11,511 stories by "Trav S.D."
August 19 was the baptismal date of author Samuel Richardson (1689-1761). Richardson's biographical profile is unique among early British literary figures in that he was an autodidact. He ha…
To blink would be to miss the career of Andrea Leeds (Antoinette Lees, 1913-1984). Leeds career blazed most brightly not long before she ended it, when she was nominated for an Oscar for her…
I only learned about this couple of performers a few days ago from the intrepid explorer Eve Golden. But as it happens, August 17 was the birthday of one of them, Ruth Tester (1903-1993). Te…
Dewey Robinson (1898-1950) specialized in rough-tough bruiser characters, appearing in well over 250 Hollywood movies in the two decades between 1931 and his death. He was frequently cast as…
For her 130th natal anniversary, here's something I should have implemented upon producing West Fest back in 2018: a finding aid to help you navigate the three dozen posts about Mae West on …
There are two reasons for choosing to reflect upon Madonna (Madonna Ciccone, b. 1958) on this particular birthday. 2023 puts us at the 40th anniversary of her entry onto the pop charts and h…
Romanian born Aben Kandel (1897-1993) was many things over his long career: a boxer, a fiction writer, playwright and screenwriter. The fact that the first of his half dozen novels was calle…
What can the title of this post refer to, you wonder? W.C. Fields wore all of his sins on his sleeve: drinking, smoking, and professed animadversions for such untouchable subjects of societa…
August 15 was the birthday of Johnny Roventini (1910-1989) better known to the public of his time as Johnny Philip Morris. The Brooklyn native was a Person of Small Stature " 3 feet, eleven …
We have multiple reasons for wanting to do a little tribute to Mike Connors (Krekor Ohanian, Jr., 1925-2017) over and beyond his most famous role on the tv show Mannix (1967-1975). To wit: -…
As I mentioned in my post about Jerry Lewis's tv shows, when I first saw the comedian in Scorsese's The King of Comedy (1982), I was to young to know the extent of the gimmick, i.e. I didn't…
Marx Brothers fans know of Erin Fleming (Marilyn Suzette Fleming, 1941-2003) chiefly through books like Steve Stoliar's Raised Eyebrows and Charlotte Chandler's Hello, I Must Be Going. The w…
I just heard from the great biographer Eve Golden that Tom Jones (1928-2002) has passed away. Don't worry, it's not the Welsh Elvis, but the other one, the one who wrote the book and lyrics …
I have been intrigued by H.P. Blavatsky (Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, 1831-1891), and the religion she founded, Theosophy, ever since I moved to New York and saw print ads for the center of th…
For World Elephant Day, we have one more to add to our post on the Elephants of Travalanche, with its links to a dozen relevant articles. For Old Bet, whom we wrote about just two weeks ago,…
I am astounded to realize this morning that Jerzy Grotowski (1933-1999) would only be turning 90 years old today. Absent the cancer that killed him at age 65 he could still be around, an age…
Born 100 years ago today: singer, dancer and actress Lita Baron (Isabel Castro, 1923-2015). Like Charo, Baron was from Spain, not Latin-America, though she benefitted from the Latin Craze of…
August 11, 1973 was the date on which "Father of Hip-Hop" DJ Kool Herc (Colin Campbell) first used a mixer to prolong a drumbeat break between LP records on two turntables, a date many are m…
Born this day, Fakir Musafar (Roland Loomis, 1930-2018). Loomis was a lot of things over the course of his life: an advertising executive, an Arthur Murray Dance Instructor, a demolitions sp…
Whew! I got this very good idea somewhat late in the day, but better late then never! It happens to be National Book Lovers Day, and rather than doing my usually thing of flogging my own pre…
Dorothy Jordan (1906-1988) was one of those lucky lookers plucked from the chorus and groomed for movie stardom. She's only in about two dozen films, but enough of them are sufficiently nota…
August 8 was the natal day of Louise Lester (1867-1952), widely regarded as the first female star of westerns. She starred in films for the Flying A studio in pictures with names like Crazy …
Pictured above is the Point Judith Lighthouse, located six miles from the house where I grew up. My dad used to drive there to park and think every day of his retirement. In high school, the…
I nod his morning to Loyal Underwood (1893-1966), a member of Charlie Chaplin's stock company from 1916 to 1923. I have been guilty on occasion of mistaking Underwood for James T. Kelley, I …
Thanks, Noah Diamond (the man who Noahs all) for tipping me the wink that there'd be an estate sale at the former Groucho Marx house in Great Neck today. As it's my town of residence, I'd ma…
