11,875 stories by "Trav S.D."
Today is the birthday of J. Stuart Blackton (1875-1941), an important figure in American show biz history on several fronts who deserves to be much better known. Born in Yorkshire, England h…
Today is the birthday of Star of Vaudeville #279: Jack Norworth (for the full skinny on this singer/ songwriter/ accompanist go here). And now, here he is singing that perennial old tongue t…
Today is the birthday of Eddie Tamblyn (1907-1957), father of Russ and Larry, grandfather of Amber. Never a star per se, he worked in vaudeville, Broadway and Hollywood (which is better than…
Okay, I thought I’d seen everything — or at least I thought I’d seen the upper limit in the line of differently-abled tap dancers in the person of Peg Leg Bates. Uh-uh. The…
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…
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 that great musical-poetic iconoclast Van Dyke Parks. Oddly enough, experimentalism and Americana go hand in hand –Â the list of writers, poets, painters and …
The Hall of Hams is my series on some of my favorite actors who have brought the art of melodramatic acting into the modern era. Today is the birthday of Ray Milland (1907-1986). Milland is …
Today is the birthday of LaVonda Stapp, (1920-1963), variously billed as Tiny LaVonda, Little LaVonda, Princess Lavonda, and Lady LaVonda, and always “The Smallest Woman in the World.&…
Funny how unfolding events become clearer in retrospect. More than anyone, it seems to me, police procedural television auteur Jack Webb is father of the “partners” trope, whi…
Loney Haskell (1870-1933) made his greatest fame as a big time monologist and master of ceremonies at Hammerstein’s Victoria. His given name was Lorne Levy; Loney is a corruption of hi…
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 Lucia Zarate (1864-1890), one of the tiniest people ever recorded since civilization started keeping track of such things. Born in San Carlos, Mexico, her gro…
Today is the birthday of legendary burlesque performer Blaze Starr (Fannie Belle Fleming, b. 1932). The striking West Virginia native was discovered working in a Washington DC donut shop by …
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…
Happy Old Year! Forgive me for taking this traditional moment for crowing, but a little mental calculus has resulted in a bursting of the dam. 2012 was easily the best year of my professiona…
Today is the birthday of John Denver (1943-1997). In 1974, there was a TV movie (followed by a short-lived tv series) called Sunshine that used Denver’s recent hit “Sunshine on M…
Today is the birthday of Star of Vaudeville #412: Rex Allen (for more on this cowboy star go here). And now here he is singing his over-the-top hilarious politically incorrect 1963 hit song …
Today is the birthday of Odetta (1930-2008). Her profile is different from most other African Americans associated with folk and blues music in that she trained in opera and got her start in…
Today is the birthday of Tin Pan Alley songwriter Edgar Leslie (1885-1976). He began writing songs for vaudeville acts in 1909, among them Nat Wills, Joe Welch, James Barton, Lew Dockstader,…
Today is the birthday of Adolph Amrein, a.k.a Ade Duval (1898-1965). He began his vaudeville career in the arly twenties with Andrew Blaeser in an act billed as the Duval Brothers. When the …
Okay, last one today, I promise! The musical stars must be truly alligned for December 30. It’s also Michael Nesmith’s birthday. I’ve already written a bit about the Monkee…
Today is the birthday of Ellas McDaniel, better known as Bo Diddley (1928-2008). While not usually placed in the pantheon of influential 50s rockers that includes Elvis, Chuck Berry, Buddy H…
A lot of music in the air today (and a couple of more posts after this!). Today is also the birthday of holy-punk-poet-saint Patti Smith. I first saw her/ heard her during her performance on…
