11,721 stories by "Trav S.D."
For someone with my peculiar proclivities the name Napoleon Sarony (1821-96) is as familiar as the back of my hand. I imagine Mathew Brady is better known nowadays amongst the general public…
Some brief attention to actress Priscilla Lawson (Priscilla Jones Shortridge, 1914-58). Lawson's time in the sun was brief, and she wasn't very directly in the sun (more in the cave shadows …
 Today an homage to writer/director/actor/producer Rob Reiner (b. 1947) Reiner is a textbook, literal, Baby Boomer: his father, the famous Carl Reiner was discharged from his World War I…
Time and perspective have given me an added appreciation for the singular oeuvre of Hal Needham (1931-2013) " within reason. There are many roads to being a film director. Some who've gotten…
Scottish-American Ella Logan (1910-69) entertainer had a wonderfully rich career, although he ephemeral nature of the theatre has meant that time has passed her by. Born and raised in Glasgo…
Allison Hayes (1930-1977) is best remembered today as the star of a string of low-budget horror movies: The Undead, Zombies of Mora Tau, The Unearthly, and The Disembodied (all 1957), Attack…
Joan Shawlee (1926-1987) was usually a supporting player in film, tv and live performance, but she always made a big impression. The adjective "statuesque" is often applied to Shawlee. Offic…
Born on March 4, the silent and Pre-Code Hollywood screen star Dorothy Mackaill (1903-90). Born and raised in Hull, Yorkshire, Mackaill hopped to London, Paris, and then New York in pursuit …
It is impossible to separate the life and art of John Garfield (Jacob Julius "Julie" Garfinkle, 1913-52). Garfield was born and raised in a succession of tough working class New York neighbo…
It occurred to me this morning that I ought to do a book called "Everything I Know I Learned from Old Hollywood Bio-Pics." I've written about scores of them on Travalanche, and there's no co…
Bobby Driscoll (1937-1968) was one in that long chain of cursed child performers, falling in the chronology midway between the Little Rascals and the kids from Diff'rent Strokes. Referring t…
I just received word that African-American burlesque legend Lottie "The Body" Graves (Lottie Tatum, b. 1930) has shimmied off this mortal coil on February 28. Born in South Carolina, she mov…
Performances begin this week for Coney Island USA's most ambitious production to date Bloody Brains in a Juke Box. The show, produced through CIUSA's Funhouse Philosophers series, is a…
To wade into the biography of Hollywood actress Jennifer Jones (Phyllis Lee Isley, 1919-2009) is to step into a melodrama more excessive than any she ever starred in. Jones was second genera…
Well, forgive me, as I am about to plant several tunes in your head that won't leave. Blame Glenn Miller (Alton Glenn Miller, 1904-44)! As a kid, I was already familiar with Glenn Miller's m…
Today is the 12th birthday of the blog you are now reading, Travalanche. Or the 3rd birthday, depending on your count it, for it was started on leap Year. In celebration, and in emulation of…
I have been impatient to do a post on Dinah Shore (Fannye Rose Shore, 1916-1994) for years. She's a Leap Year baby, and I normally do biographical posts on birthdays. Though a creature of th…
A few jottings in in tribute to Leap Year baby William Wellman (1896-1976). Wellman has a reputation for being among the most macho of classic Hollywood film directors, equalling or exceedin…
The news arrived last night that Nick Apollo Forte (b. 1938) has died. The Italian-American lounge and cruise ship singer from Waterbury Connecticut earned his nickname when he opened for De…
Today we throw rose petals at the feet of Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011) My years of kidhood in the 1970s fell during a dip in Taylor's career, so to me at the time she was more of a "legend" …
Edward Brophy (1895-1960) was one of those streetwise character actors they loved so much in the '30s and '40s: short, bald, stocky, with a high-pitched squeaky voice. Whether cast in an imp…
This is a local event that will only be of interest to some, but as a card-carrying member of the Great-Neck Historical Society I feel compelled to spread the word. A week from today, Tuesda…
One of the delightful rewards of creating a blog like this is the cool stuff you uncover once you dig beneath the surface of the history of someone you only know glancingly, usually from the…
The stars are aligned today such that there are three interrelated occasions to celebrate: Mardi Gras, Commedia dell'Arte Day, and the birthday of the great Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni…
Somewhere down the line, Eddie Murphy (b. 1961) went from being a mere comedy star to a national institution. And I've realized something startling " Murphy may have set a record for the lon…
