11,835 stories by "Trav S.D."
Today is the birthday of Irving Thalberg (1899-1936), a name well known to hardcore movie buffs as a visionary producer and studio chief; even better known to comedy buffs for his pivotal ro…
Today is the birthday of the great Hollywood producer/ director/ screenwriter Howard Hawks (1896-1977). He’s a big subject to tackle, and the king of many a genre. Today I’ll con…
We are apt to be pessimistic these days about so many things that we may forget the things there are to celebrate — and there are a great many of these, as well: more than you might su…
Today the nation observes Memorial Day, an official federal holiday since 1971, an unofficial one since the days following the Civil War, when there were 620,000 war dead to mourn (nearly ha…
Today is the birthday of Jazz Age playwright Avery Hopwood (1882-1928). Hopwood was long legendary for the feat of having four successful plays up on Broadway simultaneously, a feat la…
Preview performances for I’ll Say She Is, our revival of the lost 1924 Marx Brothers Broadway musical begin tomorrow! If you didn’t get your ticket yet, the more fool you! But th…
A thought occurred to me the other day: New York is such a large, complex and amazing city that events that would be earth-shaking elsewhere can go relatively unnoticed here. Case in point: …
This just in — and don’t be caught snoozin’! Bear Manor Media has announced a Memorial Day Sale, staring tomorrow May 28, 2016 and running through the end of the month. 30%…
 Today marks the 100th anniversary of the release date of the Charlie Chaplin comedy Police. Police was Chaplin’s last short for Essanay Studios. Rather spitefully, after he …
It’s John Wayne’s birthday! Why aren’t you having a party? You what? You don’t like John Wayne!? Haha, funny joke! I didn’t hear that! Now I’ve already do…
Today is the birthday of the late, great Levon Helm (1940-1912), the only American in The Band, but I think most of his fans will agree that he had enough America in him for a million Americ…
Today is the birthday of the great pugilist Robert “Bob” Fitzsimmons (1863-1917), a.k.a. “Ruby Robert” and “The Freckled Wonder”. Contemporary description…
It’s Fleet Week in New York as of this morning — and this reminded me that there’s many a classic comedy involving ships, sailors and sailing. And so here’s a selecti…
Happy National (and apparently International) Tap Dance Day! One of the things I enjoy doing is reading criticism from outside the accustomed vineyards in which I generally toil. Which i…
Marxfest, and the Fringe production of I’ll Say She Is (both 2014) were such a flurry of activity that I didn’t get to finish all that I set out to do during those months. The…
Today is the 75th birthday of that mod, mad minstrel Bob Dylan (Robert Zimmerman). Writing about an artist who’s so important to me is a Cow in a Can I have kept kicking down the road …
Today is the birthday of the great thespian Richard Mansfield (1857-1907). Mansfield’s background is every bit as interesting as his stage career (which I can’t wait to get to, e…
Happy Birthday to Charles Wilde Stewart, as fine a fellow as ever breathed, and gettin’ finer all the time. He asked for a copy of “Leaves of Grass” for his birthday —…
Filed under: Burlesk, Contemporary Variety, PLUGS Tagged: Beacon, Blue Revue, burlesque, Dr. Lucky, Hudson, Town Crier, variety
Just got word that the lovable Alan Young has passed away. English born/ Scottish raised entertainer Angus “Alan” Young (b. 1919) Â had a radio background at the Canadian Broad…
Today is the birthday of the most famous of all 20th century Stewarts, James “Jimmy” Maitland Stewart (1908-1997). Â Stewart was a member of an elite club, what might be called…
Filed under: Comedy, Contemporary Variety, Indie Theatre, Magicians/ Mind Readers/ Quick Change, PLUGS Tagged: Celebration of Whimsy, Deserted Island Adventure, Magic Brian, Variety Cruise
Today is the birthday of Johnny Arthur (John Lennox Arthur Williams, 1883-1951). The whining, whimpering, simpering Arthur is best known to classic comedy fans today for playing Darla&…
Follow this link to my new Chelsea Now piece about the reopening of the South Street Seaport Museum and their exhibition Street of Ships: The Port and Its People. One detail I didn…
Originally posted on FROM THE BYGONE: The “Black Bottom” refers to a dance which became popular in the 1920s, originating among African Americans in the rural South. It was adopt…
