11,851 stories by "Trav S.d."
Like many other pro athletes, Jazz Age football star Red Grange (Harold Grange, 1903-1991), a.k.a. The Galloping Ghost also dabbled in show biz. Grange played for the University of Illinois …
Dolly Kay (Dora Kirschenbaum, 1900-1981) was a vaudeville and nightclub singer whose greatest fame came through recordings. She also performed under the names Margaret White and Sally Freema…
Freddy Fisher (1904-1967) was the leader of one of the most successful of those novelty bands that were so popular during the 1940s and the great age of radio, with an act that mixed swing a…
Today we share a delightful discovery with you: a man who worked the circuits for decades as a muli-skilled variety artist and then shifted gears in middle age to become a modernist painter …
June 10 is Portugal Day, held annually on the birthday of LuÃs de Camões, Portugal's National Poet. Having created entire sections on this blog devoted to various major ethnicities and…
Here's a benchmark calculated to make me feel like Methusaleh. Michael J. Fox turns 60 today. Soon he can start redeeming those senior citizen coupons for half-priced coffee. "Back to the Fu…
Leslie Banks (1890-1952) succeeded in having an interesting stage and screen career despite a setback that might have discouraged hearts less stout: one side of his face had been disfigured …
Fred Kaps (Abraham Pieter Adrianus Bongers, 1926-1980) was the Dutch magician who had the grave misfortune to follow the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show on their American debut in 1964. As a…
Just a few words today about Fay Adler(1907-1986), best known and remembered today for the minor role she played in the life and career of W.C. Fields. Adler was a native of San Bernadino, C…
Much like Toby Wing or Iris Adrian, Marion Martin (Marion Suplee, 1909-1985) came from the ranks of the chorus girls, and always carried an aura of the kickline about her, no matter the dist…
Fitting it is that the natal day of Maria Montez (MarÃa Ãfrica Gracia Vidal, 1912-1951) falls during Pride Month, for it is the right time to celebrate this gay icon. But there are oth…
I'll lay dollars to donuts I'll hear from friends who personally knew lady sword swallower Estelline Pike (Estelline Lovin, 1908-1990). In fact my time in NYC overlapped with hers by 3 or 4 …
A few words today on actress Peggy Stewart (Peggy O'Rourke, 1923-2019). I always take special note when I see her in anything, for the completely random reason (which you'd have no reason to…
For someone with such a large legend, Rosalind Russell (1907-1976) left a suprisingly small footprint: 55 screen credits (ten or a dozen of them in supporting parts) over four decades, avera…
I'm sure I'm not unique in having been introduced to Carol Ohmart (1927-2002) through her memorable performances in two key horror/exploitation films, William Castle's House on Haunted Hill …
Chester Dolphin (Charles H. Dolphin, 1907-1986) was a minor show biz figure to be sure, but knowing about him adds color and depth to our overall portrait of American variety entertainment. …
A few words today on the topic of Count Alessandro do Cagliostro (Giuseppe Balsamo, 1743-1795), familiarly known as Cagliostro. I had occasion to mention Cagliostro in my book No Applause, a…
I found myself stalled this morning, wondering "What can I write that's worth writing about on the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre?" It's an event most of my friends and colleag…
I have been a fan of Chris Elliott (b. 1960) since the beginning, the early to mid '80s, when he began making frequent appearances on sketches on Late Night with David Letterman. On the show…
I am a huge fan of the antic Welsh character actor Hugh Griffith (1912-1980). My favorite performance of his, and the one that first made me take notice, was his kinetic loose-cannon turn as…
Australian-American ventriloquist Clifford Guest (1911-2002) sometimes billed himself as a "ventro impressionist" or "polyphonist", meaning, in addition to the expected routines with dummy p…
Broad and yet ambiguous is the legacy of stage and screen figure John Emerson (Clifton Paden, 1874-1956). This is because for many key years of his career, he was part of a creative partners…
Tribute today to Jazz Age star Zelma O'Neal (Zelma Schrader, 1903-1989.) Chicago native O'Neal started out in a vaudeville act with her sister. She could sing, dance, play the piano, and do …
May 29, 1743 was the date of birth of Johann David Wyss (d. 1818), known solely today, if at all, for a single literary effort, The Swiss Family Robinson, published in German in 1812, transl…
Look what I found awaiting my butt this past weekend! Fully vaxxed as of a couple of weeks ago, I hazarded my first physical trip into a theatre since early 2020, in order to review a play, …
