11,724 stories by "Trav S.D."
Bio-pics are preposterous enough when the star decides his job is to don a bad Halloween disguise to impersonate a real person — John Travolta just did a gut-busting turn as Robert Sha…
Born on this day, character actress Billie Bennett (Emily B. Haynie, 1874-1951). Bennett began her career as a stage actress in the mid 1890s, breaking into comedy films in 1913, with…
Irish-American man of the theatre Arnold Daly (1875-1927) was born and bred in Brooklyn. To my shock, he is no relation to the seminal Augustin Daly, although I have little doubt he profited…
Many thanks to friend Beth Greenberg who happened to be in Texas a few months and sent these photos back, prompting this post. Missouri-born Karl Hoblitzelle (1879-1967) was one of 13 childr…
Screen actress Marian Nixon (Marian Nissinen, 1904-1983) was born on this day. Nixon began as a teenage vaudeville dancer, before landing her first walk-on in The Shriek of Araby (1923) with…
How surprising to learn that Norman “Chubby” Chaney (1914-1936) time as a Little Rascal was so short, and so to learn that his time on earth was, as well. He’s in just …
October 18 is the birth day of Herbert Dyce Murphy (1879-1971). I can’t for the life of me recall how this remarkable individual came on to my radar. While Murphy did go on the lecture…
Singer Annette Hanshaw (1901-1985) was born in New York City on this day. Hanshaw was a niece of vaudeville performers Uke Henshaw and Nellie McCoy, sister of Bessie McCoy. Her father had be…
Happy 150th Birthday, Joe Weber and Lew Fields: October 16, 7pm 2017 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of both members of America’s premier comedy team and pioneers of Broadway:…
Filed under: BROOKLYN, Coney Island, Indie Theatre, PLUGS Tagged: Coney Island USA, Halloween, kid's show, Sammy's Coney Island Misadventure
We’ve chosen Friday the 13th as the day for a little Halloween tribute to the director of Dementia 13. This is part of a slowly germinating series we are doing on directors who are…
With Woody Allen’s new movie Wonder Wheel due to open tomorrow at the New York Film Festival, we thought it would be a good time for a little post on the background of the real thing, …
Theatrical soubrette Della Fox (1870-1913) was born this day. She was the daughter of noted St. Louis theatrical photographer A.J. Fox. Her amateur theatrical debut was in a production of H.…
October 12 is the birthday of His Unholiness Aleister Crowley. I don’t know that I “celebrate” the date; let us rather say that I “note” it or “mark”…
Today is the birthday of Hollywood’s favorite go-to Teutonic foil Sig Ruman (Siegfried Albon Rumann, 1884-1967). Ruman moved to the U.S. from his native Hamburg in 1924, and five years…
October 11 is the birthday of early stage and screen star Anna Laughlin (1885-1937). Originally from Sacramento, Laughlin started out as a child performer in vaudeville and variety, minstrel…
English actor Frederick Kerr (Frederick Keen, 1858-1933) was born this day. Kerr had a long theatrical career, but only appeared in 19 films, with one performance so iconic and memorable we …
Comic character actor Arthur Housman (1889-1942) was born on October 10. These days Housman is best remembered for the last decade of his career, during which he was a bit player who special…
With each passing go-round I get an enhanced appreciation for the wonderful job Ralph Lewis has done with Androboros. The natural question (“Why has no one tackled it before now?”…
On October 9 was born Hope Dare (Rose Luetszinger, 1909-1999). Dare’s offstage life was arguably more colorful than her brief theatrical career. Born in Iowa and raised in Las Vegas, N…
It’s actor James Olson’s birthday (born 1930). As it is with so many, the face is far better known than the name. Olson may have received his most widespread attention as the …
October 7 is the birthday of Hollywood character actor Andy Devine (1905-1977). Several facets of Devine’s successful career compel us to include him on Travalanche, chiefly, his ident…
The name Bronson Howard (1842-1908) may be unknown to you, but in the 19th century it packed American theatres. His widest known property today may be his 1887 play The Henrietta, for it was…
Born this day, June Allyson (Eleanor Geisman, 1917-2006). Allyson came along too late for vaudeville but there is little doubt she would have gone that route had it been available to her. I …
Born today in 1922 (and still with us at this writing) big band era singer and actress Martha Stewart. Unlike the more famous domestic science maven, whose actual last name is Kostyra, there…
