11,746 stories by "Trav S.d."
Today is the birthday o actor William Courtney (William Hancock Kelly, 1875-1933). Courtenay played big time vaudeville (including the Palace) but is most known as a legit actor of Broadway …
Today is the birthday of the much beloved character actor Charles Coburn (1877-1961). How perfect that it happens to fall on Father’s Day this year, for the first role that comes…
We’re skipping the annual Mermaid Parade this year. We’re disinclined to be Judges at present, and as Judges is the only way we go. I’ve grown disenchanted. While Coney Isl…
This Sunday (June 19, 2016) at 11am, Film Forum will be showing Charlie Chaplin’s landmark feature The Kid (1921) as part of their Film Forum Jr. series. In some ways, The …
Filed under: Contemporary Variety, PLUGS, Singers, Singing Comediennes Tagged: Amy Engelhardt, cabaret, Don't Tell Mama, My Own Devices, singer
This long-planned post is prompted by the fact that TCM is showing all the Mexican Spitfire comedies today. Â My aim is to get a handle on my passionate (but until recently, too vague) con…
Tomorrow (June 16, 2016) on Turner Classic Movies, a special showing of all the “Mexican Spitfire” comedies starring Lupe Velez (read more about the talented and gorgeous Latin s…
Continuing our little series of posts celebrating the re-launch of I’ll Say She Is, today a look at the Marx Brothers’ wives. But first we begin with the most important Marx Woma…
Tomorrow on Turner Classic Movies, they are showing comedy related pictures all the live long day. We wanted to point out three comedies we thought would be of especial interest to our reade…
Today is the birthday of June Walker (1900-1966). Originally from Chicago, Walker was a popular Broadway actress from 1919 to 1958, best known as the original Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Pre…
I’ve been wanting to publish this post for many months. It is essentially a follow up to this earlier post about the continued flying of the Confederate flag I wrote about a year ag…
Today is the 100th anniversary of the release date of the Charlie Chaplin comedy The Fireman (1916). Sometimes even a brilliant comedian will get an otherwise great idea that just some…
Filed under: Brooklyn, Coney Island, Contemporary Variety, Magicians/ Mind Readers/ Quick Change, PLUGS Tagged: Coney Island USA, family entertainment, Gary Dreifus, magic
Today is the birthday of Vera Gordon (Vera Pogoreslsky, 1886-1948). Pogorelsky began acting at age 11 in her native Russia. After marrying writer/director Nathan A. Gordon the two immigra…
Filed under: Contemporary Variety, PLUGS, Travel Tagged: Baltimore, Creative Alliance, The Patterson, The Wonder Show
Filed under: AMERICANA, BROOKLYN, Coney Island, PLUGS Tagged: Coney Island, Pet Day, Wonder Wheel, World Famous Bob
Today is the birthday of Mrs. Leslie Carter (Caroline Louise Dudley, 1857-1937). The daughter of a wealthy dry goods merchant, she married Chicago lawyer Leslie Carter in 1880. Since girlhoo…
Filed under: Burlesk, Contemporary Variety, PLUGS Tagged: burlesque, Golden Girls, Hotsy Totsy, Slipper Room
I have no idea why this one is busting to get out of my chest today, but it wont stop nagging, so I’ll spill it out and if it’s only read by five people, so be it. The title of t…
As I blogged here, I am an enormous fan of the playwright Eugene O’Neill. Â If I had to draw up a short list of a half dozen favorite playwrights, he would be on it, and near the top…
Filed under: Music, PLUGS, Rock and Pop Tagged: 50th anniversary, Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan, Hi Fi Bar, tribute
“Can the Big Apple Circus be saved?” asks the New York Times in this piece from the other day. Uh, yeah, if you’re not completely obtuse. They lost a few million in annual …
Today is the birthday of the great American heroic painter John Trumbull (1756-1843). I am distantly related to this artist; we both count the Pilgrims John and Priscilla Alden among our anc…
Today is the birthday of Helen Ford (Helen Barnett, 1894-1982). Ford started out in vaudeville as a singer in upstate New York, eventually moving up to Broadway, where she appeared in 14 pro…
Today is the birthday of Franklyn Farnum (William Smith, 1878-1961). Originally from Boston Smith (later Farnum) is said to have started out as an actor in vaudeville from age 12. (He is not…
