11,841 stories by "Trav S.D."
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Douglas Fairbanks film The Americano (1916), written by Anita Loos and John Emerson, directed by the latter and shot by Victor Fl…
My worship of Bob Hope grows apace. He has always been a divisive figure, even among families. He was my maternal grandfather’s favorite comedian; my father hated him (he always detest…
 Here’s a bit of undigested news hot off the presses…more to follow, but here’s the official announcement: Contact: Ron Lasko @ 212-505-1700 x. 11 La MaMa ETC in ass…
Today is the anniversary of the release of Paramount’s all-star 1933 version of Alice in Wonderland, directed by Norman McLeod. A.I.W. is one of those works of literature that ha…
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Buster Keaton silent comedy short The Sacrecrow (1920, released the very same day as Neighbors). The Scarecrow is one of Ke…
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Buster Keaton silent comedy short Neighbors (1920, released on the very same day as The Scarecrow). Buster and his girl (Virginia…
Today is the birthday of George LeMaire (Meyer Goldstick, 1884-1930). I grow highly intrigued by the show biz LeMaire family (George, Rufus, William and Sam), as I find scattered references …
Today is the birthday of Junius Brutus Booth, Jr. (1821-1883). One might be tempted to describe him as the ne’er-do-well of the three Booth brothers, until you recall that one of those…
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the early Harold Lloyd comedy Peculiar Patients’ Pranks (1915), directed by Hal Roach. The second oldest surviving Lonesome Luke s…
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the release of the Keystone comedy Fatty and Minnie He-Haw. The title virtually says it all if you really use your noggin. The formula is essentia…
 Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Charley Chase short His Wooden Wedding (1925), directed by Leo McCarey. In this hilarious silent short, Chase plays a young man wh…
Tonight (tomorrow morning really) at 2 am (EST) Turner Classic Movies will be showing that new-old strange-oid classic Santa Claus (1959) This has to have been one of the first movies I e…
Filed under: Burlesk, Contemporary Variety, PLUGS Tagged: Coney Island USA, Twilight Zone Burlesque
Filed under: HOLIDAYS, FESTIVALS, MEMORIALS & PARADES, Music Tagged: Christmas, Gotham Holiday Swing, Town Hall, Vince Giordano
December 18, 1937 was the release date of the Mae West comedy Every Day’s a Holiday, directed by Eddie Sutherland. From a certain perspective it is the last proper Mae West starring ve…
December 18, 1915 was the release date of Charlie Chaplin’s Burlesque on Carmen . Chaplin's last official film for Essanay, Â Carmen would represent the fruit of his dawning ambition…
December 19, 1927 was the release date of the lost film Two Flaming Youths starring W.C. Fields and Chester Conklin. For a period of a few months Paramount tried the pair as a team, hoping t…
Arthur Frank Wertheim, author of the excellent Vaudeville Wars, has just released part one of his new, comprehensive two volume book on the career of W.C. Fields…just in time for…
December 16, 1916 was the release date of The Matrimaniac, starring Douglas Fairbanks and Constance Talmadge. This is one of the most physical, action-packed Fairbanks comedies, the whole pi…
Thanks Tricia Vita and Jim Moore for tipping me off to this great new book about the theatres of Coney Island. I’ve long known about the work of Cezar Del Valle – he is THE go-to…
Long time readers know of my ambivalence to the shopworn vehicle A Christmas Carol, expressed here a year ago in this epic post: http://travsd.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/too-many-chri…
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Charlie Chaplin short A Days’s Pleasure (1919). Critics have always panned this uncharacteristic little film; I find it intere…
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Larry Semon feature length comedy The Perfect Clown (1925). The plot concerns a young clerk who is charged with the task of deliveri…
Tonight starting at 8pm Eastern, Turner Classic Movies will be showing a perfect pairing of what remain two of the best cinematic Dickens’ adaptations to date. David Lean’s 19…
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Laurel and Hardy holiday classic Babes in Toyland a.k.a March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934). I’d never heard of this film until t…
