12,169 stories from Trav S.D.
Apropos of nothing this morning " a short survey of a surprisingly small cul de sac in the realm of comedy grooming: the crew cut. I'd always considered it a principal accompaniment to ne…
There would well have been more to tell about Frank Moore (1880-1924) had he lived longer but he did manage to make a minor mark in show business all the same. The older brother of actress F…
The fascinating career of Dona Drake (Eunice Westmoreland, 1914-1989) is a story of resourceful subterfuge and a talent so great that no such misdirection should have been required at all. D…
An appreciation today for a terrifically solid actress/performer/light comedienne with an impressive body of work you may have seen without "seeing", Rosemary DeCamp (1910-2001). I don't kno…
Sidney Stone (1902-1986) spent his formative years in vaudeville and burlesque, and on Broadway, where was in the original productions of two plays by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, The Fa…
The short life and career of silent screen star Evelyn Nelson (1899-1923) are tantalizing in their thwarted promise and in their mystery. Originally from Chloride Arizona, Nelson was to star…
Much like Ben Turpin or Marty Feldman, Jack Elam (William Scott Elam, 1920-2003) dined out for decades on a wayward eye. Unlike t'others, Elam employed his in the service of MENACE a good…
The interesting career of actor/writer/ director Richard Quine (1920-1989) contains many phases and is a bridge between old school show biz and the modern era. First he was a child perfor…
Latina love goddess Raquel Torres (Paula Maria Osterman, 1908-1987) poured unsuspected amounts of showmanship into her screen presence. While indeed born in Hermosillo, Mexico to a Mexican m…
Papa Charlie Jackson (William Henry Jackson, 1887-1938) was an influential and unique crossover figure in both early hot jazz and blues, making music that incorporated elements of ragtime, a…
Like many of my favorite actors (George C. Scott, William Holden), Richard Burton (Richard Walter Jenkins Jr, 1925-1984) radiated a rare combination of intelligence and macho charisma. He wa…
A few inadequate words in memory of screen actress Mae Marsh (Mary Wayne Marsh, 1894-1968). Critics hailed Marsh as one of the finest actresses of the silent era, in a league with Mary Pickf…
Onnie Jones (1897-1954), often billed merely as "Lollypop", was a comedian on the black vaudeville circuits, in nightclubs, and in race movies. Originally from Madison, Georgia, he became a …
The screen career of comical character actor Bud Ross (sometimes billed as Budd Ross, 1868-1932) is nicely bookended between D.W. Griffith's The Burglar's Dilemma (1912) and Mack Sennett's H…
On November 8, 1965 two seemingly unrelated things occurred: 1) popular newspaper columnist and tv game show panelist Dorothy Kilgallen (b. 1913) was found dead in her Manhattan townhouse, f…
I am often asked about the origin of my pseudonym Trav S.D. " it has multiple meanings, but the whole point in choosing a symbolic moniker is NOT to overexplain and NOT to literalize. When i…
Digby Bell (1849-1917) was a Milwaukee born vocalist, popular in comic opera, musical comedy and vaudeville at the tune of the last century. He is credited with being the performer who intro…
Today is the birthday of early silent film star King Baggot (read my full post on Baggot here). That makes today the perfect time to announce that I'll be in Philadelphia this Sunday at the …
Okay, now here me out: Petrocelli (1974-76) was kind of like Perry Mason meets Baretta, mixed with a backwards version of McCloud, with some Rashomon thrown in. Barry Newman played the titul…
I know you are lured by the headline but there are other things to tell about Grace Stafford (Grace Boyle (1903-1992) first. Stafford was only 16 years old when she married actor Tom Keene i…
I am rarely if ever find myself able to get excited or even interested in stage directors (sorry, stage directors!) but in the case of Julian Mitchell (1851-1926) will make an unambiguously …
I was first introduced to the charms of Jackie Joseph (b. 1933) in her role as Audrey in one of my favorite films, the original The Little Shop of Horrors (1960). Gradually, I began to no…
The name Lucille La Verne (Lucille La Verne MItchum, 1872-1945) may sound well suited to burlesque, but she was the very essence of "legit". La Verne's best remembered role today is the Wick…
Today we celebrate African American singer, dancer, choreographer and actress Marie Bryant (1919-1978). Raised in New Orleans, Bryant took dance classes a child, and eventually made her way …
This is Part Four of Carolyn Raship's Agatha Christie series launched here. When people picture Agatha Christie in their heads, the most probable image is that of Angela Lansbury as she appe…
