12,225 stories from Trav S.D.
Today is the birthday of Shirley MacLaine (b. 1934). Quite at random, a post about two films she made back to back, drawn from my notebooks. Sweet Charity (1969) An all-star effort: music…
This weekend at New York’s Anthology Film Archives: lotsa great Charlie Chaplin movies! Just click on the highlighted movie titles below for my blogposts on each film: Saturday, Apr…
Tomorrow morning at 7:30am, on Turner Movie Classics: a classic sequel of sorts, at least a precedent-setting one: Son of Kong (1933). It’s rare for me to dis a movie of this gen…
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the release date of the still-popular Keystone comedy short Love, Loot and Crash (1915). People like to check this one out for two reasons. (A) …
Filed under: BOOKS & AUTHORS, PLUGS, Singers, Singing Comediennes, Vaudeville etc. Tagged: Lloyd Ecker, Sophie Tucker, Susan Ecker, Ziegfeld Society
We were grateful last night to receive some free passes to see the show currently ensconced in the venue occupying the historic Liberty Theatre, site of the original productions of shows lik…
Filed under: Burlesk, Contemporary Variety, PLUGS Tagged: Doc Wasabassco, Littlefield, Naked Detective, The Case of the Falling Starlet, Wasabassco Radio Mystery Hour
Today is the birthday of Jack Nicholson (b. 1937). Nicholson is not normally associated with the western genre, his career is pretty eclectic, but I do happen to have some notes in my …
Today is the birthday of Ada Rehan (1859-1916). Rehan was one of the great American actresses of the late 19th and early 20th century. Born in Limerick Ireland as Delia Crehan, she was erron…
 Today at 2:30 pm (EST) on Turner Classic Movies: Hope and Crosby in The Road to Hong Kong (1962) The last Hope and Crosby road picture, ten years since The Road to Bali…and …
Strange but true! Billy Bitzer (Gottfried Wilhelm or “G.W.” Bitzer, 1874-1944) shares a birthday with Edwin S. Porter. The stars were clearly aligned for cinematic innovation on …
Today is the birthday of Edwin S. Porter (1870-1941), a major innovator in the evolution of the American narrative film. A former telegraph operator, he enlisted in the U.S. navy for three y…
Filed under: Contemporary Variety, PLUGS Tagged: Bushwick, Coba Club, Force Majeur, new vaudeville
 Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Charlie Chaplin comedy Twenty Minutes of Love. This one is notable for being the first movie Charlie had a hand in directing. As w…
This afternoon on TCM: Two Great Comedies Starring Two Classic Comedians: 3:15pm (EST): The Cat’s Paw (1934) Starring Harold Lloyd, written and directed by Sam Taylor. The Cat…
 Today is the birthday of British actor Donald Wolfit (1902-1968). I first became aware of him when I saw his memorably creepy and strange performance as Dr. Callistratus in Blood of t…
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the release date of the Keystone comedy Wished on Mabel. Mabel Normand starred in and directed the short, which was improvised and shot in Golden …
A red letter day! Today marks the 100th anniversary of the oldest surviving Harold Lloyd comedy Just Nuts. The Museum of Modern Art has one of the few surviving copies; I had it scree…
Just a few words of Saturday morning praise for Stewart F. Lane’s authoritative new book Black Broadway: African Americans on the Great White Way. It’s rare to come across a b…
 Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Keystone comedy Mabel at the Wheel, starring Mabel Normand. There are all sorts of reasons this film is noteworthy. * This is one …
Today at 2pm (EST) on Turner Movie Classics, a camp classic if ever there was one, 1958’s Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. The film is a riff on the previous’s year’s eq…
Today is the birthday of singer and character comedienne Virginia O’Brien (1919-2001). Though I am about 70 years too late, I will always be her advocate and champion — I see the…
Originally posted on ellaharper:Ella Harper, taken about 1885-1886. There are a couple of other photos of her if interested, easily found by Googling. Back in November of 2014 I was going th…
Filed under: Burlesk, PLUGS, VISUAL ART, Women Tagged: dr. sketchy's, Fashion Institute of Technology
Tonight at 8pm (EST) on Turner Classic Movies, the 1938 version of Philip Barry’s 1928 play Holiday. I only know a few of Barry’s plays, but those I’m familiar with m…
