11,723 stories by "Trav S.D."
Buon compleanno, Perry Como (Pierino Como, 1912-2001). When I was a kid, Como was an occasional presence on television, in the form of annual Christmas specials and the like, not unlike Andy…
Funny man Frank Hayes (1871-1923), born this day. Hayes’ memorable puss, sort of long and pushed in, seemingly toothless, with sunken, pale blue eyes, made him eminently castable in ch…
3 years ago, I blew my one and only chance to meet Tom Wolfe, who just passed away. Our mutual friend Stefania de Kennesey wrote the opera version of Bonfire of the Vanities. We attended the…
My dad had a lot in common with Matt Roper’s. They were were born and died the same years (1934-2003), both died of cancer prior to their 70th birthdays, both were in the Air Force, an…
I am so excited to be able to announce my first public workshops of sections of my long-percolating solo show. TALL TALES mines American folk and pop culture to examine our eternal love affa…
We recently crowed here about how The Wizard of Oz is our favorite movie. And in 2013 we went into a tizzy about the dreadful and unworthy Oz the Great and Powerful. There have been…
I’ve had some pretty good luck throwing out unsolved mysteries here — sometimes relatives of the subject at hand, or others who are in the know, get in touch and clear things up …
How appropriate it that I was given a copy of this particular book just in time for Salvador Dali’s birthday! The full title is — wait for it — How Many Surrealists Does It…
I hope the Silent Clowns producers (and the ghost of Marion Byron) forgive me for making Steamboat Bill Jr my lede. The real concept of their program at Lincoln Center Library tomorrow is a …
Operatic soprano Alma Gluck (Reba Feinsohn, 1884-1938) was born on this day. Originally from Romania, she moved to the U.S. with her family when she was six years old, growing up in New York…
Diminutive comedienne Nancy Walker (1922-1992) was a big star when I was a kid in the ’70s. She played Rhodas’s wisecracking Jewish mother Ida on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rh…
Today is the birthday of the dancer and actress known simply as “Margo” (Marguerita Guadalupe Teresa Estela Bolado Castilla y O’Donnell, 1917-1985). Margo’s more nota…
A birthday tribute and deferred eulogy for Mr. Don Rickles (1926-2017). For someone whose stage character was so prickly, it is awe-inspiring to observe how beloved Rickles was. Nearly every…
May 7 is the birthday of George “Gabby” Hayes (1885-1969). Hayes was a favorite performer of my father’s and he’s always been interesting to me as well as a little el…
Just a few words about Mortado the Human Fountain, who was inducted into Coney Island USA’s Sideshow Hall of Fame in 2010. Only a few words, because only little is known about Mo…
Earlier in my cinema education I had an idea that Aline MacMahon (1899-1991) was strictly an actress of the Pre-Code era, for I’d seen her in things like The Mouthpiece (1932) with War…
Thanks to the Mad Marchioness for telling me the exciting news that there is a new book in the works about Golden Age illustrator Harrison Cady. Cady was the first cousin of my great-grandfa…
The other day when I posted my tribute to The Wizard of Oz, I realized that there was one another major MGM film on which I’d written about nearly every cast member and other related a…
It’s May the 1st. I saw this morning that the “President” wishes us all a happy “Loyalty Day”. Had you ever heard of that holiday? I never had. When I think of …
To those in the know, the name “Turner Classic Movies” is a bit of a misnomer, but in a good way. If the network only showed true classics they’d have a hard time filling a…
It’s kind of crazy that I have written about most of the other major Sid and Marty Krofft shows so far, and have even written about Jack Wild and Billie Hayes, but still have not done …
Tenor and broadcast personality Frank Parker (Frank Ciccio, ca. 1903-1999) was possibly born on this day (some sources give July 1). Born in New York, Parker studied at the Milan Conservator…
Exotic Texas beauty Carolyn Jones (1930-1983) was born on this date. She’ll always be best known for her role as Morticia Addams on The Addams Family (1964-66, and a tv movie in 1977),…
Prior to his hit sitcom The Odd Couple (1970-1975), Jack Klugman had always been known as a dramatic actor, appearing in films like Twelve Angry Men (1957) and episodic tv dramas by the like…
On this day was born the music hall memory man Edward Cyril De Hault Laston (1883-1951). Originally from Brixton, educated in India, Laston was rejected for service in the army after a bo…
