11,865 stories by "Trav S.D."
Today we celebrate the birthday of the great film director James Whale (1889-1957). While chiefly known, revered and loved for his gothic horror films (infused with a layer of dark humor and…
Today is the birthday of Gus Elen (Ernest Augustus Elen, 1862-1940), one of the first of the so-called “coster comedians” of the English music hall. A cockney lad himself he had …
Today is the birthday of the great circus impresario John Robinson (1807-1888). Those dates are a matter of controversy (some give as early as 1802) as is the place of his birth a matter of …
Today is the birthday of Jesse Donald Knotts (1924-2006). Our big revelation is contained in the photo above. A West Virginia farm boy, Don Knotts began his performing career as a ventriloqu…
Today is the birthday of the legendary Harry Relph, a.k.a. “Little Tich” (1867-1928), star of English music hall and pantomime, and a much loved guest artist in American vaudevil…
JOE LAURIE, JR. "THE PINT-SIZED COMEDIAN" Remembered today as "the Homer of Vaudeville" because of two important books he wrote on the subject, Laurie is much more important to posterity for…
Today is the birthday of the prototypical American stage Irishman, Chancellor “Chauncey” Olcott (1858-1932). Starting out in minstrel shows, he had moved up to Broadway by the tu…
Elsie St. Leon (1884-1976) was one of the pre-eminent equestriennes of her day, a star of both circus and vaudeville. A third generation member of an Australian circus dynasty formed …
Originally posted in 2010 Harry Kellar's official successor was a man who billed himself simply as "Thurston" (his first name was actually Howard). Like Kellar, he made the leap from reli…
Originally from Hungary, the Spessierts anglicized their name to Spessardy and had a small travelling circus and menagerie, sometimes containing tigers and bears, sometimes (as in American v…
Filed under: African American Interest, Blackface & Minstrelsy, Comedy, Contemporary Variety, Jews/ Show Biz, Music, PLUGS, Singers Tagged: Fried Chicken and Latkes, Rain Pryor, Richard …
On Saturday, July 20th at 2:30, The Silent Clowns Film Series presents: photo courtesy Niles Essanay Film Museum Edward Everett Horton " in " “Helen’s Babies” Persnickety E…
Anthony Slide lists Adgie and Her Trained Lions as one of vaudeville’s top animal acts. The photo above, which demonstrates that part of her act was to do a ballet dance amongst the bi…
Today is the birthday of French painter Edgar Degas (1834-1917), often associated with, but not quite of the impressionists. Over half of the paintings in Degas’s oeuvre de…
Today is the birthday of Johaann Nepomuk Hofzinser (1806-1875), famous as a close-magic sleight of hand man, and inventor of many lasting illusions. A minor functionary in the Austrian-Hunga…
Tonight is opening night of Burlesque Blitz, Horse Trade’s annual burlesque festival. A fitting time to remind you of my own contribution to the proceedings, with the help of several G…
Today is the birthday of Lupe Vélez (1908-1944). While her career was not restricted to comedy by any means, it made up a substantial portion of her output and remains what she is bes…
Originally posted in 2010 Before starting his famous Hollywood BBQ restaurant in 1936, Russian born Dave Chasen was best known for being Joe Cook’s silent stooge in big tim…
Originally posted in 2011 Along with old school tv variety shows and children’s television, one of the main links between the vaudeville era and our own was the rock and roll novelty h…
Today is Red Skelton’s 100th birthday! (Originally posted in 2010) They really don’t make them remotely like Red Skelton any more. It’s not hard to analyze. As he would hav…
Today is the birthday of Montague “Monty” Banks (Mario Bianchi, 1897-1950). A native of Cesena, Italy, the short, barrel chested performer first came to the U.S. in 1914, dancing…
Today is the birthday of Dolly Dimples (b. Celesta Herrmann, 1901-1982), one of the most famous of all sideshow Fat Ladies. Originally from Cincinnati, Dolly weighed 150 lbs in the sixth gra…
Today is opening day of Vent Haven’s annual ventriloquism ConVENTion, held this year in Cincinnati, July 17-20. I really hope I get to cover it some time — what could be more ins…
Today is the birthday of the late, lamented Phyllis Diller (1917-2012). Having started in nightclubs, radio and television in the 1950s, she was still making public appearances in the months…
Originally posted in 2010. Vaudeville is where I learned my business. And truth to tell, it's where I had the most fun. –James Cagney The public has largely forgotten (if it ever k…
