11,506 stories by "Trav S.D."
Today's new Travalanche post for October 6, 2025 is about plus-sized silent screen comedian Dee Lampton. Earlier Travalanche posts for October 6 (in no particular order) include ones on: Plu…
How fortuitous that silent screen comedian Dee Lampton (1898-1919) was born on Plus Sized Appreciation Day; he's a perfect candidate for my Hall of Plus Sized Comedians. Lampton's life was s…
Today's new Travalanche post for October 5, 2025 is about the history of Grey Gardens. It is also Rhode Island Day. Earlier Travalanche posts for October 5 (in no particular order) include o…
October 5 was the birthday of Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale (1895-1977). Those familiar with her story and that of her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale (1917-2002) are accustomed to getting it in…
Today's new Travalanche post for October 4, 2025 is about Ilise Carter's new book on Spiritualism, When We Spoke to the Dead. Earlier Travalanche posts for October 4 (in no particular order)…
I must be psychic! How did I just KNOW that Ilise S. Carter (a.k.a. The Lady Aye) would have a book event at the Morbid Anatomy Museum, and, conversely, that the museum would want to do an e…
Today's new Travalanche posts for October 3, 2025 include ones on Newport Jazz and Folk Festival founder George Wein…Wilna Hervey of Toonerville Folks…and Broadway playwright Sophie Trea…
The remarkable Sophie Treadwell (1885-1970) is best remembered as a modernist playwright, journalist, and activist, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. We can also claim her for our Star…
October 3 was the birthday of concert promoter/producer/organizer George Wein (1925-2021). The key to how to pronounce his name is in the title of one of his albums, Wein, Women and Song. Th…
The comedy of Wilna Hervey (1894-1979), sometimes billed as Wilna Wilde, was similar to that of Blanche Payson, Babe London, Muriel Landers, and Lulu Roman. She was a large woman, 6'3″…
Today's new Travalanche posts for October 2, 2025 include ones on Rob Farr's upcoming biography of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew; and the recent film Late Night with the Devil (and how it relates…
I watched the excellent Australian horror film Late Night With the Devil (2023) several months ago; we time our post today both because it's the Halloween season and because certain late nig…
I have been excited beyond reason since Rob Farr told me about his new book about Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but hyperbole is the clay from which I mold my most …
Today's new Travalanche post for October 1, 2025 is about the late actor Peter Kastner (You're a Big Boy Now). Earlier Travalanche posts for October 1 (in no particular order) include ones o…
Peter Kastner (1943-2008) is fresher in our consciousness than he might otherwise be, on account of we recently re-watched one of his handful of his starring roles a few weeks ago, his enter…
September 30 was the birthday of screen director Lewis Milestone (Lieb Milstein, 1895-1980). This could just be my own anecdotal experience, but it seems to me that Milestone's name is almos…
Today's new Travalanche posts for September 30, 2025 include ones on director Lewis Milestone, chorus girl Blanche Satchel, actor Frank Lawton (in stereo), and my recommendations for Interna…
This International Podcast Day finds me chagrined to report that I have nothing new of my own to share or announce, apart from general intention to create new stuff for The Year of Vaudevill…
There were two generations of thespian Frank Lawtons, their combined careers spanning nearly a century. The family name was originally spelled "Laughton". If there is any connection to Briti…
"Blanche Satchel" (1906-2004) is one of the most unappealing stage names that I've ever heard; it evokes a leather saddle bag that has been boiled until it turns as white as a dead fish. I o…
Today's new Travalanche posts for September 29, 2025 include ones on B movie star Anne Nagel, songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, and a special post for Silent Movie Day! If you'd like t…
"What silent movies should I watch?" someone asked the other day, and it's a perfectly valid question. It's much preferable to the indifference (and worse, scorn) most people evince when it …
Good and bad breaks were the portion of actress Anne Nagel (Anna Marie Dolan, 1915-1966), a star of B movies, and something less than a star in major features. An Irish Catholic girl from Ma…
September 29 was the birthday of Tommy Boyce (Sidney Thomas Boyce, 1939-1994); and we lost Bobby Hart (Robert Harshman, 1939-2025) about three weeks ago, so I thought this would be a good ti…
Today's new Travalanche posts for September 28, 2025 include ones on Peck's Bad Boy and a Vaudeville Call to Arms. It also happens to be Drink Beer Day. In no particular order, other Travala…
