All stories by Trav S.D. on BroadwayStars

Friday, May 27, 2016

30 % Off Our Books! by Trav S.D.

This just in — and don’t be caught snoozin’! Bear Manor Media has announced a Memorial Day Sale, staring tomorrow May 28, 2016 and running through the end of the month. 30%…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:15AM[SHARE]

Century of Slapstick #98: Charlie Chaplin in "Police" by Trav S.D.

  Today marks the 100th anniversary of the release date of the Charlie Chaplin comedy Police. Police was Chaplin’s last short for Essanay Studios. Rather spitefully, after he …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:20AM[SHARE]
Thursday, May 26, 2016

The Duke Since Stagecoach: Wayne's Westerns 1939-1976 by Trav S.D.

It’s John Wayne’s birthday! Why aren’t you having a party? You what? You don’t like John Wayne!? Haha, funny joke! I didn’t hear that! Now I’ve already do…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 04:13PM[SHARE]

On "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of the late, great Levon Helm (1940-1912), the only American in The Band, but I think most of his fans will agree that he had enough America in him for a million Americ…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:00PM[SHARE]

Stars of Vaudeville #981: Bob Fitzsimmons by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of the great pugilist Robert “Bob” Fitzsimmons (1863-1917), a.k.a. “Ruby Robert” and “The Freckled Wonder”. Contemporary description…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:50AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, May 25, 2016

For Fleet Week: Several Slapsticks With Sailors & Sailing by Trav S.D.

It’s Fleet Week in New York as of this morning — and this reminded me that there’s many a classic comedy involving ships, sailors and sailing. And so here’s a selecti…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 02:15PM[SHARE]

What the Eye Hears: A History of Tap Dancing by Trav S.D.

Happy National (and apparently International) Tap Dance Day!  One of the things I enjoy doing is reading criticism from outside the accustomed vineyards in which I generally toil. Which i…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:05AM[SHARE]

On The Marx Brothers' Directors by Trav S.D.

Marxfest, and the Fringe production of I’ll Say She Is (both 2014) were such a flurry of activity that I didn’t get to finish all that I set out to do during those months. The…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:45AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Happy 75th, Bob Dylan by Trav S.D.

Today is the 75th birthday of that mod, mad minstrel Bob Dylan (Robert Zimmerman). Writing about an artist who’s so important to me is a Cow in a Can I have kept kicking down the road …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 06:38PM[SHARE]

Hall of Hams #101: Richard Mansfield by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of the great thespian Richard Mansfield (1857-1907). Mansfield’s background is every bit as interesting as his stage career (which I can’t wait to get to, e…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:09AM[SHARE]

In Which Charlie Attains His Majority by Trav S.D.

Happy Birthday to Charles Wilde Stewart, as fine a fellow as ever breathed, and gettin’ finer all the time. He asked for a copy of “Leaves of Grass” for his birthday —…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:08AM[SHARE]
Saturday, May 21, 2016

Tonight: Dr. Lucky Takes Her Act Up River by Trav S.D.

Filed under: Burlesk, Contemporary Variety, PLUGS Tagged: Beacon, Blue Revue, burlesque, Dr. Lucky, Hudson, Town Crier, variety

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:45AM[SHARE]
Friday, May 20, 2016

R.I. P. Alan Young by Trav S.D.

Just got word that the lovable Alan Young has passed away. English born/ Scottish raised entertainer Angus “Alan” Young (b. 1919)  had a radio background at the Canadian Broad…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:42PM[SHARE]

Jimmy Stewart: The Westerns by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of the most famous of all 20th century Stewarts, James “Jimmy” Maitland Stewart (1908-1997).  Stewart was a member of an elite club, what might be called…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:46PM[SHARE]

Magic Brian's Deserted Island Adventure! by Trav S.D.

Filed under: Comedy, Contemporary Variety, Indie Theatre, Magicians/ Mind Readers/ Quick Change, PLUGS Tagged: Celebration of Whimsy, Deserted Island Adventure, Magic Brian, Variety Cruise

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:32AM[SHARE]

Stars of Slapstick #222: Johnny Arthur by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of Johnny Arthur (John Lennox Arthur Williams, 1883-1951). The whining, whimpering, simpering Arthur is best known to classic comedy fans today for playing Darla&…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:32AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, May 18, 2016

The Return of South Street Seaport Museum by Trav S.D.

