11,729 stories by "Trav S.D."
Originally posted in 2011 The name Pert Kelton (b. today in 1907) is today best known to Honeymooners freaks, as a sort of footnote. She played Alice when Jackie Gleason fi…
Today is the birthday of Raymond François Émile Marie Pierre Frau (1887-1953), a.k.a. Raymond Darkly, a.k.a. Ovaro a.k.a Kri Kri a.k.a. Dandy a.k.a. Bloomer. The son of an Italian …
Tonight (tomorrow really) starting at midnight Turner ClassicMovies will be continuing their Halloween season programming by screening four classic vampire pictures: 12:00 am: Nosferatu (…
Today is the birthday of Douglass Dumbrille (1889-1974). The suave, diminutive character actor from Canada possessed a slickness that made him perfect for playing crooked mouthpieces, unsavo…
Today is the birthday of film and radio actress Irene Rich (1891-1988). The house wife and real estate broker began working as a film extra in 1918 and quickly worked her way up to substanti…
SATURDAY MORNING EDITION Just in time for Halloween! This was a favorite Saturday morning cartoon of mine. The Groovie Goolies ran from 1970 to 1972 and was a sort of cross between…
Today is the birthday of Steve Condos (1918-1990), the youngest of the three tap dancing Greek-American Condos Brothers, which also including Nick and Frank. Originally from Pittsburg…
Today is the birthday of Elmore Leonard (1925-2013). In honor of the day, we repost this piece we published a few weeks back upon his passing. The passing of Elmore Leonard naturally for…
As the name implies, Peg Leg Bates was a one-legged tap dancer who abjured a modern prosthetic for a Captain Ahab model. The consummate show-man, he had many different colored pegs, which he…
Filed under: Amusement Parks, Coney Island, Indie Theatre, Playwrights, PLUGS Tagged: Coney Island, Coney Island Criminals, Creep Show, Dick Zigun, freak show
Today is the birthday of prolific comedy director Harry Edwards (1887-1952), best known today for his work with Harry Langdon from 1924 to 1926, but in his 30 year career he seemed to work w…
According to Streetswing, today is the birthday of Joan Sawyer (1887-1966). Sawyer was a society dancer (playing fancy private parties and teaching the wealthy to dance), who also performed …
After ten months’ break from doing any columns, I fell off the wagon and did a new Fall wrap-up for the Villager/ Downtown Express/ Chelesea Now etc…and it felt like I had never …
Every Thursday in October, Turner Classic Movies is screening the films of the incomparable Vincent Price (for my full appreciation of Price, go here.) The programmers seem to be backloading…
Filed under: Contemporary Variety, Illusionists, Indie Theatre, Jews/ Show Biz Tagged: Asi Wind, Axis Theater, Concert of the Mind, mentalism, mind reading
Originally posted in 2012, Today is the birthday of Edward D. Wood, Jr. a.k.a. Ed Wood (1924-1978). A number of years ago I was fortunate enough to take part in the Ed Wood Festival p…
Today is the birthday of Al Flosso (Albert Levinson, 1895-1976). This legendary magician got his start playing in vaudeville and at Coney Island, thus his stage name “The Coney Island …
Originally posted in 2010 Today is the birthday of Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944). The famous female evangelist Sister Aimee, one of the country’s premiere fundamentalists, receive…
Today is the birthday of the sublime Jacques Tati (1907-1982), the world’s premiere exponent of clown cinema in the post silent era. Of Russian and Dutch extraction (his full las…
 Juno and the Paycock by Sean O’Casey   directed by Charlotte Moore October 9th- December 8th starring: Ciarán Byrne * J. Smith-Cameron * Terry Donnelly * Joh…
Today (or tomorrow, the birth record is a little ambiguous) is the bicentennial birthday of the great opera composer Giuseppi Verdi (1813-1901). Jokes are often made about the fact that his …
If there’s any building in New York liable to have spirit inhabitants it’s the old Merchant House Museum (http://www.merchantshouse.org) and according to many, it does. I caught …
Today is the birthday of Wally Brown (1904-1961). A Massachusetts native, Brown had been monologist in vaudeville and finally made it to pictures at RKO in 1943. Initially appearing in a Leo…
Today is the birthday of Marjorie Beebe (1908-1983). Originally from Kansas City, the 18 year old began acting in shorts and features for Fox in 1927, starring in at least one feature The…
Today is the birthday of tv and movie comedian Cornelius Crane “Chevy” Chase (b. 1943). To the slapstick comedy fan, Chase’s cinematic career (like nearly everybody’s…
