenes. This holiday is often used to mark extreme or catastrophic change in the life of the characters or their envi…
This Sunday at 11am, as part of their Film Forum Jr Series, New York’s Film Forum will be showing the Buster Keaton feature Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928), co-directed by Chuck Reisne…
This new series of posts came out of the stunning realization that I have family in all 50 U.S. states. My ancestors lived in 14 of them, all on the eastern seaboard or adjacent, and I have …
See this week’s Chelsea Now for my article on Theater for the New City’s community meeting this week in response to NYC’s announced Cultural Plan. It was interesting &#…
This new series of posts came out of the stunning realization that I have family in all 50 U.S. states. My ancestors lived in 14 of them, all on the eastern seaboard or adjacent, and I have …
Originally posted on NOCD-NY: The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and Hester Street Collaborative have launched the development of New York City’s first-ever comprehensive cultural …
I didn’t see La La Land yet, but Dr. Harriet Fields reports she spotted the mural containing her grandfather in the film. She says the mural is located “just off Hollywood Blv…
Filed under: Christmas, Indie Theatre, PLUGS Tagged: Glen Heroy, I Santa, LIC Bar
C Fields Fest continues! Come see me and Dr. Harriet Fields (W.C.’s only granddaughter, a global health advocate) as we present the neglected 1935 WC Fields classic Man on the Flyin…
We’ll be blogging about comedian W.C. Fields all through November and December as part of our tribute to the comedian called Fields Fest.  For a full list upcoming live Fields Fe…
