11,724 stories by "Trav S.D."
German-American beauty Leni Stengel (1901-1982) was born in Berlin on this day, a great niece of the opera composer Friedrich von Flotow. She appeared in two Broadway plays, Princess Tura…
Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Edgar Connor (1893-1934), started out singing and dancing for coppers on street corners ’til Cole and Johnson put him in their shows The Shoo-Fly…
The Sunday after Labor Day is designated Grandparents Day; we observe it by taking a look at ten police/ detective characters played by late-career actors to the delight of their usually equ…
Adapted from my book Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube, released by Bear Manor Media, 100 years ago today (September 9, 1917) Harold Ll…
September 8 is the birthday of Darwood Kenneth Smith (1929-2002) a.k.a. Darwood Kaye, a.k.a. Waldo from Our Gang. Waldo stood out it in the series, for he wasn’t one of the regular…
Just a few facts about Signor Barnello (Edward A. Barnwell, 1857-1910), born on September 8. Barnello was the best known fire-eater of his day. Originally from Decatur, Illinois, he was perf…
During the silent era, Charlie Chaplin made his leading ladies from scratch, taking non-actors or aspirants with little experience and elevating them to the status of his co-stars for as lon…
Because, why the hell not, I and my friends on the Marxfest Committee (the folks who brought you Marxfest in 2014) and key cast members from our I’ll Say She Is revival, are back this …
Kenny Delmar (Kenneth Frederick Fay Howard, 1910-1984) was born on this day. Â A household word in the late 1940s, today he is known only to show biz buffs, usually as a footnote in the hi…
We are in the midst of a Close Encounters of the Third Kind re-release in celebration of the film’s 40th anniversary (though it wasn’t actually released until December). I …
On September 4 was born the 19th century actor Lewis Morrison (Morris W. Morris, 1844-1906). Morrison is interesting for all sorts of reasons but three especially: He begat a theatrical and …
Tin Pan Alley songwriter and publisher Fred Fisher (Alfred Breitenbach, 1875-1942) was born on this day. German born Breitenbach moved to the U.S. around the turn of the century, initiall…
September is the birthday of comic actress Barbara Jo Allen (Marian Barbara Henshall, 1906-1974). Partially raised in the Los Angeles area by an aunt and uncle, Allen had a most unusual pedi…
Flora Parker (1883-1950) was born on September 1. I have a special interest in this old school actress — she has the same maiden name as my grandmother! The famous actress came from Pe…
August 31 is the birthday of Lucille Carlisle (Ida Lucile White, 1895-1958). Lucille had a short but significant silent movie career as Larry Semon’s leading lady during some of his pe…
Burlesque legend Zorita (Kathryn Boyd or Ada Brockett, 1915-2001) was born on August 30. Orphaned as a baby and raised by strictly religious adoptive parents in Youngstown, Ohio, by her teen…
I had a splendid visit the other day with young newlyweds Josh and Lyndsay Aviner of the Hideaway Circus when they had me as their guest on their podcast program. Variety producers themselve…
Today is the birthday of the greatest American comic auteur of the post-silent era Preston Sturges (1898-1959). Hear me now and believe me later, as Hans and Franz used to say: Sturges REMAI…
August 28 is the birthday of the late Dixie Evans (Mary Lee Evans, 1926-2013). Originally from Long Beach California, Evans was already successful as a model, chorus girl, and burlesque star…
Today marks the 100 year anniversary of the release of Chumps and Chances, the first comedy short starring Larry Semon. Semon had been directing and otherwise contributing to comedies for at…
I was born in the 1960s. Around here, nostalgia doesn’t mean vaudeville, it means old television shows from the 1970s. Except when THAT turns out to be vaudeville. The other day we wen…
Filed under: Indie Theatre, PLUGS Tagged: Dream Up Festival, Theater for the New City
Happy Birthday, Valerie Harper, born this day in 1939. The most surprising thing one learns about Harper, given her long association with Jewish characters, is that she is not Jewish. She…
It’s Senior Citizens Day, a fitting time I think to briefly examine a peculiar phenomenon I have long observed: the longevity of comedians. Something about being in the laugh business …
We are at an interesting historical moment. Baby Boomers, a generation which once pegged its identity to youth, are now Senior Citizens. But it’s become difficult to know what age mean…
