Saturday, March 6, 2021
There are many reasons for us to be especially interested in Rochelle Hudson (1916-1972): her roles in classic comedies, her status as a beauty queen, and her late dabbling in schlock horror…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:54AM[SHARE]Friday, March 5, 2021
There's nothing false about Geordie Austin; I've been a fan of his deep, risky, soul-baring oeuvre for over 20 years now (and I can hear him mocking"oeuvre" even as I type this). Geordie's n…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:06PM[SHARE]As a fan of some 40 years' standing, I was pleased as punch to learn of that 2020 Emmy going to Catherine O'Hara (b. 1954) for her work on Schitt's Creek. O'Hara plays the broadest character…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:48AM[SHARE]For some reason, we've had a cluster of Australians here recently, direst Louise Lovely, then Sydney Deane, and now The Great Levante (Leslie George Cole, 1892-1978). Since we generally work…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:42AM[SHARE]Thursday, March 4, 2021
A thing or two about Jack-of-All-Trades Chief Tahachee (Jeff Davis Tahchee Cypert, 1904-1978) " not to be confused with the similar-sounding Chief Yowlachie, another Native American actor. .…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:42AM[SHARE]A salute today to the amazing Rafaela Ottiano (1888-1942). Originally from Venice, the young actress moved to the U.S. at the age of 22 " hence the thick Italian accent that characterized he…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:42AM[SHARE]Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Big time props today for movie star Cathy Downs (1926-1976). Now that I've been a Long Islander for three years, when I hear that she's from nearby Port Jefferson, I think of her as a local …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:54PM[SHARE]Much like Bob Hope, Donald Novis (1906-1966), was an English immigrant who came to the U.S. at a very young age and made it big on Broadway and on radio and in the movies. Born in Hastings, …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:32AM[SHARE]Tuesday, March 2, 2021
I'll cop to being a fickle, fairweather fan of The Carpenters. I was about four or five when their hits started, and about 11 when they stopped. Their years of smash success coincided almost…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:33AM[SHARE]Monday, March 1, 2021
When I was a kid, David Niven (1910-1983) was in the midst of a so-called comeback period that had begun with Around the World in 80 Days (1956) and continued with a 1957 remake of My Man Go…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 03:54PM[SHARE]Yep, Uncle Cyp and Aunt Sap. Want to make something out of it? This husband-wife rube comedy team kept rural audiences in stitches for over a half century, from the days of tented wagon show…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 03:54PM[SHARE]Sydney Deane (1863-1934) was both one of the first Australian stars in Hollywood as well as one of the first athletes-turned-stars. A rugby and cricket champ in his youth, the Sydney native …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:32AM[SHARE]I have been able to uncover little about the early life and career of Hank McCune (1917-2005) beyond that he served in WWII and he began his show biz career in radio. From out of the blue he…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:18AM[SHARE]I briefly contested a claim I saw which described Louise Lovely (Nellie Louise Carbasse, 1895-1980) as being the first Australian actress to become a Hollywood star. After all, Annette Kelle…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:18AM[SHARE]Sunday, February 28, 2021
Today we tip a boater to Vincente Minnelli (1903-1986) with an appreciation for what is both our favorite Minnelli film as well as our favorite post-Wizard of Oz musical by MGM's Freed Unit.…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:36AM[SHARE]Saturday, February 27, 2021
One would think "Fred Thomson" (1890-1928) is not a terrific name for a movie star, and yet he was one " a major one " for eight years, and via one of the most unlikely of paths possible. Th…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:24AM[SHARE]Seldom am I tempted to treat of contemporary actors, but I find the life and career of Charlotte Stewart (b. 1941) so fascinating I had to make a little noise about it. We share a surname, t…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:18AM[SHARE]Friday, February 26, 2021
Frequent TCM viewers will undoubtedly be familiar with the Technicolor short subjects entitled TravelTalks, which the network employs in much the same way as these little films were original…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:54PM[SHARE]If there were a vaudeville today, Marilyn Michaels (Marilyn Sternberg, b. 1943) would be a star of it. It's an odd thing: back in the day, many or most of the show biz impressionists were fe…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:54PM[SHARE]Thursday, February 25, 2021
Oh, did I say, "important"? I meant impotent, but whatever gets you to click the link! This marks my fifth Travalanche post on Zeppo Marx, over and above my numerous posts on the entire team…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:24AM[SHARE]Wednesday, February 24, 2021
A few words of homage to recording pioneer George W. Johnson (ca. 1846-1914). I had previously been under the mistaken impression that Williams and Walker were the first African American rec…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:24AM[SHARE]Tuesday, February 23, 2021
The above chronicles my obligatory pilgrimage to City Lights Bookstore during my sojourn there in October 2019. Its co-founder Lawrence Ferlinghetti passed away yesterday at the age of 101! …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:24PM[SHARE]People name places after particular human beings so that they will be remembered. And then what happens? We forget them anyway. Broadway theatre lovers have no doubt been in the Cort Theatre…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:42AM[SHARE]Monday, February 22, 2021
Now that we add the name of Siegmund Breitbart (1883-1925) beside those of Sandow and The Mighty Atom, it emerges that Jewish strongmen were palpably a thing. Some have speculated that Breit…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:36AM[SHARE]Today, two generations of James Kirkwoods. The father (1876-1963) was a prolific actor and director of the stage and screen who enjoyed his greatest success in the silent movie days. A stage…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:36AM[SHARE]In a world in which there is also a George O'Brien and a George Murphy, it is easy to see where a George O'Hara (George Bolger, 1899-1966) might get lost in the shuffle. But he too was a pop…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:36AM[SHARE]Sunday, February 21, 2021
"Shipwreck" was the metaphor I wanted for the title of this post on Kelsey Grammer (1955). Like the Sea Venture and the characters in The Tempest he hung fire on American Islands (born in th…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:03PM[SHARE]Some brief recognition today for Hamilton "Ham" Kinsey (1900-67), a minor figure in comedy history but an important member of the teams on which he played, mostly Hal Roach Studios. Kinsey's…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:42AM[SHARE]Saturday, February 20, 2021
We have written about thousands of performers here on Travalanche, but Delno Fritz (1876-1925) is only our third swallower, after Chevalier Cliqout and Mimi Garneau (apart from some contempo…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:48AM[SHARE]The internet is abuzz with news of the streaming availability of The Muppet Show on Disney+, and I am surprised this morning to discover that I hadn't already done a dedicated post on the sh…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:48AM[SHARE]Friday, February 19, 2021
Tomorrow, and streaming throughout next week " the Thunderbird American Indians Dancers' Dance Concert and Pow-Wow! Check out my post from last years Pow Wow for background. I really wish we…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:48PM[SHARE]Loading more stories…
