11,875 stories by "Trav S.D."
Today is the birthday of Star of Vaudeville #281: Gracie Fields (for more on “our Gracie” go here). Here she is singing her naughty song “The Biggest Aspidistra in the Worl…
Marshall Montgomery (1886-1942) was a top ventriloquist of the vaudeville years who traveled the world with his act. He’d begun his career with a musical comedy act, doing an impres…
Well today’s the King’s birthday (1935-1977). Early celebrity deaths don’t usually make me sad, but Elvis’s does, because it was so senseless and preventable and he c…
Today is the birthday of that great low comedian Larry Storch (b. 1923). Originally a night club comedian, he is of course best known for his role as Corporal Agarn in the hit series F Tr…
CONEY ISLAND USA SPRING GALA 2013: THE BURLESQUE MANIFESTO SATURDAY, MARCH 9 7PM – 11PM WEBSTER HALL 125 EAST 11 ST (BETWEEN 3RD AND 4TH AVE.) NEW YORK, NYÂ Join Coney Island USA as…
One of the most rewarding aspects of having written No Applause and this blog has been hearing from the descendants of the performers I write about, sometimes expressing appreciation, someti…
Alfred Latell (born Aldred Lee, ca. 1880s-1951) made a surprisingly good career for himself in vaudeville as an animal impressionist. Wearing elaborate, lifelike costumes, he  imperson…
I got a nice New Year’s surprise this weekend from Martin Denton and Indie Theatre Now — they’ve added a bunch more of my plays to my Indie Theatre Now page. What’s m…
Today is the birthday of the great African American character actress Thelma “Butterfly” McQueen (1907-1995). In her honor, I am not going to talk about or even mention her most …
I liked the Big Apple Circus show so much this season I had to see it twice. One thing I did miss, however, were the elephants Anna May and Ned. Why were they missing? Well, I’m here t…
Today is the birthday of Star of Vaudeville #101, the great dancer Leonard Reed (for my full bio on the inventor of the shim sham shimmy, go here). I have no clips of him dancing, but …
Today is the birthday of “Professor” William S. Hutchings (1832-1911), billed in vaudeville and dime museums as the “Lightning Calculator”. Hutching was a math prodig…
Pulaski, NY native Ada Briggs started with Barnum and other NY dime museums in the 1870s and her career lasted past the turn of the 20th century. Her marketing niche was that was not only &#…
Thanks to the entrepreneurial acumen of Jim Moore (and the fact that I bought it) I am now the proud owner of one of five limited edition Vaudevisuals.com hoodies. I can’t think of a b…
Minnie Woolsey (ca. 1880-1960) was born in Georgia, U.S.A. with a rare condition that caused her to be small in stature with a prominent, bald cranium, a small chin, large ears, and a case o…
In 50 Years in Theatrical Management, impresario M.B. Leavitt referred to Kate Pennoyer as “one of the most prominent of early American dancers”. She specialized in ballet but al…
Today is the birthday of Danny Thomas (for my full article on this great American entertainer go here). In honor of the day here’s a swell clip from the Berle show. The influence…
This is one in a series of posts we are producing in connection with our new book Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube, available from Bear Manor Media…
Today is the birthday of cowboy star Tom Mix (1880-1940). A real life ranch hand and wrangler, he broke into films in 1909 at the Selig Polyscope Company. When that company folded in 1917, h…
Today is the birthday of the great American poet Carl Sandburg (1878-1967). I am exhilarated by his populism, though time has proven the inefficacy of his socialist beliefs. Sandburg&#…
Today is the birthday of Star of Vaudeville #280: Fred Niblo (for more on him and his vaudeville background, go here). This one goes out to the Crountess, who only yesterday was drawing pict…
This is one in a series of posts we are producing in connection with our new book Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube, available from Bear Manor Media…
Today is the birthday of Henry E. Dixey (1859-1943) star of melodrama, musical comedy and vaudeville. A Boston native, he started out at the age of ten in the role of the boy “Peanuts&…
Today is the birthday of Dame Adeline Genée (1878-1970). Born Anina Jensen, the Danish native later took the first name of the admired opera singer Adelina Patti, and the last name of her u…
