11,726 stories by "Trav S.D."
I feel like an expectant mother whose water is about to break. This week is a climax of sorts, a moment of truth (even as we celebrate artifice). On Friday we begin previews of Horseplay …
Just in time for Black History Month, Stewart F. Lane’s new book Black Broadway: African Americans on the Great White Way comes to market. And guess what? After being available f…
Today marks the anniversary of the release of Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914), the film which provided the public with its first glimpse of Charlie Chaplin’s “Tramp” …
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Eddie Cantor comedy If You Knew Susie (1948). This movie is interesting for several reasons. For one, it’s Cantor’s last…
Tomorrow morning on Turner Classic Movies: a welter of Oscar Winning westerns. Warning: I always include spoilers in my notes! 6am: How the West Was Won (1962) This is a movie that I …
Filed under: BROOKLYN, Contemporary Variety, PLUGS Tagged: Bushwick, Cobra Club, Force Majeure, Tanya Solomon, vaudeville
Today is the anniversary of the release date of Charlie Chaplin’s landmark feature The Kid (1921). In some ways, The Kid is Chaplin’s most artistically successful film, …
Today is the anniversary of the release date of  Buster Keaton’s 1932 MGM talkie The Passionate Plumber. It was based on the French farce Dans sa candeur naïve by Jac…
Barbara Kahn’s new play Women of the Wind opens tonight at Theater for the New City. It’s about the behind-the-scenes struggles of three women associated with the produc…
Today is the birthday of Peg Entwistle (1908-1932). A moderately successful actress in her time, she is best known for having committee suicide by jumping off the Hollywood sign. As the year…
Filed under: Burlesk, Contemporary Variety, Music, PLUGS, Singers Tagged: Apotheke, Broadway Brassy, Maine Attraction
Becca Bernard, clown musician extraordinaire, whom four or five of you may remember from Dead End Dummy last fall, wants you to know about her Singing Telegram service, in anticipation…
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the silent Stan Laurel solo comedy short Hustling for Health (1919). Laurel (playing a very clownish character) is about to go on vacati…
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Wheeler and Woolsey movie Hips, Hips, Hooray (1934). In this musical comedy (co-written by Kalmar and Ruby) the boys become salesmen…
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Harry Langdon short Boobs in the Wood (1925), written by Arthur Ripley and directed by Harry Edwards. The setting is the Great N…
Today marks the centennial anniversary of the release date of Charlie Chaplin’s first film for Essanay Studios, His New Job. Having started out in films at Mack Sennett’s K…
Today is the anniversary of the 1922 murder of silent film director William Desmond Taylor (see last year’s blog post on this subject here). The last thing the world needed was another…
 Today is the 100th anniversary of the release date of the Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle comedy Fatty’s New Role. This is an interesting film for seeming so much like a …
Filed under: Burlesk, Contemporary Variety, PLUGS Tagged: burlesque, Francine the Lucid Dream, Joe's Pub, Pink Room Burlesque, Twin Peaks Pageant
Well, this weekend is Super Bowl Sunday, an annual event I typically don’t acknowledge in any way, even by NOT acknowledging it. But it did seem like the perfect time to launch a small…
Filed under: Contemporary Variety, Indie Theatre, Magicians/ Mind Readers/ Quick Change, PLUGS Tagged: Gathering the Magic, Nelson Lugo, solo show, Tank Theater
Filed under: BROOKLYN, Burlesk, Coney Island, Contemporary Variety, PLUGS Tagged: 11th Anniversary, Badass Burlesque, Coney Island USA, Velocity Chyaldd
As we’ve already noted, today is the birthday of W.C. Fields! For my full biographical article on Fields go here, and for my entire W.C. Fields section on Travalanche (35 posts to date…
Today is the birthday of W.C. Fields! For my full biographical article on Fields go here, and for my entire W.C. Fields section on Travalanche (35 posts to date) go here. Fields conquere…
Filed under: Burlesk, Contemporary Variety, PLUGS Tagged: Excelsior Burlesque, Ruby Solitaire
