11,841 stories by "Trav S.d."
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 …
Only our ignorance has prevented us from doing a dedicated post on Daryl F. Zanuck (1902-1979) hitherto " but it's not the ignorance you think. I mean, I know all the classic Hollywood pictu…
"Sardoodledom" is that coinage of George Bernard Shaw's to describe what he took to be one of the diseases of his age, an undue reverence on the part of the public and theatre professionals …
Even the most arcane esoteric abstract aesthetic theorist of the 20th century turns out to have a pop culture angle. A few in fact. The first is that long before his theatrical scribblings r…
Happy Labor Day, for those who celebrate. Does anyone? Labor Day is one of our most peculiar non-holiday holidays. Ostensibly it's the official day to celebrate the workers, but everyone kno…
Today is World Beard Day! Many, I suppose, will be celebrating beards in general, which is all well and good. I think right away of ancient Greeks, men of the 19th century, men of the 1960s …
September 2, 1953 is a day of special significance to some of us. It's the day Little Fugitive premiered at the Venice Film Festival. The title of this wonderful movie could apply to itself …
Above you see presented my small collection of some of the works of journalist, historian and pioneer of the True Crime genre Herbert Asbury (1891-1963). I'm quite sure I discovered Asbury t…
August 31 was the birthday of stage actress Florence Walton (1883-1981), whom I previously profiled here. As I mentioned in that earlier post, friend Mari Lyn Henry had the rare opportunity …
August 31 was the natal day of Robert Emmet Odlum (1851-1885), the first man to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge. You thought it was Steve Brodie, didn't you? Well, Brodie was the first man to j…
A few words today in celebration of Dick Vosburgh (1929-2007). New Jersey born and RADA educated, Vosburgh began writing for BBC radio in the 1950s. He then moved up to British television, w…
The briefest of squibs today on one of my favorite visual artists since boyhood, Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825). David's period of activity stretched from the end of the Ancien Régime, thr…
William Friedkin (1935-2023) was born August 29; we choose this year to add him to our annals as he passed away a couple of weeks ago; his final film is being released next month; and this y…
The title of this post is to indicate that we do NOT refer to the learned jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes JUNIOR (1841-1935) who served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1902 to 1932, and was the …
For whatever reason, I don't find Hal Thompson (1899-1966) half as objectionable as most of the ciphers and cigar store Indians who played the male love interests in Marx Brothers' comedies.…
I remember the exact moment I learned of the existence of Lyndon Johnson (1908-1973). I was about 7 years old and thumbing through one of those "books of Presidents" we had (we had several) …
August 27 was both the birth date and death date of Romanian-American singer and actress Lisette Verea (1914-2003). Verea is chiefly known for but one thing: her hot, hot, hot performance as…
This September 20, at 7:30pm we remind you to "Fall Back" and go "back to school" (old school) by attending the next edition of The Variety Store, at QED Â ,27-16 23rd Avenue, Astoria). Is…
I have absolutely zero recollection of why I assigned myself to celebrate the centennial of the birth of fairly obscure character Tom Mahoney (1923-1982), but what the, hell I'm going to go …
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) is top of mind at the moment for a variety of reasons: I was privileged recently to meet the daughter one of his principal proteges; Steven Spielberg recently r…
Dave Chappelle turns 50 today. Chappelle's Show premiered 20 years ago. Even mentioning his name here will likely inspire paroxysms of fury from many. I hope most people will be rational eno…
