Thursday, October 18, 2012
Today is the birthday of a personal hero of mine, Wynton Marsalis (b. 1961). I can’t presume to weigh in on whether he is or he isn’t a great jazz trumpeter. What I prize him for…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:14AM[SHARE]This is one in a series of posts we are producing in connection with our new book Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube, available from Bear Ma…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:58AM[SHARE]Today is the birthday of the great songwriter/ guitarist/ showman Chuck Berry, born 1926. I was shocked — shocked — to learn that not only is still with us, he is still giggin…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:17AM[SHARE]This looks awesome, does it not???? It opens at Irondale tonight…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:25AM[SHARE]Today is the birthday of Lotte Lenya (1898-1981). Only troglodytes associate her primarily with Rosa Klebb. Here is what we celebrate this morning:
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:17AM[SHARE]Wednesday, October 17, 2012
I realized two long standing goals last night. First, many, many months after it first open, I finally got to check out the Canal Park Playhouse, an amazing space located in one of Manhattan…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:46AM[SHARE]The greatest showman of my day produced spectacles too big for theatres, eventually too big even for arenas. I speak of course of the legendary motorcycle daredevil Evel Kneivel (1938-…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:19AM[SHARE]Today is the birthday of Margarita Carmen Cansino, a.k.a Rita Hayworth (1918-1987). A third generation member of a family of professional Spanish dancers, Rita began taking lessons at age th…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:10AM[SHARE]Today is the birthday of Irene Ryan (nee Jessie Irene Noblitt, 1902-1973), best known as “Granny” on The Beverly Hillbillies. Most people today don’t know she sta…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:02AM[SHARE]Target Margin launches their two-year lab of Yiddish plays at the Brick Theater tonight. To learn more about this fascinating project, listen to a podcast conversation with me and T…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:12AM[SHARE]Today is the birthday of Cozy Cole (1909-1981), rhythm man for everyone from Jelly Roll Morton to Willie Bryant to Louis Armstrong. He was a big influence on many rock drummers, and hereR…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:09AM[SHARE]As I’ve observed here many times over the past couple of years, we are in an interesting period of Tennessee Williams revival as indie theatre companies are rediscovering his lesser kn…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:03AM[SHARE]Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Re-posted from last year. Today is Oscar Wilde’s birthday (1854-1900). I fell under Wilde’s spell in the 1990s, so much so that I named my second son (Charles Wilde Stewart, …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:17AM[SHARE]To paraphrase the rap artist, at this point in time I’d like to share a few words about my libido. Working on Burlesque-A-Pades the last few weeks has caused me to do some thinking abo…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:59AM[SHARE]Tonight! Starring the incomparable Cherry Pitz!
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:02AM[SHARE]Today is the birthday of Ford Lee Washington, a.k.a. “Buck” of Stars of Vaudeville #246: Buck and Bubbles. For more info on that team go here. John Bubbles is ordinarily thoug…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:30AM[SHARE]Today is the birthday of the great American playwright Eugene O’Neill (1888-1953) In my view he towers over (nearly) every other American playwright..because of his ambition, his restl…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:27AM[SHARE]Monday, October 15, 2012
Today is the birthday of the great early blues queen Victoria Spivey (1906-1976). The native Texan got her professional start as a child, singing and playing piano in movie theatres, saloons…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:30AM[SHARE]Today is the birthday of the great (and almost universally misunderstood)Â German philosopher Friedrich Neitzsche (1844-1900). Properly appreciated he is not the enemy of goodness, as is c…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 06:47AM[SHARE]Today is the birthday of stage and screen actress Ina Claire (nee Fagan, 1893-1988). The Washington D.C. native got her start in vaudeville as an impressionist at age 17 before breaking i…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 05:55AM[SHARE]Sunday, October 14, 2012
Two weeks before Hallowe’en, you can hopefully forgive the Countess and myself for thinking an “interactive event” called “the Warehouse of Horrors” with tou…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:08AM[SHARE]Today is the birthday of the great American poet e.e. cummings (sic) (1894-1962). Here’s a little number he wrote when Buffalo Bill passed away: Buffalo Bill’s: defunct who used …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:37AM[SHARE]Today is the birthday of Eli Bowen, the Legless Acrobat (1844-1924). Bowen had feet — just no legs. Like many people born with such a condition, he developed his arms into extremely…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:25AM[SHARE]Today is the birthday of Harry Anderson (b. 1952). While more famous for his acting roles in the sit-coms Night Court (1984-1992)and Dave's World (1993-1997), and the tv movie version of Ste…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:12AM[SHARE]Today is the birthday of Star of Vaudeville #244: Pert Kelton; among many other credits, she was the original Alice in The Honeymooners with Jackie Gleason. For the full bio on her go he…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:34AM[SHARE]Saturday, October 13, 2012
Today is the birthday of Lenny Bruce (1925-1966). When I was 19 and 20 years old I was DEEP under the Brucean spell, enthralled by way of a handful of existing records borrowed from a friend…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:05AM[SHARE]Today is the birthday of Star of Vaudeville #63: Lillie Langtry (for more on her and her connection to vaudeville go here). And, because you weren’t doing anything better anyway, here …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:53AM[SHARE]Today is Paul Simon’s birthday. While (like everybody else) I prefer him in a duo with Garfunkle, I do also like his earlier solo records, in particular this 1973 collaboration with th…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:42AM[SHARE]William H. Fox (ca. 1840-1915) had several phases to his career. He ran away from home as a youth in his native Kentucky to appear in circuses and early vaudeville touring units where he …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:41AM[SHARE]Today is the birthday of film and radio actress Irene Rich (1891-1988). The house wife and real estate broker began working as a film extra in 1918 and quickly worked her way up to substanti…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:24AM[SHARE]This weekend! For more details go here:Â http://parachuteconeyislandfestival.blogspot.com/
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:03AM[SHARE]Loading more stories…
