11,744 stories by "Trav S.D."
Today is the birthday of one of America’s greatest comedians, Gracie Allen (see my full Burns and Allen post here). The “greatest thing ever” is this clip, a Vitaphone reco…
Wednesday night at Dixon Place, Theatre Askew will be presenting a workshop  production of a section of my play The Fickle Mistress, about the original “Naked Lady” Adah Is…
Today is the birthday of the prototypical American stage Irishman, Chancellor “Chauncey” Olcott (1858-1932). Starting out in minstrel shows, he had moved up to Broadway by the tu…
I don’t usually plug shows that are in direct competition with my own, but how can I not plug this? Besides Chris is making a guest appeareance in our July 26 show, so it’s all i…
No fooling! Not only is former middleweight champion Jake LaMotta (subject of Martin Scorcese’s film Raging Bull) still ALIVE, but, at the age of 90 he’s starring in a new sho…
Never-before-seen photos of the ornate interior of the Shore Theater Building by Coney Island History Project director Charles Denson are on view at our exhibition center through September 3…
Today is the birthday of comedian Red Skelton (for his complete bio go here). Below is his most famous comedy routine “Guzzler’s Gin”. To find out about the history of …
Today is Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ birthday! (For more on him, see last year’s post here). Here is an awesome version of one of my favorite Screamin’ Jay tunes “Al…
Vent Haven the annual convention of ventriloquists (and their small wooden friends) opens today in Cincinnatti. For more information see their web site here.
OK, I’m not really gay, but I’m glad I got your attention! I only rate as queer by Theatre Askew’s Big Tent Definition; only artistic director Tim Cusack can speak in an of…
Today is James Cagney’s birthday (for my full article on him go here). This little clip from The Seven Little Foys (1955)Â gives us four separate vaudevillians for the price of two: …
Today is Babs’s birthday, a fitting time to do a little plug for Dan Callahan’s recently released book Barbara Stanwyck: The Miracle Woman. Stanwyck wasn’t a vaudevillian (…
Today is the birthday of the great vaudeville jazz belter Blossom Seeley (for her full story go here). See her in action below, singing “On San Francisco Bay” in the 1933 film Bl…
Today is the birthday of silent film comedian Larry Semon, a rival to Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd in his day (see his full bio here). Here is one of his funnier shorts The Show (1922) I especi…
Today is the birthday of Ginger Rogers (for her full story go here). The footage below is from her 83rd birthday celebration in 1994. Heartwarming to see how many fans she had even then: …
Today is the 100th birthday of Woodrow Wilson Guthrie, better known as Woody. I first learned about him in third grade from a very groovy music teacher (it was 1973), but didn’t really…
Just got the news from Ian Hill that George Stoney has passed away. He was my academic adviser during my short stint at NYU Tiisch, for no other reason than that he was randomly assigned. At…
Our friends Audrey Crabtree and Jeff Seal and several other performers are performing in an interesting project tonight. Here’s the skinny: Seven performers will have 24 hours to drama…
My pal Josh Mertz is reviving his cool show Batz (a mash-up of Batman and Gatz) at Joe’s Pub tomorrow night (and the following Friday, the 20th) at 11:30pm. I caught the show …
 Drawing by Carolyn Raship When it rains, it pours! Wouldn’t you just know that my two most momentous shows ever are happening at one and the same time? (Luckily not on the same nig…
Today is Berle’s birthday; for my full biographical piece go here. Attached a clip from his endlessly fascinating, narcissistic and yet honest semi-autobiographical 1949 film Always…
Marlene Weisman did the excellent postcard design for my current show Travesties of 2012, and used to the onscreen graphics for Saturday Night Live back in the 70s and 80s. Come …
Today is the birthday of the seminal magician Harry Kellar; for my full autobiographical squib on him go here. Below, a rare 1917 clip of him meeting with Houdini: To find out about the …
Today is the birthday of the great ventriloquist Jay Johnson: for my full blog on him go here. Here he is on the Letterman Show a couple of years back when he was promoting his Broadway s…
Today is the birthday of the Nat M. Wills, one of America’s first stand-up comedians, and certainly one of the VERY first to make comedy records. For my full biographical article on hi…
