11,723 stories by "Trav S.D."
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 …
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…
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…
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 …
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…
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 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…
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 …
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…
The rise of Dixie Lee (Wilma Winifred Wyatt, 1909-1952) was so rapid, it is scarcely to be believed. So was the speed of her eclipse, although she continued to make headlines long after her …
Today we celebrate Frances Williams (1901-1959) (not to be confused with African American actress, activist and produced Frances E. Williams, whom we plan to write about in future.) This Fra…
Unfortunately for a confused posterity, there were two dancing Jack Donohues in vaudeville back in the day, both of them quite accomplished. We've already written about one, the one who spel…
' A few silent movie news items have come our way over the past several days. They seemed worth bundling and reporting here: We are sad to report of the passing of Marilyn Slater, long a pri…
James Dunn (1901-1967) is a beloved figure in the annals of show business. The son of a Wall Street stockbroker, Dunn only briefly followed in his father's footsteps before going into work t…
