11,836 stories by "Trav S.D."
Today is the birthday of actress/ author Florence Nash (1888-1950). As with her sister Mary Nash, her stage name also comes from her stepfather Philip F. Nash, an important vaudeville …
Could you die? Tomorrow, starting first thing in the morning, Turner Classic Movies will be showing the films of the mature Bob Hope — for 14 straight hours! Get ready to set your DVR …
If only H.P. Lovecraft had known while he was alive that some day he would have an entire international cult of devotees! But given his truck with the supernatural I’ll just bet he DID…
Today is the birthday of the late Richard Harris (1930-2002). I have yet to induct him into my Hall of Hams, though that event is inevitable. I thought it more pressing to discuss a particul…
I just heard from the grapevine who shares my apartment that John Guillermin has passed away. Even if you don’t know the name, you know his work. He directed several films in the 1960s…
Let the Halloween season officially begin! Every day in October I’m going to do at least one post (some days several) on horror films and spook comedies, mostly ones from the classic s…
On Tuesdays and Thursdays in October, Turner Classic Movies will be presenting a series of programs called Trailblazing Women, hosted by none other than Ileana Douglas. This seemed an au…
Despite yesterday’s oppressively nasty weather, the Mad Marchioness and I finally shook off our summertime torpor last night and poked our heads out into the world. It’s been mon…
Coincidentally, two different friends are releasing films for home consumption and I can’t recommend either of them highly enough! Heather Quinlan’s terrific documentary If These…
Phillips Carlin (1894-1971) was a radio broadcaster who got his start locally at New York’s WEAF, and then was the announcer for several national programs on NBC, as well as the 1926, …
Tonight (tomorrow morning really) on Turner Movie Classics: a pair of operatic if silent Lon Chaney “sad clown” pictures, (though neither one directed by Tod Browning): 12:15a…
The team of Gladys Clark and Henry (sometimes “Harry”) Bergman (1887-1962) were prominent in vaudeville throughout then teens and twenties. They often fronted tab shows produc…
Tomorrow and Monday at Film Forum, two exciting programs featuring Diane Baker, from the cast of Hitchcock’s Marnie (1964), William Castle’s Straight-Jacket (1964), and Pat…
Today is the birthday of actor Glenn Hunter (1894-1945). Hunter’s career lasted nearly thirty years, embracing Broadway, vaudeville and films. He was only 19 when he first made it to B…
3:45pm  (EST) Rio Lobo (1970) This is the last movie Howard Hawks directed and the law of diminishing returns applies. The first act is okay:  John Wayne is a civil war colonel o…
Filed under: BROOKLYN, Comedy, Indie Theatre Tagged: Acting Class for Comedians, BROOKLYN, Bushwick, Cobra Club
Sunday morning at 11am, the Film Forum in New York will be showing the Beatles’ classic A Hard Day’s Night as part of its Film Forum Jr. series. As we did with our recen…
Today is the birthday of Ray (or Nat) Nazarro (1902-1986). And today I fear I have more questions for you than answers on this subject. But they are interesting questions, so I share them. E…
Could there be a stupider name for this post? No! But I’m sorry, that’s all I could come up with! Today is the launch day for the annual celebration organized by the Netherland-A…
Filed under: Burlesk, Contemporary Variety, PLUGS Tagged: New York Burlesque Festival, NYBF
Bandleader Meyer Davis (1893-1976) was from the Washington, D.C. area. Â He started out with a musical quintet in high school (after the school band rejected him — his specialty was …
Today is the birthday of Beatrice Curtis (Beatrice Zinn, 1906-1963). Curtis was second generation show biz, the daughter of agent (and former vaudevillian) Jack Curtis and singer…
To date, the most satisfying (jaw-dropping) “read” on the subject of a comic book origin story has been Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay. Joinin…
All day tomorrow on Turner Classic Movies: a little chronological survey of films featuring independent, modern robots on the go! 6:00am (EST): Metropolis (1926) Fritz Lang's silent…
Since I gave them a mention this morning in a previous post, and I’m way overdue to do so, today I thought I’d do a post on Paramount’s series of Big Broadcast films (an…
