Wednesday, December 21, 2022
Born on this day, the great Broadway composer/director/producer Edward E. Rice (1847-1924). When most people think "classic, old Broadway" they think of shows that opened two decades after R…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:18PM[SHARE]Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Something about the way he styled his name caused me to assume that Ted Fio Rito (1900-71) was one of those Latin bandleaders, like Vincent Lopez or Xavier Cugat. His given surname was actua…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 04:36PM[SHARE]We were saddened yesterday to learn of the passing of neo-realist painter Philip Pearlstein (b.1924). The little bookmark above is a memento from a time when I was honored to know him, a doz…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:54AM[SHARE]Monday, December 19, 2022
It's unthinkable to me, but it seems to be true. I worked weekly, more or less, with Martin Denton on one thing or another for well over a decade, and…there don't seem to any photos of us …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 04:24PM[SHARE]Sunday, December 18, 2022
Wahoooooooooooo!!! We begin this post with a reference to Yukon Cornelius from the Rankin-Bass holiday special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1969) not just because it's Christmas season, b…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:42AM[SHARE]Saturday, December 17, 2022
Words cannot describe the impatience with which I have been holding this post back for several months, not on account of its contents, but its headline, for which I believe I deserve some so…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 02:12PM[SHARE]I've been hanging on to this vintage card to share sometime during the holiday season, and International Day to End Violence to Sex Workers (December 17) seemed the ideal time. I don't know …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 02:12PM[SHARE]Friday, December 16, 2022
Barbara Kent (Barbara Cloutman, 1907-2011) may most pique the interest of our readers on the basis of Harold Lloyd's fourth leading lady, following Bebe Daniels, Mildred Davis, and Jobyna Ra…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:54AM[SHARE]Thursday, December 15, 2022
I grew curious about Ty Parvis (Tyrone Parvis, 1912-1990) on account of his best known performance " he's the young man (all of 21) who sings the irresistible song "Honolulu Baby" in one of …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:42AM[SHARE]Wednesday, December 14, 2022
In the entirely forgivable event that you've already purchased all of my books and DVDs as holiday presents, and still need to find a gift for the vintage entertainment lover in your life, h…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 05:36PM[SHARE]There is a rumor, started by producer Hal Kanter, that at the start of his career black actor Hal Williams (b.1938) was fired from an episode of The Jimmy Stewart Show by its star because he…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:54AM[SHARE]Tuesday, December 13, 2022
We have half-planning to do some sort of post on Stuart Margolin (1940-2022) for many years and postponing. As happens, his death today at age 82 forced the issue. Most people of a certain a…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 03:18PM[SHARE]Having already done similar posts on performing dogs, elephants, lions, chimps, birds, and even mules (and honorary ones for Snake Day, Dolphin Day, and Pig Day) here, now for National Day o…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 03:18PM[SHARE]50 years ago today marked the release date of the first movie I ever saw in a cinema, The Poseidon Adventure. I call this the "proper post", because my previous one was sort of "back door", …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:03AM[SHARE]Monday, December 12, 2022
According to the Sword Swallowers Hall of Fame, December 12, 1937 was the DOB of Johnny Meah. Meah is of particular interest because he is not just a genuine sideshow performer, but also a h…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:06PM[SHARE]Sunday, December 11, 2022
Tribute today to Dick Tufeld (1926-2019) the gent who voiced the B9 robot on the original Lost in Space (1965-68). I think of Tufeld's as one of the top nerd voices, and not just because ner…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:06PM[SHARE]Saturday, December 10, 2022
Born this day, America's great poet, possibly its greatest, Emily Dickinson (1830-1886). Whitman has come to mean a lot to me,but I think that she is possibly more significant. Her finicky, …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 02:02PM[SHARE]I hope you'll forgive the provocative photo I've selected to depict Barbara Nichols (Barbara Nickerauer, 1928-1976). Ones that aren't as sexy don't seem to exist. And of course, many of you …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:36AM[SHARE]Friday, December 9, 2022
Bob Livingston (Robert Randall, 1904-1988) was the son-in-law of Hal Roach, co-star in many films with Al St. John, and appeared in the 1975 sex comedy Blazing Stewardesses with Yvonne De Ca…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:54AM[SHARE]Thursday, December 8, 2022
Born 100 years ago today: Jean Porter (1922-2018). Porter was a child performer from Cisco, Texas who won "Beautiful Baby" pageants and sang on local radio. Singing in vaudeville with Ted Le…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:42AM[SHARE]Wednesday, December 7, 2022
I love that Clarence Nash (1904-1985) was born on Pearl Harbor Day, for 80 years ago he starred in one of the greatest World War Two allied propaganda cartoons, Der Fuehrer's Face (1942). (Y…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:32AM[SHARE]Tuesday, December 6, 2022
Toronto-born Hope Booth (1878-1933) was the daughter of Canadian M.P. who became a well known legit stage and vaudeville star. She was only 14 when she appeared in a production of Shaw's Wid…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 05:03PM[SHARE]Now, now, don't get your snow-pants in a bunch. Headlines exist so that people will read articles. Nonetheless, surely you know that Christmas is a holiday that draws from many lands and tra…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:42PM[SHARE]Monday, December 5, 2022
December 5 is a very special day: not only is it Krampusnacht, but it is also the birthday of both Otto Preminger (1905-86) and Fritz Lang (1890-1975), the latter pictured above. As it happe…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:06PM[SHARE]Sunday, December 4, 2022
Having only read a couple of his books, I have far more exploration of the writing of Cornell Woolrich (1903-1968) in my future, but I certainly already know enough about him to celebrate. W…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:24AM[SHARE]Saturday, December 3, 2022
Premiering on December 8th at 9pm EST (and available for ONE WEEK " from December 8th thru December 14th), stream this pre-recorded all-star salute to the late Gilbert Gottfried . The show w…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 02:48PM[SHARE]Well we just heard that a vaudeville team called "Sight and Sound" came out with its new poll of the 100 best movies of all time, and, as has been the case in recent years, there is a certai…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:32AM[SHARE]Friday, December 2, 2022
December 2 being the birthday of Charles Edward Ringling, I was primed to re-share my post on the Ringling Brothers (and Barnum and Bailey) anyhow, but fortuitously I just got the exciting n…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 03:42PM[SHARE]I had the honor and (frankly, thrill) of chatting with film director Penelope Spheeris on the phone for about an hour a couple of months ago. What we talked about (an upcoming project of her…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 03:42PM[SHARE]Thursday, December 1, 2022
December 1 was the birthday of Sylvester Clark Long, otherwise known as Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance (1890-1932. The Chief's heyday was the late '20s and early '30s, when he published a po…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:54AM[SHARE]December 1 is World AIDS Day. I took a quick inventory of artists and scholars whom I admire, or matter to me, or whose work I have enjoyed, or who even simply interest me, who died of AIDS …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:48AM[SHARE]Loading more stories…
