11,936 stories by "Trav S.d."
Today is the birthday of jazz pioneer William Gary “Bunk” Johnson (1879-1949). The origin of the name is possibly due to his capacity for exageration (it has often been impli…
Today is the birthday of Oscar Levant (1906-1972). An anomaly in American public life, he managed to straddle both high art and popular culture. He was a composer and an interpreter (pianist…
Today is the birthday of George Auger, a.k.a the Cardiff Giant (1881-1922). The nickname springs from the fact that he was actually born in Cardiff, Wales; he has no connection to the…
Today is the birthday of Phil Spector (b. 1939). I remember during the 1990s when I heard that Celine Dion had put the kibosh on a planned collaboration with him. He was the most legendary r…
Today is the birthday of Alan King (1927-2004). When I was a kid I thought of him as the archetypical, old-school, middle-aged Borscht Belt style comedian. Now that I look at old clips I can…
Today is the birthday of Steve Allen (1921-2000). Steve-a-rino is one of my heroes, and I’ve written about him before (I penned a lengthy appreciation for The Comic Bible when he…
I only became aware of Una Mae Carlisle (1915-1956) two days ago, when I saw her in the film Boarding House Blues (1948) with Moms Mabley, Dusty Fletcher, Stump and Stumpy, the Berry Brother…
Jack Klugman (born 1922) died yesterday. He was unique in being one of two Method actors I associate primarily with comedy (Gene Wilder is the other. I might have included Mike Nichols as we…
Today is the birthday of Rod Serling (1924-1975). He is one of my favorite American dramatists. If his media were radio, television and film rather than the legitimate stage, what of it? I s…
Today is the birthday of Robert Ripley (1890-1949), whose own life was just as amazing as any of his cartoons. Entrepreneurial from the first, Ripley hired a team of researchers to dig up am…
Today is the birthday of Cab Calloway (1907-1994). The son of a lawyer and a church organist, he started singing and playing drums in black vaudeville and nightclubs when still a teenager. F…
This is one in a series of posts we are producing in connection with our new book Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube, available from Bear Manor Media…
Today is the birthday of Warren Berry (1922-1996). The Berry Brothers (Ananias, James and Warren) were principal rivals to the Nicholas Brothers as acrobatic dancers in the 1920s and 3…
Today is the birthday of silent film star John Bowers (born John Bowersox 1885-1936). The Indiana native started out acting in melodrama stock companies before making it to Broadway in 1912.…
The Crountess and I (I call her the Crountess now, i.e. the Carolyn Raship Countess, to differentiate her from the other Countess), but as I say myself and the Crountess killed two …
Today is the birthday of James Budworth (1831-1875). He was prized on the variety and minstrel stages as a mimic (or impressionist), and for his blackface and “Dutch” characteriz…
Today is the birthday of jazz great Chet Baker (1929-1988). In honor of the season, here’s a tasteful rendition of “Silent Night” he recorded in 1986 on a Christmas record …
Is this show forgotten? My informal poll tells me so, although that isn’t very scientific. What interests me is that everything AROUND The Rookies seems to be remembered, including its…
“So You See: It’s Really True. Where Hands are Lacking; Toes Will Do.” — slogan embroidered on a pillow by Ann E. Leak Today is the birthday of Ann E. Leak (b. 1939).…
Prince Randian (circa 1879-1934) is best known today for his performance in the 1932 Tod Browning film Freaks. An ethnic Hindu born in British Guyana, Randian was born without arms and legs,…
Ventriloqust William Francis Chalet billed himself as The Great Chalet and The Star Ventriloquist of the World. He performed with P.T. Barnum circa 1876, and toured Australia with Bacheller&…
This is one in a series of posts we are producing in connection with our new book Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube, available from Bear Manor Media…
Today is the birthday of magician, producer and inventor John Nevil Maskelyne (1839-1917). Maskelyne caught the performing bug early. As a child he had taught himself plate-spinning after…
Dixon Place presents DICK WHITTINGTON: An Xmas Panto for NYC FRIDAYS, DECEMBER 21 & 28 AND SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22 AT 7PM SATURDAY DECEMBER 29 AT 3PM Written by JENNY GREEN &#…
Today is the birthday of Star of Vaudeville #275: Paul Winchell (see here for his full story). I wasn’t around for his great TV ventriloquist heyday, but I did enjoy his unmistakable v…
