Thursday, June 29, 2017
We’d been drooling to get our mitts on Robert S. Bader’s Four of the Three Muskeers: The Marx Brothers On Stage, ever since we heard it was in the works back at Marxfest in 2014.…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:04AM[SHARE]. Frank Whitman was often billed as  as "The Dancing Violinist", “The Stepping Violinist”, “The Wizard of the Violin” and in 1926 his Loew's Circuit billing was "T…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:54AM[SHARE]Wednesday, June 28, 2017
June 28 is the birth date of one John Edward Kessler, a.k.a. Jack Baker, a.k.a., Dr. Silkini (1914-1980). If you are easily frightened I urge you to turn back now!!! He was born Kessle…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:12AM[SHARE]I write this post this morning at a time of stellar confluence, a constellational alignment — a harmonic convergence, if you will. Today is the birthday of Mel Brooks (b. 1926); Spa…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:12AM[SHARE]Kay Laurell (1890-1927) came into the world on a June 28. Born Ruth Leslie (an equally good professional name, I think) in Erie Pennsylvania, she moved to New York as a teenager where she ve…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:36AM[SHARE]Tuesday, June 27, 2017
June 27 is the birthday of the great French poster artist Paul Colin (1892-1985). A native of Nancy, Colin attended the École des Beaux-Arts and became a master of Art Deco style, inc…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:18AM[SHARE]Monday, June 26, 2017
The origin of this post: A few days ago someone on social media asserted with enormous confidence, that “the Code hurt the Marx Brothers” (meaning, if you’re new to such th…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 03:32PM[SHARE]Sunday, June 25, 2017
On this day was born was born the funny, if accidental, comedienne Mary Livingstone (Sadie Marcowitz, sometimes shortened to Marks, 1905-1983). Livingstone grew up in Vancouver. The lore is …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:06AM[SHARE]Saturday, June 24, 2017
Today is St. John’s Day, the traditional birthday for John the Baptist. Note the timing: just as Christmas is pinned close to the winter solstice, St. John’s Day falls right afte…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:36AM[SHARE]Friday, June 23, 2017
This is by no means an exhaustive catalog of Self Indulgent Vanity Movies, but merely  some of the most egregious examples that sprang to mind. To qualify for this list, a film must: 1) b…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:24PM[SHARE]Thursday, June 22, 2017
Paul Frees (Solomon Hersh Frees, 1920-1986) made his entrance on a June 22. Seldom has there been a voice so well recognized without an equally well-recognized face to go with it. For well o…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 02:54PM[SHARE]Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Helene Costello (1906-1957) was born the first day of summer, June 21. She is usually spoken of as part of a pair with her older sister Delores Costello, also an actress. Both were daughters…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:42PM[SHARE]Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Originally posted on mdd speaks: Trav S.D., who is one of the great Renaissance men of contemporary indie theater (actor, composer, author, playwright, critic, director, impresario, et al), …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 06:24PM[SHARE]I don’t want to weird you out too much, but I essentially wrote this post while I was asleep last night. I laid the whole thing out in a dream state. Granted, I’d been reading ab…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:36PM[SHARE]Today is the birthday of Martin Landau (b. 1928). Landau is one of those actors who’s worked constantly but sort of on a low profile, with periodic tent pole moments (usually one per d…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:18AM[SHARE]Monday, June 19, 2017
Just a few words of laudation for Three Way by composer Robert Paterson and librettist David Cote, staged by John Hoomes, co-produced by American Opera Projects and others, which…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:33AM[SHARE]Sunday, June 18, 2017
Illustrator James Montgomery Flagg (1877-1960) was born on June 18. Flagg’s best known work (above) is especially timely — the Uncle Sam/ “I Want You” poster was crea…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:48AM[SHARE]Saturday, June 17, 2017
Here’s another one for World Juggling Day. Thanks, Todd Robbins, for introducing me to this interesting artist. Albert Rebla, usually billed simply as “Rebla” (Albert James…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:24AM[SHARE]This year World Juggling Day, sponsored by the International Jugglers Association, falls on June 17. We take the opportunity to honor juggler James Darmody. From Boston, Darmody was a popula…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:33AM[SHARE]Thursday, June 15, 2017
June 15, 1904 was the day the P.S. General Slocum burned and sank. I write about this dark day today for two reasons: 1) I constantly encounter people — even well educated people ̵…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:54AM[SHARE]Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Beloved character actor Mary Wickes (Mary Wickenhauser, 1910-1995) was born on June 13. The gawky, wise-cracking Wickes was ubiquitous on screens big and small for half a century, usually pl…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:36AM[SHARE]British music theatre director John Tiller (1854-1925) was born on June 13. While skilled and trained in music and theatre arts since childhood, Tiller initially made his fortune in the fami…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:33AM[SHARE]Monday, June 12, 2017
100 years ago today, the 1917 edition of the Ziegfeld Follies opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre. Why is this worth noting? Because this was the edition during which Eddie Cantor and Will R…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:33PM[SHARE]It’s shocking to me to realize that I haven’t done a proper tribute to visionary producer/ director Irwin Allen (1916-1991) prior to now. Allen’s film and television produc…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:18AM[SHARE]Friday, June 9, 2017
This one is by special request — a reader (some morbid soul) wanted to see more stories like a certain tragic story we posted a few days ago. Essentially this is just a round up of sev…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:33AM[SHARE]Thursday, June 8, 2017
Performer, producer and songwriter Joseph Hart (Joseph Hart Boudrow, 1861-1921) was born on June 8. Hart was the nephew of Josh Hart, who managed Boston’s Howard Athenaeum. Through his…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:48AM[SHARE]Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Born this day: Music Hall star Leo Dryden (George Dryden Wheeler, 1863-1939). Dryden was quite a well known performer in his day, nicknamed “The Kipling of the Halls” on account …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:12PM[SHARE]This non sequitur of a blogpost came about because I noticed that show business has given us more than one female performer with the unusual first name of “Billie”. We post it to…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:04AM[SHARE]Monday, June 5, 2017
In contrast with yesterday’s post, which reported who YOUR favorite vaudeville performers are, today we share a short list of those whom we deem to have cast the longest and widest sha…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:18AM[SHARE]Sunday, June 4, 2017
On a sleepy Sunday four years ago, we did a little survey to see which vaudevillians were most popular on Travalanche; the results were posted here. Noticing that the standings had changed a…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:06AM[SHARE]Saturday, June 3, 2017
Stage and screen performer Dorothy Stone came into the world on June 3, 1905. The daughter of Broadway and vaudeville legend Fred Stone (the original Scarecrow in the Broadway version of …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:42AM[SHARE]Loading more stories…
