11,746 stories by "Trav S.d."
I knew TCM wouldn’t let me down! Tomorrow, they close out 2015 in the best way possible: a day of Marx Brothers films. (Followed by a Thin Man marathon, but you know where our heart li…
The sad passing of Meadowlark Lemon prompts this post, of course. Meadowlark has easily got to be my first black hero, as I’m sure he was for millions of others of kids, and it was lar…
The great cinematographer Haskell Wexler died yesterday at age 93. There will be a million appreciations of him today; I just thought I’d tip my hat to him about something quite small …
Filed under: Comedy, Jack Benny, PLUGS, Radio (Old Time Radio) Tagged: Charles Dickens, Christmas Carol, Jack Benny, old time radio
Another chunk of my family history clicked into place the other day, and it’s quite possible that I am close to the solution to a mystery. This gave me nice things to think about at Ch…
Tomorrow morning, Turner Classic Movies presents two classic musical films of the 1930s: 6:00am (EST): A Night at the Opera (1935) A Night at the Opera usually presents a bit of a problem…
Tonight on Turner Movie Classics, three classic musicals starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers: 8:00pm (EST): Swing Time (1936) The dancing and songs are so great in these films the fact t…
Today is the anniversary of the Syd Chaplin  comedy A Submarine Pirate (1915). A major hit in its day and still one of the the best known comedies of its star Syd Chaplin (Charlie̵…
There is something not an entirely inappropriate about Christmas also being the birthday of Baron Lew Grade (Lev Winogradsky, 1906-1998). After all, the British TV mogul headed up the Indepe…
Just under the wire, with an hour and a half of Christmas left to go! Some Christmas cards by my first cousin, thrice removed, the illustrator Harrison Cady: Filed under: Christmas, My Famil…
Well, someone else has a birthday today — prolific character actor Dick Miller (b. 1928). I first knew Miller from his role as the man who eats flowers in Roger Corman’s original…
Today is the birthday of the pathbreaking Eugene “Pineapple” Jackson (1916-2001) Jackson got his start as a child actor in silent films. He was all of five when he appeared as Ve…
It’s well known that W.C. Fields was a comedian, a screenwriter and a juggler — probably less well known that he was an amateur cartoonist. His drawings were interesting, origina…
Today is the birthday of the always hilarious Eric Blore (1887-1959). Astounding to note that we haven’t done an appreciation of this stalwart comic actor until this late date. I think…
Today is the birthday of the poet Edwin Arlington (E.A.) Robinson (1869-1935). I first became aware of Robinson 20 years ago when I stayed for two months in his old cottage on a writing fell…
Tomorrow on TCM:Â several classics by the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. On the menu: 6:00am (EST):Â Mr and Mrs Smith (1941) An interesting hybrid film — Hitchcock directing…
Filed under: Broadway, Comedians, Comedy, Uncategorized, Vaudeville etc., W.C. Fields Tagged: American Theatre of Actors, canary trial, comedy, W.C. Fields
Today is the birthday of Edith Taliaferro (1894-1958). Taliaferro was born into a theatrical family in Richmond Virginia. Not only were her parents in the theatre but so were her sister (Mab…
Today is the birthday of Adele Ritchie (1874-1930). Ritchie was a contemporary and peer of Lillian Russell; her name is often paired with hers, although usually in a “Coke and Pepsi…
Dooley and Sales were a popular, big time, headlining male-female comedy team in the teens and twenties. I have only been able to glean scraps about them thus far. I know they played the Pal…
Hola, amigos — it’s been a while since I’ve done this, so with less than a week of shopping days ’til Christmas, I’m going to take the liberty of reminding you …
This post arises from the fact that in recent months and years a bunch of my friends, colleagues and acquaintances have published books for kids and young adults. It’s gotten so itR…
Today is the birthday of one of Hollywood’s great contemporary film directors, Steven Spielberg. And what better way to celebrate someone’s birthday than by coldly scrutinizing t…
Today is the birthday of Mary Nolan (Mary Imogene Robertson, 1902-1948). Nolan has to be one of the prime examples of good luck and bad luck simultaneously arising from the same source ̵…
While you’re still Christmas shopping, here’s a little plug for a gift for the Marx-Loving Middle Schooler in your life, or really, any kid you’d like to interest in old ti…
