11,506 stories by "Trav S.D."
July 8, 1924 was the day that WNYC radio in New York first went on the air. It's been years since I was a regular listener, but I am a big fan of public media, and certainly went through pha…
…And Adelbert Knott (1858-1933), as well, for he came onto the scene first. Hailing from Tyner, Indiana (about a half hour from South Bend), Knott was both a writer and an actor. He was on…
Brewster McCloud (1970) is one of the least well-remembered films by its director Robert Altman, and doesn't even top the list of movies people know which feature its star Bud Cort (surely t…
July is International 'Zine Month! The occasion has inspired a little navel gazing, for in those dim dark days before blogging was available, 'zines were the only way many of us could self-p…
Three P.T. Barnum posts in one day? This is unprecedented! I'm pretty sure I've never done that for anybody, two is the max. But I just so happened to have gotten three ideas for new Barnum …
The walking tour I referred to in the previous post was, as intended, a revivifying return to basics for this correspondent. As I mentioned in that post, locations connected to P.T. Barnum w…
This is the first of three new posts for our P.T. Barnum section today, in observance of the showman's birthday. He's top of mind at the moment because I conducted a walking tour of notable …
Henry (Enrico) Armetta (1888-1945) is top of mind at the moment because I recently watched the Marx Brothers' The Big Store (1941) while putting together my new book and prepped for Marxfest…
Happy 100th birthday to the still-kicking Eva Marie Saint! I confess the occasion presented me with something of a dilemma. Like everyone else I'm a big fan of her two biggest movies On the …
A few days ago I led a 13 mile walking tour tracing the origins of New York theatre to its peak in the 20th century. I began that tour at Castle Clinton National Monument in the Battery, not…
July 3 was the birthday of theatre critic, columnist and author John Mason Brown (1900-1969). Most of the major theatre critics of Brown's day enjoyed lingering pop culture fame by expanding…
I'm in major need of a laugh today (if you follow the news and have a half a brain I imagine you are too) so I am grateful that today is the birthday of Stephen Stucker (1947-1984). Stucker …
Born 200 years ago today, John Jeremiah Garrison (1824-1900), gold prospector, guide, hunter, lawman, sailor, scout, soldier, trapper, woodhawk, whiskey peddler, and more. Originally from Ne…
Yes, I know that Pride Month is just gone, but the thing is July 1 is Victor Willis's birthday. Willis (b. 1951) was the main singer and songwriter for the Village People, although amusingly…
It's been a minute since I've shared a guest post here on Travalanche, and I don't do it very frequently, but I am excited to be presenting one today. My most frequent guest poster has been …
It's June 29, and having already written about such June 29 Birthday Children as Richard Lewis, Fred Grandy, Nelson Eddy, Joan Davis, Slim Pickens, Ed Gardner (Duffy's Tavern), and Coney Isl…
I'm shocked and disappointed that no punk rocker appropriated the name of German strong man Max Sick (1882-1961). It certainly would live harmoniously alongside Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious, G…
Lloyd and Susan Ecker are the world's ultimate Sophie Tucker boosters " they've released a book, and a documentary, and a soundtrack CD to same, and I don't know what all. Oh, wait! I KNOW w…
Theodore "Tiny" Roebuck (1906-1969) was a Native American athlete who dabbled in film acting in the 1930s. A member of the Choctaw tribe, Roebuck hailed from the Lenton Territory in what is …
June 25 was the birthday of Bessie Poole (1895-1928). If you were crude and in a hurry you might describe Poole as "W.C. Fields' side piece", but that would be inaccurate for many reasons. E…
June 24 was the birthday of dancer/choreographer/impresario Margaret Kelly (1910-2004); June 20 was the opening day in 1946 of the Paris venue she was long associated with, Le Lido. Four nat…
This post represents a confluence of two compelling forces: some cool radio clips that John Tefteller played at Marxfest last month, and the advent of the new Advertising and Brands section …
Illustrator Drew Friedman is well known to all those in the Classic Comedy Cult. As the title of one of his better known books reminds us, he's the guy who draws all the Old Jewish Comedians…
Somebody shared this 1951 Look magazine cover online the other day, and it seemed the perfect touchstone for a new post connecting you with links to my articles on the various comedians prof…
Sir H. Rider Haggard (1856-1925) was born of a June 22. As a young man, the well connected Haggard had served in a succession of administrative and diplomatic posts in British colonial South…
