11,727 stories by "Trav S.D."
Today is the anniversary of the hilarious Laurel and Hardy short Their First Mistake (1932), directed by none other than George Marshall In this one, Hardy is the hen-pecked husband…
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the silent short Hat’s Off (1927), starring Laurel and Hardy. Part of his film was remade in 1932 as the Oscar winning sound s…
Great news for folks who missed DEAD END DUMMY at Coney Island USA during its three week run. This week, we move to the Cafe at La MaMa (a natural spiritual home for this experimental …
Today is the anniversary of the Laurel and Hardy silent comedy Two Tars (1928). In this hysterical short, the boys are two sailors on dates with a couple of girls in a rented car. The mea…
Today is the anniversary of the release date of Stan Laurel ‘s one reel comedy short Just Rambling Along (1918). As of this writing Just Rambling Along is earliest ex…
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Harold Lloyd short Bumping into Broadway (1919). This is kind of unusual (and very entertaining) role for Lloyd — a struggling…
In November 1922 Buster Keaton released Daydreams, one of the last of his shorts. Daydreams strikes me as not one of the strongest of Keaton’s shorts. It’s made up of lots …
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Buster Keaton comedy feature Go West (1925). While among Keaton’s more personal films, aspects of Go West feel more …
Today is the birthday of (stage and, briefly screen) star Charles King (1886-1944. Some sources say born 1889). Not to be confused with the western villain of the same name, THIS Charl…
Today is the anniversary of the release of the Laurel and Hardy comedy short One Good Turn (1931). This is one of the few of their films I've seen that deals with the Great Depression,…
Today marks the anniversary of the release date of the first movie in which Mae West appeared, Night After Night (1932). As you can see from the poster, she’s fourth billed in th…
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Laurel and Hardy feature Our Relations (1936). While still farcical this is one of the team’s more sophisticated plots –…
Originally posted on Photographs, film, literature & qoutes from the bygone era:Lola Montez or Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld, was an Irish courtesan, act…
Today (just in time for Halloween) is the anniversary of the original German premiere of the pathbreaking silent horror classic Der Golem, wie er die Welt kam (1920). The film is the t…
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the 1922 Hal Roach short The Ropin’ Fool, starring the great Will Rogers (see my full bio on him here)  A lot of peopl…
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Eddie Cantor comedy Ali Baba Goes to Town (1937). This movie, while plenty funny, marks the end of Cantor’s flush period as a …
 Today marks the 100th anniversary of the release date of the Charlie Chaplin/ Keystone comedy Gentlemen of Nerve. This is one of what I call the ad hoc/ improv type silent comedies, …
Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Comique comedy Coney Island (1917). In this classic comedy short, Fatty Arbuckle, Buster Keaton and Al St. John take turns dating…
Today is the anniversary of the release date of Charlie Chaplin’s last indisputably great movie Limelight (1952). Limelight was a victim of history twice over; if not for two …
WE’RE HAVING A HALLOWEEN EVENT!! Anyone who comes to the Halloween Show of DEAD END DUMMY at Coney Island USA this Friday dressed in a costume, gets a $3 discount on their …
Today is the anniversary of the release of the Mabel Normand feature The Extra Girl (1923), produced by Mack Sennett. Mabel plays a small town girl who wants to go into films and h…
Today is the anniversary of the release of the very  funny Stan Laurel comedy Frozen Hearts (1923). This little comedy is obscure in more ways than one. It appears to be a parody of…
Today is the anniversary of the release of the Buster Keaton short Convict 13 (1920), co-directed by Eddie Cline. Keaton’s second released short, Convict 13, picks up on a…
Today is the 100th anniversary of the release of the Charlie Chaplin comedy Dough and Dynamite. In this Keystone short, Charlie and Chester Conklin are rival waiters at a restaurant. The …
Today is the anniversary of the release of the Comique comedy short The Hayseed (1919), starring Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle and Buster Keaton. This is one of the last and best of…
