Thursday, February 15, 2024
150 years ago today: the birth of Polar Explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922). It gives me particular pleasure to write about him on the day after Valentine's Day, for Shackleton was on…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 04:24AM[SHARE]Wednesday, February 14, 2024
And though it is Jack Benny's birthday, and I am developing a longish piece about Benny's movies, the precipitating cause of this post is that February 14 ALSO happens to be the birthday of …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:12AM[SHARE]Something appropriate there is about the fact that National Ferris Wheel Day and Valentine's Day are one and the same. I can't think of a more romantic date activity than a ride on one of th…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:02AM[SHARE]Tuesday, February 13, 2024
According to the master calendar that makes this blog happen, there are numerous new people I could be writing about on this Fat Tuesday " but I find I want to talk some more about George Se…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:06AM[SHARE]Monday, February 12, 2024
I say "the other" because the better known David Steinberg was a Canadian stand-up comedian who was popular in the 1970s. The one who concerns us today was David J. Steinberg (1965-2010). Th…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:36AM[SHARE]I've little original to say upon the the topic, but I cannot let it go unobserved: today marks 100 years since George Gershwin premiered his Rhapsody in Blue at Aeolian Hall in New York (Feb…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 06:24AM[SHARE]Sunday, February 11, 2024
The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company was incorporated on this day in 1890. I'm not here to celebrate or endorse their product, but RJR did leave a camel print in the shifting sands of show busi…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:42AM[SHARE]Saturday, February 10, 2024
Harry Beaumont (1888-1966) is not regarded today as a great cinematic auteur, and perhaps he shouldn't be in terms of such matter as camera placement, shot composition, and so forth (and to …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:02PM[SHARE]Friday, February 9, 2024
Today's post on Carmen Miranda (1909-1955) goes out to another Carmen M, my friend Carmen Mofungo (Michele Carlo), one of the many performers influenced and inspired by the Brazilian star. (…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:02PM[SHARE]I categorically discourage this sort of thing but an acquaintance recently approached me and asked whether the James Murray he saw in some vintage advertising for a vaudeville bill that feat…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:48AM[SHARE]Thursday, February 8, 2024
You see what I did there, right? It wasn't easy. Just TRY to find an unglamorous photograph of James Dean (1931-1955). Naturally, to focus my search, I went to "as old man in Giant", calcula…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:54AM[SHARE]Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Sudden death always feels like a sucker punch, sometimes more than others. I just got the word that Kenyan actor Charles J. ("Charli") Ouda has passed away at the age of 38. I had the happin…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:24PM[SHARE]Today we pause to acknowledge actress Gloria Talbott (1931-2000). We've had a handful of occasion to mention Talbott here, chiefly in relation to her horror films: she has key roles in The C…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:54AM[SHARE]Tuesday, February 6, 2024
The bad news " my hard drive died so I won't be churning out a few thousand new daily words for a couple of days. The good news? I've just opened up to the public over 900 additional posts t…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:12AM[SHARE]Monday, February 5, 2024
This one is far from an exclusive but the show biz angle lured me in. I'm quite sure I first heard of Ronald Pellar (1930-2013) a.k.a Dr. Dante a.k.a. Ronald Dante a.k.a. Mr. Hypnotist as th…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:36AM[SHARE]Saturday, February 3, 2024
Melanie (b. 1947) passed away a week ago. I'd already planned a post for her birthday, which is today, so I thought I'd save the obit and let this one, regrettably, do double duty. Melanie S…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:06AM[SHARE]Friday, February 2, 2024
Launching today in New York: Sapph-o-Rama, Film Forum's 30 film series of movies "exploring the eccentric, enduring, and genre-encompassing history of the Lesbian image in cinema". The most …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 02:42PM[SHARE]A somewhat unusual case to contemplate today: a father and son, both of whom made well-known, well-respected and popular movies in two countries: France and America. Maurice Tourneur (Mauric…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:32AM[SHARE]Thursday, February 1, 2024
It's quite true, although it must be pointed out that there have been three generations of Drs Bronner since the mid 20th century, and many generations of soap-making Heilbronners before tha…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:36PM[SHARE]Bill Mumy (Charles William Mumy Jr, b. 1954) turns 70 years old today. For someone who has nearly 100 screen credits accumulated over nearly half a century, and has distinguished himself in …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:18AM[SHARE]More than once here have we pointed out the real true fact the many theatrical forms that owe their origins all or in part to France: melodrama, farce, vaudeville, burlesque, revues, even th…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:12AM[SHARE]Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Oh, there's no "dirt" on Tammy Grimes, per se, only information. it's just wordplay and a shameless headline. Grimes (1934-2016) was an actress/performer whose legend was primarily in the th…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:54PM[SHARE]Monday, January 29, 2024
We've long since passed 100 posts on the topic of William Claude Dukenfeld, a.k.a. W.C. Fields (1880-1946) on this blog and so we thought we'd mark his birthday (January 29) with this new ha…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 04:02PM[SHARE]Yes! Google it and you will find many published books and articles with titles much like this post! I even dropped his name with reference to the many uses of the word vaudeville in my book …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:24AM[SHARE]Sunday, January 28, 2024
If I were any kind of a guy, I'd plug every single episode of the Marx Brothers Council Podcast as they drop, but the naked truth is, I can't keep up. It's the only podcast I listen to, but …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:32AM[SHARE]Saturday, January 27, 2024
January 27 was the birthday of stage star Benay Venuta (Benvenuta Rose Crooke, 1910-1995). Old time movie fans will probably know her best from the movie musicals Annie Get Your Gun (1950, a…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:48AM[SHARE]Friday, January 26, 2024
It's Australia Day, and I've already done my big Australia omnibus post, so this year I thought I would do a short piece that flows very naturally out of my recent ones on Martin Sharp and t…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 06:36PM[SHARE]January 25 is National Florida Day. Two of my brothers have retired to the Sunshine State, and they keep inviting me to come down for a visit, which I have half a plan to do. The origin of t…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 04:32PM[SHARE]Wednesday, January 24, 2024
I'm not sure why I never thought to scratch beneath the surface of the career of classic Hollywood director Henry King (1886-1982) before, as I love several of his films. But I'm glad I did …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:18AM[SHARE]Tuesday, January 23, 2024
January 23 is the birthday of Chita Rivera (Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson, b. 1933). I'll risk getting New Yorkers' backs up by being overexplainy about who she is, for her l…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:32AM[SHARE]Monday, January 22, 2024
Norman Jewison (b. 1926) has passed away at the age of 97 and so we thought it incumbent upon us to toss in a few words of eulogy, if not ululation. He's been retired for 20 years, being on …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 06:24PM[SHARE]Loading more stories…
