11,914 stories by "Trav S.d."
In celebration of Marxfest, every day this month we will be paying tribute to a different Marx Brothers film. While there are only 13 extant cinematic features including the entire team, …
If I look oh-so-smug its because in the last couple of days I learned about two dozen important facts about the Marx Brothers that aren’t in any book and I’m honor bound not to d…
Seems to be Phil Silvers day today on TCM, and that’s okay with me, Pal. As is well known, Silvers spent time not only in vaudeville but in burlesque (see my full bio on him here). Two…
In celebration of Marxfest, every day this month we will be paying tribute to a different Marx Brothers film. While there are only 13 extant cinematic features including the entire team, …
In celebration of Marxfest, every day this month we will be paying tribute to a different Marx Brothers film. While there are only 13 extant cinematic features including the entire team, …
Today is the 100th anniversary of the release date of the Charlie Chaplin film A Busy Day. This one is priceless — priceless! Directed by the man Mack Sennett himself, this is…
Today is the birthday of Gary Cooper (1901-1961). Over a half century after his death, Cooper remains one of the greatest movie stars of all time. Modern stars struggle mightily to fill thos…
Today is the birthday of the great wild west show man William Frank “Doc” Carter (1851-1937). His nickname originated in the fact that he had originally  been a frontier denti…
“Marxfest Memories?!” you ask, “How can you have made any? You’re only on day six!” But much can happen in six days. By the sixth day of Creation, God had alrea…
In celebration of Marxfest, every day this month we will be paying tribute to a different Marx Brothers film. While there are only 13 extant cinematic features including the entire team, …
 Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Eddie Cantor silent feature Special Delivery (1927). This was Eddie’s second feature, and there is much to intrigue about…
Today is the birthday of Frances Lee (Myrna Tibbets, 1906-2000). Originally from Iowa, she was scouted and hired for Gus Edwards’ travelling vaudeville act. She was a chorus girl in th…
 Today is the birthday of Tyrone Power (1914-1958). Despite his birth into an acting dynasty with roots all the way into the 18th century, despite having been one of the biggest box offi…
 In celebration of Marxfest, every day this month we will be paying tribute to a different Marx Brothers film. While there are only 13 extant cinematic features including the entire t…
Just a quick note (before my coffee even!) to let you know I’ll be on WBAI’s Cat Radio Cafe today (May 5) with Janet Coleman and David Dozer. WBAI is one of the best radio statio…
 In celebration of Marxfest, every day this month we will be paying tribute to a different Marx Brothers film. While there are only 13 extant cinematic features including the entire t…
Today marks the 100th anniversary of Charlie Chaplin’s debut as solo director of a film, Caught in the Rain (1914). The film is a fairly routine little Sennett style Francophile …
 Today is the anniversary of the release date of Laurel and Hardy’s first talkie, Unaccustomed As We Are (1929). The boys hit the ground running in this short; it’s among …
Fresh in the afterglow of last night’s waltz I’d be remiss if I didn’t give big time plugs to the next two exciting Marxfest events happening this very weekend. Tonight and…
Filed under: AMERICANA, Burlesk, Contemporary Variety, PLUGS Tagged: All American Burlesque Revue, Angie Pontani, Hoboken Elks, Murray Hill
In celebration of Marxfest, every day this month we will be paying tribute to a different Marx Brothers film. While there are only 13 extant cinematic features including the entire team, …
Today is the anniversary of the release date of Saps at Sea (1940), Laurel and Hardy’s last feature for Hal Roach, and in my view their last good comedy. The boys work at a horn …
In May 1922, Buster Keaton released his comedy My Wife’s Relations, co-directed by Eddie Cline. One of his series of “bad luck” shorts, Keaton is accidentally mar…
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Harry Langdon comedy His First Flame (1927). The film was made for Mack Sennett in 1927, but Langdon left the studio so Sennett hung…
Tonight at 7:30pm I’ll be speaking at Coney Island USA about the earliest phase of the Marx Brothers’ career, as a joint presentation of Marxfest and the Congress of Curious Peop…
