11,729 stories by "Trav S.d."
Well, the title of this post may sound like that of an Agatha Christie novel, but no, that's Roger Aykroyd. And if you are a fan of the eponymous English writer and historian, rest easy, for…
Born in Newark, New Jersey 100 years ago today: musical stage and screen star Vivian Blaine (Vivian Stapleton, 1921-1995). Blaine started as a singer with big bands in her teenage years in t…
Today we sing of Virginia Verrill (1916-1999), not to be confused with Virginia Cherrill, not that you would ever do that. Verrill was second generation vaudeville. Her mother was also a sin…
Just a few notes on ventriloquist Bill Demar (William Delmar Crowe, 1931-2015), known affectionately to many as "Uncle Bill". Demar is best known to the world at large, believe it or not, fo…
The West Coast Ragtime Festival is virtual this year due to Covid. It opens this afternoon and plays through Sunday. catch it here.
I love it when you think there won't be much to a story, then you scratch beneath the surface and there turns out to be lots. I knew Nancy Carroll (Ann Veronic Lahiff, 1903-1965) chiefly fro…
Along with her mentor Lois Weber and her colleague Anita Loos, Frances Marion (Marion Owens, 1888-1973) is widely revered for being not just one of the first successful and powerful women in…
A tip of the hat to comedy supporting player Eddie Baker (1897-1968). As is often the way. Baker enjoyed his bigger and more memorable roles in silent days. For example, he was the referee i…
Leila Bennett (1892-1965) playsed supporting roles in fewer than two dozen films in the early days of talkies, often as comical maids, but she was memorable in them, thus we shine a light on…
The ventriloquism act of Arthur Prince (1881-1948) was novel in that it was naval. In an act called "Naval Occasions" he played a ship's officer; his dummy "Jim" was a sailor. It was, needle…
Today we tell of a remarkable show biz clan: the Watsons, who billed themselves as the First Family of Hollywood (though few nowadays would recognize them as such). Had they chosen to perfor…
Born 150 years ago this month: Jessie Bonstelle (Laura Justine Bonesteel, 1871-1932). Raised in Greece, New York (near Rochester), Bonstelle grew up attending local theatres, and was tutored…
John Banvard (1815-1891) was an American pioneer. Not the kind that shoots, and forages, and clears trails. Although the geography of the natural landscape was part and parcel of what he did…
One of my most prized possessions, even more so than first edition copies of his books like the above, is a reply letter I recieved from author and scholar John McCabe (1920-2005). I had wri…
I know "the Rambo Twins" sounds like a high-concept movie where two clones of Sylvester Stallone go on a rampage after returning from Vietnam. Their first names (Dirk and Dack) remind me of …
Today we introduce you to a stage and screen star who may well have been more consequential in the biz after her departure from the footlights. Marie Saxon (Marie Landry, 1904-41) was the da…
I am amused to learn that character actress Esther Dale (1885-1961) shares a birthday with Maude Eburne, for they played the same kinds of roles: grand dames, dowagers, busybodies, matrons o…
I'm not going to expound tons on Kay Thompson (Catherine Louise Fink, 1909-1998), but I do want to spring on you a fact, well known only to one American subculture, which may come as a relev…
Given some of the movie she's in, it's kind of crazy I've taken this long to add a post here on Gertrude Astor (Gertrude Eyster, 1887-1977). What a screen name! A cross between Gertrude Vand…
Do you get your three Genes mixed up " Gene Frankel, Gene Saks, and Gene Reynolds? Well, I always have. All three were both actors and directors. Frankel, whom we'll be writing about next mo…
We don't usually make forays into hospitality writing here at Travalanche, but today we wanted to leave a large tip for a hotelier whose patronage actually had a big impact on American arts …
Today we leap through a rift in the time-space continuum to a location 40 years ago today, the date of the American release of my favorite Terry Gilliam feature, Time Bandits (1981). I speci…
A great day for classic comedy fans, it's the release date of a new biography of the Guv'nor: Fred Karno: The Legend Behind the Laughter. I hope I don't have to tell my readers of the import…
Not for nothing, in addition to being Guy Fawkes Day, November 5 happens to be National Red Head Day " perhaps because red heads are said to be fiery and tempestous…just the type to start …
Last night, I had the pleasure of checking out Michele Carlo's new monologue What a Difference a Year Makes in the Gotham Storytelling Festival, and found it an enjoyable concatenation of of…
