11,738 stories by "Trav S.d."
It is impossible to separate the life and art of John Garfield (Jacob Julius "Julie" Garfinkle, 1913-52). Garfield was born and raised in a succession of tough working class New York neighbo…
It occurred to me this morning that I ought to do a book called "Everything I Know I Learned from Old Hollywood Bio-Pics." I've written about scores of them on Travalanche, and there's no co…
Bobby Driscoll (1937-1968) was one in that long chain of cursed child performers, falling in the chronology midway between the Little Rascals and the kids from Diff'rent Strokes. Referring t…
I just received word that African-American burlesque legend Lottie "The Body" Graves (Lottie Tatum, b. 1930) has shimmied off this mortal coil on February 28. Born in South Carolina, she mov…
Performances begin this week for Coney Island USA's most ambitious production to date Bloody Brains in a Juke Box. The show, produced through CIUSA's Funhouse Philosophers series, is a…
To wade into the biography of Hollywood actress Jennifer Jones (Phyllis Lee Isley, 1919-2009) is to step into a melodrama more excessive than any she ever starred in. Jones was second genera…
Well, forgive me, as I am about to plant several tunes in your head that won't leave. Blame Glenn Miller (Alton Glenn Miller, 1904-44)! As a kid, I was already familiar with Glenn Miller's m…
Today is the 12th birthday of the blog you are now reading, Travalanche. Or the 3rd birthday, depending on your count it, for it was started on leap Year. In celebration, and in emulation of…
I have been impatient to do a post on Dinah Shore (Fannye Rose Shore, 1916-1994) for years. She's a Leap Year baby, and I normally do biographical posts on birthdays. Though a creature of th…
A few jottings in in tribute to Leap Year baby William Wellman (1896-1976). Wellman has a reputation for being among the most macho of classic Hollywood film directors, equalling or exceedin…
The news arrived last night that Nick Apollo Forte (b. 1938) has died. The Italian-American lounge and cruise ship singer from Waterbury Connecticut earned his nickname when he opened for De…
Today we throw rose petals at the feet of Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011) My years of kidhood in the 1970s fell during a dip in Taylor's career, so to me at the time she was more of a "legend" …
Edward Brophy (1895-1960) was one of those streetwise character actors they loved so much in the '30s and '40s: short, bald, stocky, with a high-pitched squeaky voice. Whether cast in an imp…
This is a local event that will only be of interest to some, but as a card-carrying member of the Great-Neck Historical Society I feel compelled to spread the word. A week from today, Tuesda…
One of the delightful rewards of creating a blog like this is the cool stuff you uncover once you dig beneath the surface of the history of someone you only know glancingly, usually from the…
The stars are aligned today such that there are three interrelated occasions to celebrate: Mardi Gras, Commedia dell'Arte Day, and the birthday of the great Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni…
Somewhere down the line, Eddie Murphy (b. 1961) went from being a mere comedy star to a national institution. And I've realized something startling " Murphy may have set a record for the lon…
Despite his unprepossessing screen name, Jon Hall (1915-79) had a fascinating life and career. When it comes to that, "Jon Hall" was only one of his professional names. He also went by his g…
Never conclude that you have seen and heard everything. I'd never heard of Thomas Dilward (1840-87) until quite recently " and he's the remarkable sort of person you'd figure everybody, let …
February 23, 1857 was the date of the debut of Bryant's Minstrels, the second longest-lasting blackface minstrel** troupe formed prior to the Civil War (after E.P. Christy's). The Bryant Bro…
Tribute today to a show I enjoyed in my youth, the comical detective show, Tenspeed and Brown Shoe (1980). Tenspeed and Brown Shoe was producer Stephen J. Cannell's first show after The Rock…
A celebration today of comic character actor Paul Dooley (Paul Brown, b. 1928). It is interesting to learn of Dooley's humble West Virginia origins. Because of his Second City/ Compass Playe…
Despite the fact the he wrote one of my favorite songs, I haven't yet written about songwriter Nacio Herb Brown (1896-1964, sometimes billed as Herb Nacio Brown) chiefly because, unusual for…
Screen comedian Harry Depp (1883-1957) was a little fellow in the vein of Bobby Vernon, Bud Duncan and Harry Langdon, though Langdon wouldn't make it to the screen until years later. Origina…
Plus-sized, toothsome Johnny Brown (b. 1937) was a highly visible figure on TV when I was growing up in the '70s. The Florida native started out as the singer in a jazz combo led by "Sam the…
