Another shoe dropping in the wake of our recent post on James Curtis’s new book Comedy is a Grim Business: The Making of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World — not to mention our original m…
“I’m told you need my type”, is what Walter Hiers (1893-1933) is reported to have said upon meeting D.W, Griffith at Biograph in 1910. Fortunately he was correct, and others concurre…
Today’s new Travalanche posts for July 17, 2026 are about Lucille Benson, Mabel Van Buren, and some recent ink I got in the Wall Street Journal. Also happy National Tattoo Day. Earlier Tra…
July 17 was the birthday of silent screen actress Mabel Van Buren (Mabel Brown Southard, 1878-1947). Not to be confused with Abigail Van Buren a.k.a. Dear Abby! Originally from Chicago, Mabe…
Hey guess what? I was quoted a couple of days ago in the Wall Street Journal! WSJ gave my first book No Applause a glowing review back in the day for which I remain most grateful. But it’s…
If you’re around my age you’ll have no trouble recollecting character actress Lucille Benson (1914-1984). Benson’s years of peak visibility were her last ones, in the 1970s and early �…
Today’s new Travalanche posts for July 16, 2026 are about Orville Redenbacher, Millicent Hearst, and Mary Philbin. Also RIP Hal Williams. For World Snake Day: On Sideshow Snake Charmers an…
Here at Travalanche we love entrepreneurs in general especially ones who appeared as costumed characters and yet as themselves in their own advertisements which is why we have previously pro…
We don’t often bundle together multiple biographies in the same post but we saw a common theme today, so it made sense to do so in this case. Today’s text concerns two women with showbiz…
Today’s new Travalanche post for July 15, 2026 celebrates Harry Dean Stanton. And here are two posts for National Hot Dog Day. Earlier Travalanche posts for July 15 (in no particular order…
Born 100 years ago today, the jackermost of the crackermost, actor Harry Dean Stanton (1926-2017). I’m of cracker stock myself; I feel it empowers me to reclaim the usually disparaging ter…
Today’s new Travalanche post for July 14, 2026 is about female impersonator Charles Pierce. Also see posts celebrating… Bastille Day World Chimpanzee Day World Orca Day Cow Appreciation …
Once Upon a time there were three American drag stars all named Charles, all treading the boards of American theaters at the same time. Charles Pierce (1926-1999) was a generation older than…
Today’s new Travalanche post for July 13, 2026 is about Bosley Crowther and the Man the Red Bandana. Earlier Travalanche posts for July 13 (in no particular order) include ones on: The Old…
I am particularly jazzed about this post for it concerns a discovery I made several months ago which completely blew my mind. It has to do with the intersection of two utterly different stor…
Today’s new Travalanche posts for July 12, 2026 are about the movies of Milton Berle and early film fantasist Walter R. Booth. Earlier Travalanche posts for July 12 (in no particular order…
July 12th was the birthday of the great stage and screen comedian Milton Berle. It’s been nearly two decades since I wrote my original Milton Berle post on Travalanche in 2009, though sinc…
As Georges Melies is to French cinema, and Stuart Blackton is to that of the United States so is Walter R. Booth (1869-1938) to that of the UK. Like those two other pioneers, Booth was an il…
Today’s new Travalanche post for July 11, 2026 is on the tap dancing trio Wells, Mordecai and Taylor. Also RIP Randolph Mantooth of Emergency. For National Swimming Pool Day: The Swimmer B…
Wells, Mordecai and Taylor were a Jazz Age Harlem tap dancing trio sometimes billed as The Hot Feet Boys or Three Klassy Kids. The members were Dickie Wells (1907-1949), Jimmy Mordecai (1905…
Today’s new Travalanche posts for July 10, 2026 are about songwriter Jimmy McHugh and slapstick movie comedian Sammy Brooks. And, man oh man, what a great day for show biz birthdays and an…
Jimmy McHugh (1894-1969), one of the great Tin Pan Alley songwriters, was born on July 10th. Of Boston Irish stock, McHugh got his start playing piano in the dime museums, dance halls, and v…
July 10th was the birthday of slapstick screen comedian Sammy Brooks (Samuel Rockenberg, 1891-1951). Brooks was a key member of the Hal Roach ensemble appearing in over 250 comedies for t…
Today’s new Travalanche posts for July 9, 2026 are about cowboy star Eddie Dean, an an upcoming Laurel and Hardy festival. Also RIP R.G. Davis of the San Francisco Mime Troupe who passed a…
Very exciting news, New Yorkers! Commencing tomorrow (July 10th, 2026), the Film Forum will be screening over 50 Laurel and Hardy comedies, running through July 23rd. Their blurb says that �…