11,506 stories by "Trav S.D."
Not to be confused with Gene Rayburn, Gene Sheldon, Gene Austin, or Gene Pitney, though I see how that could happen. Gene Raymond (Raymond Guion,1908-1998) was a sort of middling movie star …
There are many red herrings to put young people off the scent of the real significance of singer, actor, and tv personality Jimmy Dean (1928-2010). The smell of sausage may be the initial di…
August 13 was the birthday British puppeteer and comedian Rod Hull (1935-1999). Hull and his obnoxious Emu puppet tried their luck in the States from time to time, so I have vague childhood …
Just a few word in acknowledgment of the existence of writer and director Melvin Frank (1913-1988). We've had half a dozen occasions on which to mention the man, usually in relation to his w…
Today would have been the 87th birthday of Dave "Baby" Cortez (David Cortez Clowney, 1938-2022). Cortez passed away back in 2022, but was reclusive, so the news wasn't reported or publicly k…
I don't know why, but it always seems that little items of clown and circus news seem to float my way and accrue, so I tend to bundle the items into little bulletins. We've done it a few tim…
August 12 was the birthday of Al Goodman (1890-1972), a musical director for Broadway, radio, and television, especially associated with the shows of Al Jolson and Bert Lahr. Goodman was the…
This is the promised part two of a pair of posts on my return to the city of my birth, Westerly, Rhode Island (part one being the review of Frank Ferrante's Groucho show at Wilcox Park). I o…
"I seen my opportunities, and I took 'em." " Tammany Hall politician George Washington Plunkitt. This past weekend was sock-o for a zillion reasons, but the catalyst for it all was the fact …
If you're my age, and even a little older, you grew up knowing only a couple of things about Eddie Fisher (1928-2010): 1) he had caused a stir by leaving Debbie Reynolds for Elizabeth Taylor…
Today's post is a bit of a bunt, as I am on the road today for reasons I will report back on later. As I frequently do, I will likely backdate some more content to make the day's output more…
My old friend and sometime editor Scott Stiffler made an announcement this week that ought to be of interest to many of our readers. In just about two months (October 7) he is launching an a…
I was already interested in actor Adam Roarke (Richard Jordan Gerler, 1937-1996) on his own account, but learning about his show biz parents absolutely sealed the deal for his inclusion in t…
I've wanted to crow my enthusiasm for Verna Bloom (1938-2019) here for some time. Hers wasn't a household name, but she gave so many incredible performances in enough important American movi…
We continue our series of posts observing the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution with this acknowledgment of the natal day of General Nathanael Greene (1742-1786). Greene was reput…
August 7 was the birthday of opera singer and actress Ida Grace Brooks Hunt (1878-1929) " and if that isn't a Gilded Age millionaire sounding name I'll eat my top hat. Hunt's main claim to f…
I surely became aware of Irene Purcell (1896-1972) because she appears in The Passionate Plumber (1932) with Buster Keaton, Jimmy Durante, and Polly Moran. Purcell's movie career only lasted…
A few words on jazz singer, activist, and occasional actress Abbey Lincoln (Anna Marie Wooldridge, 1930-2010). First, what a crazy-good stage name, right? I just like the sound of it, period…
In honor of Lucille Ball's birthday, a handy dandy finding aid for the many Travalanche posts relevant to the ribald red-head: My original 2013 biographical post on Lucy's career and her var…
Those who think Travalanche is a blog about obscure character actors have not been paying very close attention to what's written here. There are scores of content areas here, and if there is…
August 6 was the birthday of Andy Warhol, Lucille Ball, Paul Bartel, Leo Carrillo, Louella Parsons, Robert Mitchum, Hoot Gibson, Hannah Chaplin (Charlie's mother), Bunny Breckenridge, Willia…
Loni Anderson (1945-2025) would be turning 80 years ago today, but as you surely have heard by now she passed away a couple of days ago of an "acute, prolonged" yet undisclosed illness. Ther…
August 4 is a very musical day, insomuch as it is the birthday of Louis Armstrong, Abe Lyman, Helen Kane, and Sir Harry Lauder. And today we add another, ragtime revivalist Johnny Maddox (19…
A good time was had by sprawl at Coney Island Vaudeville this past Friday night. All thanks to Coney Island USA for the generous hosting as well as that sweet prime time slot! It was easily …
For International Owl Awareness Day (August 4), we add to our growing store of animal themed posts with a survey of famous owl mascots and screen characters. The association of owls with wis…
