11,881 stories by "Trav S.D."
As will come as no surprise to those who know me even a little bit, in my youth I was never more inwardly arrogant than when sitting in a playwriting or screenwriting class. In theatre and f…
Today is the birthday of Charles Blondin (1824-1897) who did a tightrope walk over the gorge at Niagara, not once, but many times, and with many variations (on stilts, blindfolded, carrying …
Today is the birthday of the great Yiddish performer Molly Picon (for her full story go here). Here she is on record in 1931 singing “Yom Pom Pom”: To find out more about the…
Sometimes Weegee seems too good to be true….just when the world needed an intrepid and unflinching freelance crime photographer to document the seamier side of New York in the 193os an…
This post is one of a series honoring Black History Month. Perhaps he doesn’t look it, but this man was as important in his own way as W.E.B. DuBois. Well…maybe not. Billy Kersan…
Today is the birthday of Robert Alda (Alfonso Giuseppe Giovanni Roberto D’Abruzzo, 1914-1986). He started out as a singer and dancer in vaudeville, then moved to burlesque when vaudevi…
It’s Betty Hutton’s birthday (see here for her full bio). Check out this cool artifact, a 1977 interview with her onThe Mike Douglas Show: To find out more about the histo…
Today is the birthday of William Frawley, a.k.a I Love Lucy’s Fred Mertz. Go here for more on him. Fans of the show know of his vaudeville pedigree. Here’s proof: To find out mor…
Today is Buffalo Bill Cody’s birthday. For my full enconium on the man go here. Below is a clip of him circa 1917, not long before he died. Got no idea what that hasty-sounding narr…
Today is the birthday of The Great One, Mr. Jackie Gleason. The fact that that title was bestowed upon him by Orson Welles will give some indication of how highly his artistry was regarded i…
This post is one of a series honoring Black History Month. Clinton “Dusty” Fletcher (1897-1954) is best known for the comedy routine, song and film “Open the Door, Richard&…
This post is one of a series honoring Black History Month. Today is the birthday of the great blues queen Ida Cox (1896-1967). For my full bio on her, go here. Here she is singing the “…
Today is the birthday of The Great Lafayette (Siegmund Neuberger, 1872-1911) one of vaudeville’s few literal martyrs. He moved to the U.S. from his native Munich at age 19 and b…
At the Brick Theater, that is! Why it’s just the Brick’s latest zany-themed indie theatre festival comin’ your way in a couple of months, that’s all! To find out how …
I am usually indifferent to the annual Oscar charades: I find the presentation grating and I’ve generally not seen any of the films, and that really doesn’t leave much to sink on…
Your correspondent likes to think he has a heart that can be touched. The list of Disney movies at which I've cried, now that I tally it up, is long indeed, and I was moved to tears in a cin…
Today is the birthday of Dave Apollon, the Yakov Smirnoff of the mandolin community (see my full bio here). Here he is with is swinging Fillipinos, performing “Sweet Sue” To find…
This post is one of a series honoring Black History Month. Today is the birthday of a pioneering African American musician James Reese Europe (for my full bio go here). And here he is with h…
Jules Munshin (born today in 1915) is the poor shlub who was one of the trio in On the Town, but is neither Gene Kelly nor Frank Sinatra. If you think that’s not an indignity, look at …
And now, here’s the final tid-bit from Shane Baker‘s Yiddish story-telling act,a little bit of magic – the next part of our Vaudephone series: Vaudephone is a co-…
 Today is the birthday of Hollywood film director Roland West. Born Roland Van Zimmer this day in 1885, he was part of a family of actors from Cleveland, OH. He began acting in vaudevill…
Seeing this movie got put off for awhile because I normally see first run movies with my kids and I assumed this wouldn’t be for them. But we rented it a few weeks ago and it passed th…
Today is the birthday of character actor Billy DeWolfe. (For my full article on him go here.) Here he is in full-on drag (with no effort to hide his famous mustache) in an ad for Ban Roll-on…
This post is one of a series honoring Black History Month. Trixie Smith (1895-1943) is no relation to Mamie Smith, Bessie Smith, and really no relation to Kate Smith. She is best known for h…
Quick! Run to your TV! Jacques Tati’s warm, hilarious semi-silent comedy M. Hulot’s Holiday is on TCM this morning at 10:30 Eastern! Go here to learn more about Tati. Now, go! Ru…
