11,727 stories by "Trav S.d."
We've chosen the birthday of Joseph Smith (1805-1844) for a post I've long been contemplating about Mormons in the Movies. I have many close Mormon relatives, and some farther afield (includ…
Well, it's the night before The Night Before Christmas, but it seemed a reasonable thing to peg this post about the McCutcheons to, in addition to December being the birthday of Wallace McCu…
Some foolhardy person attempted a quip on my social media page earlier today with reference to a hallucinatory movie from the 1930s, joking along the lines of "Who knew people were taking dr…
December 22 was the birth date of the Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924). I was startled to learn how recently he'd died; we are only just coming upon the centennial. So mode…
Born on this day, the great Broadway composer/director/producer Edward E. Rice (1847-1924). When most people think "classic, old Broadway" they think of shows that opened two decades after R…
Something about the way he styled his name caused me to assume that Ted Fio Rito (1900-71) was one of those Latin bandleaders, like Vincent Lopez or Xavier Cugat. His given surname was actua…
We were saddened yesterday to learn of the passing of neo-realist painter Philip Pearlstein (b.1924). The little bookmark above is a memento from a time when I was honored to know him, a doz…
It's unthinkable to me, but it seems to be true. I worked weekly, more or less, with Martin Denton on one thing or another for well over a decade, and…there don't seem to any photos of us …
Wahoooooooooooo!!! We begin this post with a reference to Yukon Cornelius from the Rankin-Bass holiday special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1969) not just because it's Christmas season, b…
Words cannot describe the impatience with which I have been holding this post back for several months, not on account of its contents, but its headline, for which I believe I deserve some so…
I've been hanging on to this vintage card to share sometime during the holiday season, and International Day to End Violence to Sex Workers (December 17) seemed the ideal time. I don't know …
Barbara Kent (Barbara Cloutman, 1907-2011) may most pique the interest of our readers on the basis of Harold Lloyd's fourth leading lady, following Bebe Daniels, Mildred Davis, and Jobyna Ra…
I grew curious about Ty Parvis (Tyrone Parvis, 1912-1990) on account of his best known performance " he's the young man (all of 21) who sings the irresistible song "Honolulu Baby" in one of …
In the entirely forgivable event that you've already purchased all of my books and DVDs as holiday presents, and still need to find a gift for the vintage entertainment lover in your life, h…
There is a rumor, started by producer Hal Kanter, that at the start of his career black actor Hal Williams (b.1938) was fired from an episode of The Jimmy Stewart Show by its star because he…
We have half-planning to do some sort of post on Stuart Margolin (1940-2022) for many years and postponing. As happens, his death today at age 82 forced the issue. Most people of a certain a…
Having already done similar posts on performing dogs, elephants, lions, chimps, birds, and even mules (and honorary ones for Snake Day, Dolphin Day, and Pig Day) here, now for National Day o…
50 years ago today marked the release date of the first movie I ever saw in a cinema, The Poseidon Adventure. I call this the "proper post", because my previous one was sort of "back door", …
According to the Sword Swallowers Hall of Fame, December 12, 1937 was the DOB of Johnny Meah. Meah is of particular interest because he is not just a genuine sideshow performer, but also a h…
Tribute today to Dick Tufeld (1926-2019) the gent who voiced the B9 robot on the original Lost in Space (1965-68). I think of Tufeld's as one of the top nerd voices, and not just because ner…
Born this day, America's great poet, possibly its greatest, Emily Dickinson (1830-1886). Whitman has come to mean a lot to me,but I think that she is possibly more significant. Her finicky, …
I hope you'll forgive the provocative photo I've selected to depict Barbara Nichols (Barbara Nickerauer, 1928-1976). Ones that aren't as sexy don't seem to exist. And of course, many of you …
Bob Livingston (Robert Randall, 1904-1988) was the son-in-law of Hal Roach, co-star in many films with Al St. John, and appeared in the 1975 sex comedy Blazing Stewardesses with Yvonne De Ca…
Born 100 years ago today: Jean Porter (1922-2018). Porter was a child performer from Cisco, Texas who won "Beautiful Baby" pageants and sang on local radio. Singing in vaudeville with Ted Le…
I love that Clarence Nash (1904-1985) was born on Pearl Harbor Day, for 80 years ago he starred in one of the greatest World War Two allied propaganda cartoons, Der Fuehrer's Face (1942). (Y…
