It's been a minute since I've shared a guest post here on Travalanche, and I don't do it very frequently, but I am excited to be presenting one today. My most frequent guest poster has been …
It's June 29, and having already written about such June 29 Birthday Children as Richard Lewis, Fred Grandy, Nelson Eddy, Joan Davis, Slim Pickens, Ed Gardner (Duffy's Tavern), and Coney Isl…
I'm shocked and disappointed that no punk rocker appropriated the name of German strong man Max Sick (1882-1961). It certainly would live harmoniously alongside Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious, G…
Lloyd and Susan Ecker are the world's ultimate Sophie Tucker boosters " they've released a book, and a documentary, and a soundtrack CD to same, and I don't know what all. Oh, wait! I KNOW w…
Theodore "Tiny" Roebuck (1906-1969) was a Native American athlete who dabbled in film acting in the 1930s. A member of the Choctaw tribe, Roebuck hailed from the Lenton Territory in what is …
June 25 was the birthday of Bessie Poole (1895-1928). If you were crude and in a hurry you might describe Poole as "W.C. Fields' side piece", but that would be inaccurate for many reasons. E…
June 24 was the birthday of dancer/choreographer/impresario Margaret Kelly (1910-2004); June 20 was the opening day in 1946 of the Paris venue she was long associated with, Le Lido. Four nat…
This post represents a confluence of two compelling forces: some cool radio clips that John Tefteller played at Marxfest last month, and the advent of the new Advertising and Brands section …
Illustrator Drew Friedman is well known to all those in the Classic Comedy Cult. As the title of one of his better known books reminds us, he's the guy who draws all the Old Jewish Comedians…
Somebody shared this 1951 Look magazine cover online the other day, and it seemed the perfect touchstone for a new post connecting you with links to my articles on the various comedians prof…
Sir H. Rider Haggard (1856-1925) was born of a June 22. As a young man, the well connected Haggard had served in a succession of administrative and diplomatic posts in British colonial South…
June 21, 2006 marked the premiere of America's Got Talent, which makes this televised talent competition well on the way to having been on the air for two decades. And I, one of the nation's…
This one goes out to my nephew and good friend James, and I must say I have been looking forward to writing this post for days with child-like glee. It is World Motorcycle Day, and so today …
Born 100 years ago today, influential guitarist, producer and A & R man Chester "Chet" Atkins (1924-2001). Atkins' bright, cheery electric fingerpicking style is both instantly identifia…
No, no, not the guy from Young Sherlock Holmes and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. I mean Nicholas Rowe classic (1674-1718), England's fourth Poet Laureate, first modern editor of a com…
Two items of big news from the sovereign nation of Travyland to report on, manifested in an amazing day yesterday! Thanks to a referral by an academic friend, I found myself shuttled up to C…
Yes, we at Travalanche enjoy and approve of professional wrestling. There's an evening a section devoted to it here. It shouldn't surprise; after all, as is well known, pro wrestling is in p…
New Yorkers! We're coming up on the bicentennial of Castle Clinton's start as an entertainment venue " seems like the perfect time to do my postponed marathon walking tour of the history of …
Two major benchmarks for Barry Manilow (b.1943) passed last year: the singer/musician/songwriter/producer turned 80 years old; and his self-titled debut LP turned 50. This year marks another…
The Ford Motor Company was founded on this day in 1903. As we posted earlier, our enthusiasm for the contributions to the world by Henry Ford are muted, to put it mildly, by his Anti-Semitis…
This piece was originally cooked up for Tim Greer's "Feet of Mud" website a few years ago, but it now seems to be offline, so I place it here. The Langdon Thing This is strictly anecdo…
There's not a ton of middle ground on silent screen comedian Harry Langdon (1884-1944). The few who know him either love or hate him, and those who love him are vastly outnumbered. I'm among…
The story of Charles Gemora (Carlos Cruz Gemora, 1903-1961) represents a confluence between two of our previous content streams: gorilla suit movies and animal impersonation (see posts on Fr…
If you missed Nelson Hughes' presentation at Marxfest, here's your chance to catch it, with enhancements. This Sunday at 4:30pm at QED in Queens, That Slapstick Show dives into the world of …
The Apprentice debuted in 2004. I never watched this damn show in real time, so I was rather shocked at the impact it wound up having on this planet. "New York is my town," host Donald Trump…