11,936 stories by "Trav S.d."
Today is the birthday of Star of Vaudeville #244: Pert Kelton; among many other credits, she was the original Alice in The Honeymooners with Jackie Gleason. For the full bio on her go he…
Today is the birthday of Lenny Bruce (1925-1966). When I was 19 and 20 years old I was DEEP under the Brucean spell, enthralled by way of a handful of existing records borrowed from a friend…
Today is the birthday of Star of Vaudeville #63: Lillie Langtry (for more on her and her connection to vaudeville go here). And, because you weren’t doing anything better anyway, here …
Today is Paul Simon’s birthday. While (like everybody else) I prefer him in a duo with Garfunkle, I do also like his earlier solo records, in particular this 1973 collaboration with th…
William H. Fox (ca. 1840-1915) had several phases to his career. He ran away from home as a youth in his native Kentucky to appear in circuses and early vaudeville touring units where he …
Today is the birthday of film and radio actress Irene Rich (1891-1988). The house wife and real estate broker began working as a film extra in 1918 and quickly worked her way up to substanti…
This weekend! For more details go here:Â http://parachuteconeyislandfestival.blogspot.com/
Atlas Shrugged, Part Two is being released into theatres today. I just watched Part One in preparation for this post, and I must say that it seems to me that all the reviewers who trashed it…
Today is the 80th birthday of African American comedian and activist Dick Gregory, instrumental in breaking down the stereotypes that had governed representation of African Americans in come…
Today through October 18, the Film Forum is showing the 1954 horror classic The Creature from the Black Lagoon in its original 3-D format. This film will always occupy a special place …
Grave Encounters 2 is in theatres today (see local listings for where/ when). See my review of the original Grave Encounters, which came out a year ago, here.Â
I wish I upstate for this cool looking event at the Hudson Opera House! Tonight and tomorrow night only: The Lost Victrola Sessions Live Music Experimental Film Live Video Theatrical Staging…
Little Motown “the heat wave lightin’ up the night” has been performing out of NYC for about a year. She’s quickly won over the hearts and groins of fans and fellow p…
“Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole of the Law” On this day in 1875 was Aleister Crowley issued forth from the loins of his brood mare! It is written in books that he passed fr…
Dave Marion (ca. 1875-1934) was an example of the range of creativity within burlesque. As a performer he was best known for playing a stuttering character called Snuffy the Cabman, well-lov…
David Bioshop, “The Bishop of Burlesque” has been a professional stage manager in 16 states, Washington DC and Toronto since 1998. His credits include Gotham Burlesque, New York …
I think of this as the Last Bit of Unrecovered Information Excavated from My Memory. Some months ago, out of curiosity I began looking up obscure tv shows from my childhood online…and …
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Today is the birthday of Star of Vaudeville # 243: Peg Leg Bates (for more on this remarkable entertainer, go here). Here he is at age 60 in his final performance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Yo…
Dexter Maitland (ca. 1915-1985) was a straight man in burlesque during its dying days as well as what was then unfortunately known as a “tit singer”…which just meant that h…
Just a  little sneak preview of comedy bits from last night’s rehearsal for Burlesque-A-Pades, (no previews of the specialty dances, I’m afraid — for those I’…
Pinkie Special began entertaining NY audiences with burlesque, hula-hoops and comedy in 2002. Since then Pinkie has performed across the U.S., Canada, England, Germany, France and Spa…
From 1887 through 1888 P.T. Barnum presented as an oddity in his sideshow this interesting family, which did indeed, as advertised, hail from Burma. Members of the exhibited family we…
