11,698 stories by "Trav S.D."
I was very distressed to learn today of the death of an old friend. I'm startled to realize that she was indeed that " I've known Kathleen Hulser for a quarter of a century. Kathleen was the…
Paul Morrissey (1938-2024) passed away a few days ago; I decided to hold his tribute for today (Halloween), as it seemed most appropriate for a man who had directed his own takes on Frankens…
Don't get too excited! The show advertised above is from a quarter century ago. We share the image for two reasons: 1) In celebration of the Halloween season, and 2) it was designed by the t…
There are performing artists of older vintage I could treat of today, but none of them get me as jazzed as Grace Slick (b. 1939), nor are any of them as witchy. I love that she was born on H…
October 29 was the birthday of a now obscure sports promoter named Jess McMahon (Roderick James McMahon Sr, 1882-1954). In the final analysis I revile the influence his family has had on thi…
In celebration of Fanny Brice's birthday, we inaugurate this new finding aid to help you navigate posts related to the great star of stage, screen, and radio. We hope you find it useful! My …
Here's an even more obscure pocket of an already forgotten cul-de-sac of show business history! While there was nearly a decade between Harold Lloyd's last starring comedy Professor Beware (…
Thank you, Donald Trump, for reminding everyone who you really are last night, by returning to the symbolically freighted site of the 1939 Nazi Rally (Madison Square Garden) in order to reli…
In 2019 and 2020 it looked very much like New York's White Horse Tavern was going to close, and as so many joints shuttered for good during the Covid pandemic, it seemed destined to be anoth…
You'll have noticed that in recent months we have drifted into doing more posts about American corporations and brands. I just want to assure you that our mission hasn't shifted. This thread…
We have multiple reasons for today's addendum to our previous 2018 post on The Love Boat. One is that, once again, it is Lauren Tewes' birthday. She gets the honors because she alone among t…
During its 1933-34 season, CBS Radio listeners were treated to one of the most remarkable broadcast programs of all time: The Adventures of Admiral Byrd, a weekly 15 minute dispatch by Rear …
Quaker Founder George Fox (1624-1691) was born 400 years ago this year; William Penn (1644-1718) was born 20 years later, on this day. I am descended from Quakers on both sides of my family.…
Believe it or not, this is my first post dedicated to single Walt Disney feature. I've given many of them attention on Travalanche, but usually in the context of broader topics. I'm going to…
Far be it from me to besmirch the fine name of Boyardee, but we know what we know. I'm not here to endorse this unpalatable family of products. I'm a culinary barbarian and even I am too goo…
October 21, 1858 marked the world premiere of Offenbach's opera Orphée aux enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld). Its culminating piece of music, the "galop infernal" was to become the convent…
William Vann Rogers (1911-1993) was one of those rare juniors who outgrew the shadow of a great father and became his own man, becoming mighty valuable himself. In Rogers case he managed to …
October 19, 1964 was the date on which Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., the first record album by the duo Simon and Garfunkel was officially released. The pair had released music earlier under the…
Multiple lures attracted us to Feejee Mermaid, the inaugural production of Drops in the Vase, now in previews at the Flea: the title, obviously, but also the past work of the principal artis…
My original intention was to create this new finding aid for Saturday Night Live related posts for the REAL 50th anniversary next year (2025 " the show launched in '75), but they're already …
Margot Kidder (1948-2018) gave up the ghost just a few years ago, but if I saw more than just a headline, I don't recall it. The country was neck deep in the shit storm of the 45th Presidenc…
October 16 was the birthday of a future B movie star whose birth name was Gordon Nance (1904-1965). Nance grew up on a cattle Missouri ranch. He grew up riding, roping, and participating in …
Little birds that tweet have told me of two new books that are coincidentally both being released today, which readers of this blog in particular should be interested in. As we told you back…
That's Jimmy Durante " of course, I'm going to give him pride of place among Italian Americans in show business. He's kind of the "Adam" of it all, a musician, a singer, a comedian, an actor…
Originally posted on my other blog the Trav-a-log, the contents of which I am in the process of transplanting here, so that it will all live in one place! In 1492 most well educated people i…
