11,511 stories by "Trav S.D."
Miracle of miracles, a silent comedy star I haven't yet written about. I don't know how Glen Cavender (1883-1962) slipped through the cracks (maybe I thought Glenn Tryon was Glenn enough) bu…
Today we celebrate the late James Haskins (1941-2005), author of somewhere upwards of 150 books for young people and adults. We know of Haskins chiefly on account of two works in particular:…
Great news! Today is the pub date for Eve Golden's new book Strictly Dynamite: The Sensational Life of Lupe Velez. Fans know the high marks set by Eve's earlier works on Jean Harlow, Theda B…
I wish there was a better encapsulating title for "man (or woman) of the theatre". There have been many such figures over the centuries, people who performed too many important functions wit…
On account of the tumultuous nature of the 20th century, the Hungarian-Jewish producer-director Sir Alexander Korda (Sándor László Kellner, 1893-1956) became a film-maker of interna…
A respectful nod today to the work of actor/director Joseph Pevney (1911-2008). Pevney's is not one of your more widely circulated Hollywood names, so I'll help you out at the top. His films…
September 15, 1973 is the most frequently given pub date of the first edition of the book Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Sometimes Zeppo, by Joe Adamson " 50 years ago today. Many or most die-ha…
Amy Winehouse (1983-2011) would have been 40 years old today, had she not joined the 27 Club a dozen years ago. As I grow older and less engaged with a lot of contemporary pop culture, Wineh…
20 years ago today marked the television premiere of the HBO television show Carnivà le (2003-2005). Of course I'm a fan of this show, given its Depression era carnival setting, though lik…
News you can use, but you gotta act fast! Mark St. Leon, who I mentioned in my earlier post on Elsie St. Leon is giving a talk on his famous circus family at Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gard…
I have but little doubt that many look at the "books and authors" section of Travalanche and walk away thinking "ya basic". I'm a lover of classics, and this section is a sort of morgue of D…
As we've amassed a bunch of pieces related to the events of 9/11 here, as well as on my other blog, and elsewhere, I've created this hub from which they all can be accessed. 9/11: America's …
I had the pleasure and honor of working closely with neo-burlesque queen Angie Pontani on her revue Burlesque-a-pades about a decade ago. I learned tons in the doing of it; it was the princi…
It's surely not necessary for you to remember the name Matthew Betz (1881-1938), particularly since he himself used a variety of professional aliases, like M.C. Von Betz, Matthew Von Betz, e…
I cannot tell a lie, all the good intel on Alice Washburn (1860-1929) comes from Steve Massa's indispensable tome Slapstick Divas. I'll give you broad strokes; there are lots more specifics …
The writer known as O. Henry (William Sydney Porter, 1862-1910) covered a lot of ground in his relatively short life: small town druggist, bank clerk, Texas ranch hand, hotel cigar vendor, p…
I am pleasantly surprised this morning to learn how much is now concretely known about the famous Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau (1801-1881), and her daughter Marie Laveau II (1827-ca. 1890s). I …
National Suicide Prevention Week, an annual public awareness campaign organized by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, launches today. It's not a pleasant topic, but it's an impo…
Today's post concerns not the esteemed President, but the son of the famous actor Joseph Jefferson, who went on to distinction in his own right, even if he did have a confusing name. This Th…
Had we not lost him earlier this year, today would have been the 64th birthday of The Amazing Johnathan (John Szeles, 1958-2023). Early as his passing was, it might have been much earlier. H…
Born 100 years ago today: actor Cliff Robertson (Cliff Parker Robertson III, 1923-2011). In preparing this post I came across a quote about Robertson to the effect that he "never became a ma…
Okay, I freely admit that this is not the most momentous day in show business history, although it may be somewhat of note to people precisely my age: today marks the 50th anniversary of the…
Few voice-over actors had the range of Don Messick (1926-1997), who could go from straight parts to character roles to non-humans (a specialty) often in the same cartoon, without the audienc…
Most sources are telling the life and death of Gary Wright (1943-2023) wrong, so I feel compelled to step in and attempt a better job of it. The headlines are reading like Wright was a one h…
Born this day Hibiscus (George Edgerly Harris III, 1949-1982), founder of The Cockettes, The Angels of Light, et al. The Cockettes were a kind of anarchist, avant-garde, hippie, gay, San …
