In honor of Tennessee Williams' birthday, we append this little sidebar to the massive tribute we wrote to the playwright here. Our conceit lies in the observation that in the thick of Willi…
Terence McNally dead, yet Anita Bryant lives " thus runs the world's cold calculus. And yet, we may take solace in the fact that McNally's plays live on, and Bryant is at best a Trivial Purs…
Today we'll talk a little about a show business family named the Kellys. It's not the family vaudeville act which gave us Gene Kelly, however, nor is it the Philadelphia bunch that gave us W…
Today we celebrate animation pioneers William Hanna (1910-2001) and Joseph Barbera (1911-2006), immortalized through the name of their joint production company Hanna-Barbera. Like millions o…
Well, it has ceased to be abstract. The great American playwright Terrence McNally (1938-2020) has died of complications related to Covid-19. All of you who aren't taking this seriously, go …
Saharet (Paulina Clarissa Molony, 1878-1964) was a popular performer of the vaudeville, burlesque, music hall, and musical comedy stages of the fin de siècle  and early 20th century. Sah…
I can see and hear the face and voice of Cliff Norton (1918-2003) in my head so clearly but have struggled in vain to identify the ONE place I know him from. The answer is probably a thousan…
A celebration today of minor movie star Virginia Grey (1917-2004) who appeared in films with many classic comedians. But first a detour into the life of her father, whose career was also rel…
Today being World Puppetry Day, and many of us housebound due to rapidly spreading Covid-19, I wanted to do a quick plug for a thing to watch to lighten your spirits. I first watched The Mup…
A few words today in remembrance of pioneering screen director W.S. Van Dyke (Woodbridge Strong "Woody"Â Van Dyke II, 1889-1943). Born in San Diego, Van Dyke was raised in the theatre acti…
I only discovered the existence of Rusty Warren (Ilene Goldman, b. 1930) a few months ago, in a record shop in San Luis Obispo, while speaking at their local historical society. Warren was b…
This piece is excerpted from a new talk about medicine shows I am developing, shared today in honor of the birthday of dime novel author, journalist, promoter and impresario Ned Buntline (18…
The career of Vaughn Meader (Abbott Vaughn Meader, 1936-2004) describes one of the most drastic spikes in show business history. Meader enjoyed monster success for just over one year before …
A little thing today about game show host and producer Jack Barry (Jack Barasch, 1918-1984). I was first aware of Barry when I was a kid, for he was the host of a show called The Joker's Wil…
Charles Ross Taggart (1871-1953) was a humorist who made an entire career out of being a rural Vermonter. He was generally billed as either "The Man from Vermont" or "The Old Country Fiddler…
George Sidney (Samuel Greenfield, 1877-1945) was a vaudeville, stage and screen comic, closely associated with Jewish stereotype characters. He was the brother of producer Louis K. Sidney, a…
How perfect is it that Michael O'Shea (1906-1973) was born of a St. Patrick's Day? Irish Catholic Hartford native O'Shea is best remembered, at least among my set, as the male lead Biff Bran…
Contemporaries of Rockliffe Fellowes (Rockliffe St. Patrick Fellowes, 1883-1950) would be surprised to learn that his best remembered role would turn out to be his supporting turn as gangste…
Originally posted on Puppets in Review: review by Jennifer Wilcox March 6, 2020Coney Island Sideshow Stage This opera is as downtown as you can get with all the joy of live music and cardboa…
Shirley Deane (Shirley Deane Blattenberger, 1913-1983), sang and danced from her childhood years, and got her first stage experience in her hometown of San Francisco. A good showing in a bea…
Verree Teasdale (1903-1987) appeared in RKO's very first release Syncopation (1929); as well as The Sap from Syracuse (1930) with Jack Oakie; They Had to Get Married (1932) and Love Honor an…
Constance Bergen (1912-79) started out as a singer in her native Chicago, presumably with the approval of her parents, who had named her Constance Talmadge Bergen in honor of the movie star.…
In the international world of circus, our normal procedure of hyphenating identities can become an absurdity. Take for example Bonar Colleano (Bonar Sullivan, 1924-58) who was, technically, …
Today we shed light on stage and screen actress Mary Carr (Mary Kennevan, 1874-1973). Carr was a native of Germantown, Pennsylvania (a suburb of Philadelphia). She began her working life …
A good year to acknowledge the birthday of Lenny Montana (Leonardo Passafaro, 1926-1992), for after his years as a professional wrestler, Montana was an enforcer and arsonist for the Columbo…