11,798 stories from Trav S.D.
December 15, 37 A.D. is the date traditionally given for the birthdate of the Roman Emperor Nero (37-68). The example of Nero is a timely reminder, if one were needed, of what perils await a…
This is a rather atypical photo of Kasey Rogers (Josie Imogene Rogers, 1925-2006), but the rub is that it depicts her in her most widely known role, that of Farley Granger's troublesome, and…
My son, who takes great pictures, snapped the one above about a month ago during our trip to visit to family homelands in Alabama. Today is Alabama Statehood Day, so I thought I would do a p…
Today's new Travalanche posts for December 14, 2025 include ones on DeFord Bailey, the Addrisi Brothers, and National Alabama Day. Earlier Travalanche posts for December 14 (in no particu…
I first became aware of DeFord Bailey (1899-1982) just a few weeks ago, when researching my post on The Grand Ole Opry, which just turned 100, and which I just visited. Bailey was one of the…
The Addrisi Brothers are not exactly household words. Songwriters, even successful ones, seldom are. As it happens, they wrote one of my favorite songs in the world, though you may wretch wh…
The screen career of Florine McKinney (1909-1975) started on a very promising note. When still a high school student, the Texas beauty went to Hollywood and made the rounds of casting direct…
Today's new Travalanche posts for December 13, 2025 include ones on Dick Van Dyke (for his 100th birthday), husband-wife silent screen comedians Harry Todd and Margaret Joslin, nightclub com…
December 13th was the birthday of screen comedian Harry Todd (John Nelson Todd, 1863-1935). Let the buyer beware! I just came across an online article about the comedian which I found both t…
Happy 100th birthday to Dick Van Dyke (b. 1925)! I've already long since done a post on Van Dyke and his classic sit-com and on the films Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) and The Comic (1969).…
I first heard about Frankie Hyers (1905-1973) because he was teamed for a time with Fatso Marco Marcella, later of The Milton Berle Show. This is, I believe, the only complete article you wi…
Today's new Travalanche posts for December 12, 2025 on playwright John Osborne and a couple of supporting players named George Cooper. Earlier Travalanche posts for December 12 (in no partic…
A few words on the mixed legacy of English playwright John Osborne (1929-1994). To begin on a positive note, and completely out of order, Osborne wrote the screenplay to one of my favorite f…
There is little to tell of a biographical nature about supporting player George Cooper (1892-1943), but he did appear in well over 200 films, including decent parts in several silent comedie…
In my ongoing series of celebrations of U.S. States, to date we've done Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Florida, Hawaii, and the midwestern states of Kansas, Iowa, O…
New Yorkers who love vintage children's literature and illustration: My good friends Hope Cartelli, Jeff Lewonczyk, and Maryanne Olson have just launched the Secret Storybook Club for those …
Today's new Travalanche posts for December 11, 2025 includes ones on Marjorie Henderson Buell a.k.a. "Marge" (creator of Little Lulu), a little Holiday event I'm participating in this weeken…
December 11 was the birthday of pioneering female cartoonist and illustrator Marjorie Henderson Buell (1904-1993), who went by the pen name "Marge". Marge was only a teenager when the Philad…
Today's new Travalanche posts for December 10, 2025 concern a couple of supporting players from completely different eras: Tisha Sterling and Arthur Vinton. Earlier Travalanche posts for Dec…
Not sure how actor Arthur Vinton (Albert Hozel, 1896-1963) made it onto the Travalanche radar " probably by way of The Lambs, of which he was a member. He was also a founding member of the S…
As we wrote previously, Robert Sterling, best known from the TV version of Topper, and film and TV actress Ann Sothern were briefly a Hollywood power couple. The product of their joint attra…
Another plug in time for yer Christmas shopping spree. Rhythm and Pep: The Vaudeville Career of the Pearson Brothers by Dan Henderson is a wonderful window into the rise and f…
Today's new Travalanche post for December 9, 2025 profiles a new book about the Pearson Brothers vaudeville team. Earlier Travalanche posts for December 9 (in no particular order) include on…
There may be quite a few movie acting careers more distinguished than that of Mary Woronov (b. 1943), but none are cooler. Woronov's entrée into screen acting occurred in Andy Warhol films,…
Today's new Travalanche posts for December 8, 2025 are about James Thurber, Mary Woronov, Georges Feydeau, and various news items about the Marx Brothers. Earlier Travalanche posts for Decem…