Follow this link to my new Chelsea Now piece about the reopening of the South Street Seaport Museum and their exhibition Street of Ships: The Port and Its People.  One detail I didn…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:56PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Ann Pennington teaching Felix the Cat how to dance the "Black Bottom". by Trav S.D.

Originally posted on FROM THE BYGONE: The “Black Bottom” refers to a dance which became popular in the 1920s, originating among African Americans in the rural South. It was adopt…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:27PM[SHARE]

Pet Sounds at 50 by Trav S.D.

All kinds of cool things are turning 50 and 100 these days — I’ll never catch them all. Both Pets Sounds and Blonde on Blonde hit the half century mark yesterday. I h…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:27AM[SHARE]
Sunday, May 15, 2016

100 Years Ago: Chaplin's Mutual Period by Trav S.D.

100 years ago today Charlie Chaplin released The Floorwalker, the first of twelve classic comedy shorts he would make for the Mutual Film Corporation. Mutual was the firm that had prev…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:15AM[SHARE]

Century of Slapstick #97: Chaplin's "The Floorwalker" by Trav S.D.

Today is the 100th anniversary of the release date of the Charlie Chaplin comedy The Floorwalker (1916). The Floorwalker was the first of Chaplin’s Mutual comedies and he uppe…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:15AM[SHARE]
Friday, May 13, 2016

R.I.P. Katherine Dunn by Trav S.D.

In the sideshow world there are two kinds of human anomaly: the born freaks (your little people, your giants, your conjoined twins, etc) and the made freaks (your bearded ladies, your tattoo…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:58PM[SHARE]

Forgotten Shows of My Nonage #92: Maude by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of the late Bea Arthur (Bernice Frankel, 1922-2009). Her sit-com Maude (1972-1978) was a big hit of course; I’m sure no one my age or older has forgotten it…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:33AM[SHARE]

Bayou 'n' Brooklyn This Weekend! by Trav S.D.

Filed under: American Folk/ Country/ Western, AMERICANA, BROOKLYN, Music, PLUGS Tagged: 2016, Bayou 'n' Brooklyn, Jalopy Theatre, music festival

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:24AM[SHARE]
Thursday, May 12, 2016

R.I.P. Musee Conti Wax Museum by Trav S.D.

Just got the sad news that the Musee Conti Wax Museum in New Orleans folded a couple of months ago! It seems like kismet that we got to see it. I’d wanted to check it out for years and…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:25PM[SHARE]

My (Partial) Turn (Back to the) Left by Trav S.D.

The old cliche is that you’re supposed to grow more conservative the older you get. “A Democrat, huh?”  Joe Flaherty rants to his daughter Linda Cardellini on Freaks …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 02:54PM[SHARE]

Tanya Solomon, The Truth Assassin: 3 Shows Only! by Trav S.D.

Filed under: BROOKLYN, Contemporary Variety, Indie Theatre, Magicians/ Mind Readers/ Quick Change, PLUGS Tagged: Corn Mo, magic, Tanya Solomon, Truth Assassin, Voorhees Theater

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:31AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Tonight at Don't Tell Mama: Amy Engelhardt by Trav S.D.

Filed under: Contemporary Variety, PLUGS, Singers, Singing Comediennes, Women Tagged: Amy Engelhardt, cabaret, Don't Tell Mama, singer

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:37AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, May 10, 2016

R.I.P. William Schallert by Trav S.D.

Just a few words of posthumous praise for character actor William Schallert , who passed away this week at the age of 93. If you know this blog at all it won’t surprise you to le…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:22AM[SHARE]
Monday, May 9, 2016

The Surprising, Violent Film Oeuvre of Mr. Duke Mitchell by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of the one and only Duke Mitchell (Dominic Micelli, 1926-1981). Like most classic comedy and B movie horror fans, I’d long known Mitchell solely as the co-star, w…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:31AM[SHARE]
Sunday, May 8, 2016

Jim Moore's Pix of the Recent Slipper Room Show! by Trav S.D.

The great and ubiquitous Jim R. Moore of Vaudevisuals.com came to our recent Slipper Room Show celebrating 20 years of the American Vaudeville Theatre, 1000 vaudevillians on Travalanche, and…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:15AM[SHARE]

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