11,716 stories by "Trav S.D."
An eye-opening benchmark, that Ryan O'Neal (b. 1941) is now an octogenarian, for those of us who remember him as the guy in that photo. While many people may know about his performing offspr…
Some brief tribute today to silent movie star Lillian Walker (Lillian Wolke, 1887-1975). Brooklyn native Walker was an artists' model and chorus girl in the Follies of 1910 when Stuart Black…
News this morning of the passing of 93 year old Walter Mondale, former VP and first of many disappointing democratic Presidential candidates during my voting career, put me in mind for the s…
I stumbled across the crazy story of William Morgan (1928-61) because he was once a carnival sword swallower and married a snake charmer named Terese Bethel. And as a teenager he had run awa…
Some brief notes on professional little person Caspar Weis (1872-1965). A native of Luxembourg, Weis was the son of a gamekeeper, one of eight children, only one of whom, a younger sister, w…
Classic comedy fans know Leonid KInskey (1903-1998) best as the apologetic Agitator in the Marx Brothers' Duck Soup (1933) in that early scene with Trentino (Louis Calhern), and from such th…
Rick Moranis (b. 1953) has re-emerged in the news lately following a long absence, and not in a way any of us would have wished for him. He was attacked by someone who apparently doesn't lik…
How very odd. My wife and I were looking at this photo of Felix Silla (b. 1937) a couple of days ago and now we learn that he died yesterday. Is there something crackling through the ether? …
100 years ago today was born that very deep well known as Peter Ustinov (Sir Peter Alexander Frieherr von Ustinov, 1921-2004). When I was a kid, I knew Ustinov vaguely (from talk shows and t…
Here are three very good reasons to visit the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum's website today through Sunday: Today (April 16) is Charlie Chaplin's birthday! The Niles Essanay Silent Film M…
Well, here's one unexpected positive outcome of the Covid-19 epidemic: for the first time in decades I've seen nearly all of the films nominated in major Oscar categories. This is naturally …
Two more films to add to our bid to see most of this year's Oscar nominees prior to the April 25 ceremony. These two movies share a common theme of couples torn apart by tragic loss. Warning…
Pugilist James J. "Jim" Jeffries (1875-1953) is better known to posterity by his other nickname "The Great White Hope", but we disdain to endorse the concept by enshrining it in the title of…
All sorts of exciting things afoot; though fairly unrelated, I thought I'd bundle them all toegther in this handy news bulletin: Go here for my review/ article on Mike Daisey's new show at t…
Some words of appreciation today for character actor Charles Napier (1936-2011). A native of Kentucky, army vet (sergeant in the paratroopers), and former basketball coach, Napier was workin…
WARNING: I always include spoilers. Most descriptions of Promising Young Woman I'm seeing, whether by critics or marketing people, seem to bump their heads against the limitations of an indu…
While plenty of show biz buffs can tell you about Joel Grey (b. 1932), and some are probably aware that actress Jennifer Grey (b. 1960) is his daughter, I imagine far fewer know that the fam…
April is a crazy month for classic comedy anniversaries, including the birthdays of Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd and (this year) the centennial of the first comedy short directed by Bust…
I pen this post on the 90th birthday of a national treasure named Milt Larsen (b. 1931). I had the great honor of interviewing Mr. Larsen in preparation for my 2005 book No Applause: Just Th…
We've already written (from a somewhat negative perspective) on the legacy of Hugh Hefner (1926-2017). Today, we thought we'd balance the picture out some, with a look in particular at his i…
Today we blow taps for character actor James Hampton (b. 1936) who passed away a couple of days ago at the age of 84, of complications due to Parkinson's. Many may remember Hampton best as D…
Strange but true " Shecky Greene (Fred Sheldon Greenfield, b. 1926), a comic whose name has been a byword for "old school" for over half a century, is still alive and kicking. Over the years…
Thanks to reader Michael KInter, who let it be known that baseball legend John McGraw (1873-1934) deserves a place in the vaudeville annals. Kinter is currently working on a musical about Mc…
I've been doing plenty of hustling of late, of my first book and my third book, leaving my second one as a veritable orphan! Luckily, I just heard that now through April 12 the publisher Bea…
In the majestic hierarchy of blonde pin-up actresses of the 1950s, Joi Lansing (Joy Rae Brown, 1929-1972) runs fourth behind Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, and Mamie Van Doren, but only in…
