11,936 stories by "Trav S.d."
Today is also the great American songwriter Stephen Foster’s birthday. (see here for his bio). Here’s some of his music done with a twist. No matter who the composer is, Chet Atk…
Today (among other things to be celebrated) is George M. Cohan’s birthday (for his full bio go here). Sadly he hated the recording arts, so there’s very little film of him de…
Today is the birthday of the great stage and screen comedian Leon Errol, most famous for his comic drunk portrayals. (For more on Errol go here). Here he is in the 1931 film One Heavenly …
Look, I won’t “jive” you, as today’s young people say. I had some trepidation about listening to the Electric Mess’s second album, Falling Off the Face of the E…
Well, it was 95 degrees last night and I just finished a new book, so the Countess (who knows how to take care of me) dragged my dazed carcass down to Coney Island for a little diversion. I&…
Renaldo The Tonight at The Living Room at 11pm
Today is the birthday of the late Harry Blackstone Jr. (for more on this great second generation magician, go here). His most famous illusion is the “Floating Light Bulb”, so wel…
Today is the birthday of funny lady Joan Davis of “I Married Joan” and much more (for a full bio go here). Now here she is performing “Olga from the Volga” from the 1…
The always out of hand Killy Dwyer has having her shoutrageous party tonight and Saturday to celebrate the release of her new CD! (Details below). And don’t miss July 19 at 9:30 …
Today is the birthday of screen comedienne Polly Moran (for her full bio go here). Here she is along with Slim Summerville and Charlie Murray in the Mack Sennett classic Her Painted HeroÅ
In the mid 1970s if you asked me who my favorite comedians were I would have said Steve Martin and the Unknown Comic. The latter’s identity at the time was a well kept secret. I didn&#…
Today is the birthday of crazy-legged comedienne Charlotte Greenwood (for her full bio plus a clip of her with Buster Keaton go here). In the clip below from Down Argentine Way she follows t…
Today is the birthday of “The Street Singer” Arthur Tracy (for a full bio go here). Now here he is singing one of the better known tunes from his repertoire: To find out more abo…
2 p.m. today! Go here for all the details!
Good news for Ernie Kovacs fans! Kovacs’ archivist Ben Model recently came across an unreleased set of Percy Dovetonsil recordings made by television’s original genius and left j…
Go figure: Iron Mike gets a Broadway show and I get to guest-blog at the New York Times! Well, stranger things have happened – - and to me! At any rate, my piece is here, at http://art…
Mike Tyson will hardly be the first prizefighter to take to the stage after his athletic career is done.
Final Curtain: The Last of Ed Wood, presented by Horse Trade Theater Group at The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and Bowery), June 20-July 1. Five, count ‘em…
Today is Sir Paul’s birthday (for my longer article on him go here). The clip below is the sort of thing that reminds me of the amazing times we’re living in. When I was a teenag…
For someone of my age, Jack Albertson was VERY present in the early 1970s: Grandpa Joe in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971, pictured above), Manny Rosen in The Poseidon Adventure…
Today is the birthday of Bobby Clark, the chap from whom I stole my drawn-on glasses. For more on him and his comedy partner Paul McCullough, go here. Clark and McCullough are an interesting…
Today is the birthday of Stan Laurel (for his full bio go here). Here is part of one of his solo shorts Oranges and Lemons, made four years before he teamed up with Oliver Hardy. You’l…
