11,726 stories by "Trav S.D."
Filed under: Contemporary Variety, PLUGS, Singers, Singing Comediennes, Women Tagged: Amy Engelhardt, cabaret, Don't Tell Mama, singer
Just a few words of posthumous praise for character actor William Schallert , who passed away this week at the age of 93. If you know this blog at all it won’t surprise you to le…
Today is the birthday of the one and only Duke Mitchell (Dominic Micelli, 1926-1981). Like most classic comedy and B movie horror fans, I’d long known Mitchell solely as the co-star, w…
The great and ubiquitous Jim R. Moore of Vaudevisuals.com came to our recent Slipper Room Show celebrating 20 years of the American Vaudeville Theatre, 1000 vaudevillians on Travalanche, and…
Today is the birthday of America’s great actor-director-gourmand-and-raconteur Orson Welles (1915-1985). We’ve already done a tribute to Welles the actor (here). Today I thought …
Filed under: Burlesk, Coney Island, Contemporary Variety, PLUGS Tagged: burlesque, Coney Island USA, Schlock and Awe, Trick the Bastard
Just a few days ago, we wrote a little appreciation of Mexican influence on American culture. Today being the holiday of  Cinco de Mayo we thought we would again celebrate a particular ma…
Well, as predicted, Hamilton was nominated for a gazillion Tonys yesterday, and I would say “well deserved” except I never follow the Tonys, I know nothing of the other …
Today is the anniversary of the release of the Wheeler and Woolsey comedy The Cuckoos (1930). Ironically, the film began life as a Clark and McCullough vehicle, the 1926 Broadway hit…
Today is the birthday of Julia Arthur (Ida Lewis, 1869-1950). Originally from Ontario, Arthur was considered one of the great Shakespearean actresses of her time, notable for her appearances…
Filed under: BROOKLYN, Burlesk, Contemporary Variety, PLUGS Tagged: Bizarre Bushwick, burlesque, Call Me on the Ouija Board, seance
Filed under: Burlesk, Contemporary Variety, PLUGS Tagged: burlesque, Slipper Room, Twirly Whirley Burly-Q
Today is May Day, celebrated by many as International Workers Day since the time of the Haymarket Riots. Given my background, I have long confounded some people close to me, and often myself…
Filed under: BROOKLYN, Hollywood (History), Movies, PLUGS, VISUAL ART Tagged: Cartoon Carnival, Circus Clowns, movie, screening, Standard Toykraft, Tommy Stathes
Today is the birthday of Marjorie “Babe” Kane (1909-1992), not to be confused with her contemporaries Marjorie Beebe, Babe London, or Helen Kane.  The Kane in question star…
“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best…They’re sending people that have lots of problems and they’re bring those problems [to] us. They&#…
Today is the birthday of British-American actress Kitty Gordon (Constance Blades, 1878-1974). A star of musical comedy, started out touring the British provinces in 1901. Her first Bro…
Filed under: AMERICANA, Crackers, Indie Theatre, PLUGS Tagged: Kentucky, theatre
Today is the birthday of Louis Mann (1865-1931). Mann was a major figure of the Broadway stage from the turn of the last century almost until his death. Of German parentage, he started out i…
Saddened to hear of the recent passing of Doris Roberts, and heartened to hear all the appreciation. She was of course best known in recent years for having been on Everybody Loves Ray…
Today is the birthday of comedian Frank Fontaine (1920-1978). Fontaine was a favorite comedian of my brother’s, and I first developed an appreciation for this artist in the same way I …
Tomorrow is the great silent screen comedian Harold Lloyd’s birthday and Turner Classic Movies will be observing it in fine form with this excellent cross section of his career, includ…
Today is the birthday of Madge Kennedy (1891-1987). Kennedy might be a more appropriate entry in our Hall of Hams series, for she was not a rank and file, day-to-day vaudevillian. When…
Today is the birthday of Robert Chisholm (William Leslie Chisholm, 1894-1960). Australian born Chisholm was the son of a Melbourne bootmaker, whose Christian name he took as his profes…
Today is the birthday of Richard Harding Davis (1864-1916). Right now, those of you in the know are going, “The Devil you say! What’s he got to do with vaudeville?!” …
