11,751 stories by "Trav S.d."
Today is the birthday of misunderstood television genius Sherwood Schwartz (1916-2011). Someday we hope to do a lengthy post on the whole of this man’s singular oeuvre, bu…
Today is the birthday of Morton Downey, Sr. (1901-1905). Those of us of a certain age remember his hellish spawn, who almost single-handedly destroyed television by bringing right-wing talk …
Today is the birthday of silent comedy star Cliff Bowes (1894-1929). Like many film performers, Bowes got his start not on the stage but in the world of athletics. A champion swimmer and div…
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the release of the Max Linder comedy Max Takes a Picture. Ever the roué, in this short film Max won’t stop harassing a pretty girl at the…
And it consists of corned beef and cabbage! The Duchess and I are embarking today for Ireland, where we’ll be visiting family for a week, hopefully with a nice side benefit of taking i…
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the initial release of one of my favorite movies, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.  As a child, it held many mysteries for me. First, that …
Today is the birthday of corn-fed country comedian Archie Campbell (1914-1987), as good a time as any to talk about that peculiar, never-to-be-repeated television phenomenon Hee Haw. I…
Today is the birthday of Leatrice Joy (1893-1985), one of the biggest film stars of the twenties. Joy broke into silent film in her native New Orleans in 1915 and briefly worked in stock the…
Today is the birthday of Phil Spitalny (1890-1970). Born in the Ukraine, he founded his 22 piece All-Girl Orchestra in the early 30s, called the Hour of Charm Orchestra when it was featur…
If you would have told anyone 35 years ago that by 2013 Lance Kerwin (born today in 1960) would have pretty much vanished off the face of the earth, they might have believed you but they wou…
Today (or November 16, I’ve seen both given) is the birthday of Thomas Ince (1882-1924). Ince is best known today for his sad and mysterious end, dramatized in Peter Bogdonavich’…
Filed under: Burlesk, Contemporary Variety, PLUGS, Singers Tagged: burlesque, Nurse Betty, Shelly Watson
Today is the birthday of songwriter Nathaniel Hawthorne “Nat” Vincent (1889-1979). In the early days, Vincent was a song plugger and department store music demonstrator. In vaude…
I was delighted to see three different people, all of whom I met separately and through three entirely different connections, all collaborating in Lauren Milberger’s reading for her ne…
Originally posted in 2009. Today is the birthday of Ole Olsen. OLSEN AND JOHNSON "The Mad Monarchs of Monkey Business" The most famous effort of John "Ole" Olsen and Harold "Chic" Johnson wa…
Today is the birthday of Sam Shepard (see my earlier post on him here). Since it is Native American Heritage Month, I thought I would take the opportunity to talk about Shepard’s 1994 …
Today is the birthday of that unique American phenomenon, star of radio, television, film, live performance, and the recording arts Roy Rogers (Leonard Slye, 1911-1998). Yes, “Leonard …
Today is the birthday of Art Carney (1918-2003). I’ve dragged my heels about posting about him here for some time, not because he wasn’t brilliant, but because I’d always t…
In further celebration of Will Rogers’s birthday (see full appreciation here) we pause to admire his radio work. In addition to being a star of stage, screen and the printed word, Will…
Originally posted in 2009. Will Rogers' place in the hearts and minds of Americans transcended the limits of mere show business. He was regarded as a kind of American Saint, a sort of cr…
Today is the birthday of Edmund Kean (1787-1833). Despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that Kean had very little formal education he was was to become the greatest English actor of his a…
Today is the birthday of Bobby Breen (b. 1927). Breen was all of four years old when he debuted in Toronto nightclubs, vaudeville theatres and on radio as a boy soprano. In 1935 he moved to …
Today is the birthday of Gaby Deslys (Marie Elise Gabrielle Claire, 1881-1920). Originally from Marseilles, she became the toast of the cabarets and musical halls of Paris in the early years…
A cautionary tale with a sad ending. Blanche Gray was born in Detroit in November 1866. At the time of her birth she weight 25 lbs, proportions that killed her mother a couple of days after …
Today is the birthday of Raymond S. Sugden, known professionally as Tampa (1887-1939). He often billed himself as “England’s Court Magician”, despite having been from the P…
