All stories by Trav S.D. on BroadwayStars

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Charlie Chaplin in "The Rink" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Charlie Chaplin comedy The Rink (1916). The Rink is a gem from Chaplin’s Mutual period, that magical stretch when he could do …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:17AM[SHARE]

Stan Laurel in "The Pest" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of the early Stan Laurel solo comedy The Pest (1922), produced by Broncho Billy Anderson. Stan plays a door-to-door book salesman who is de…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:44AM[SHARE]

Harry Rickards, Founder of the Tivoli Circuit by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of Harry Rickards (Henry Benjamin Leete, 1843-1911). A native Londoner, Rickards apprenticed to be an engineer like his father, but took to comic singing in the halls a…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:19AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Laurel and Hardy in "Putting Pants on Philip" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Laurel and Hardy comedy Putting Pants on Philip, directed by Clyde Bruckman (1927). This is the first movie to officially bill the pair…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:47AM[SHARE]

Harold Lloyd in "Luke's Movie Muddle" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Harold Lloyd comedy Luke’s Movie Muddle (1916), directed by Hal Roach. “Luke” of course refers to “Lonesome …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:24AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 2, 2014

W.C. Fields and Company in "If I Had a Million" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of the all-star, multi-director Paramount film If I Had a Million (1932) The framing device (directed by Norman Taurog) is that dying milliona…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:46PM[SHARE]

Hall of Hams #86: Warren William by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of one of my favorite straight (i.e. non-comedian) screen actors of all time, Warren William (Warren Krech, 1894-1948). The son of a small-town Minnesota newspape…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:01PM[SHARE]

E.W. Hammons and the Hilariously Misnamed Educational Pictures by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of Earle W. (E.W.) Hammons (1882-1962). A Mississippi native, Hammons established Educational Pictures (a.k.a Educational Films Corporation) in 1915 to produce educatio…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:27AM[SHARE]
Monday, December 1, 2014

Happy Birthday, Bette Midler by Trav S.D.

Happy birthday to the funny, lovable, histrionic, mellifluous, classy and highly discerning clown-chanteuse Bette Midler.  In addition to writing about her in No Applause, we’ve blo…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:41AM[SHARE]

Laurel and Hardy in "Habeas Corpus" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the great silent Laurel and Hardy spook comedy Habeas Corpus (1928), directed by James Parrott.  In this short, the pair are hired by a mad scientist to …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:58AM[SHARE]
Sunday, November 30, 2014

W.C. Fields in "It's a Gift" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of the W.C. Fields comedy It’s a Gift (1934), which is today one of the best known and loved films from Fields’s Paramount peri…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:11PM[SHARE]

Harold Lloyd in "Captain Kidd's Kids" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Harold Lloyd comedy Captain Kidd’s Kids (1919). Around this period, many of Lloyd’s films seem very much influenced by D…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:52AM[SHARE]

Century of Slapstick #58: Leading Lizzie Astray by Trav S.D.

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the release date of the Keystone comedy Leading Lizzie Astray. Minta Durfee plays the titular Lizzie, a farmer’s daughter. Roscoe “Fatty Arbu…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:28AM[SHARE]
Saturday, November 29, 2014

W.C. Fields in "The Bank Dick" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of  W.C. Fields‘ second-to-last starring film from his brilliant late period at Universal: The Bank Dick (1940), directed by Eddie Cl…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:43AM[SHARE]

Laurel and Hardy in "Another Fine Mess" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release of the Laurel and Hardy comedy Another Fine Mess (1930), directed by James Parrott. The film is essentially a sound remake of the team’s e…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:30AM[SHARE]
Friday, November 28, 2014

Forgotten Shows of My Nonage #86: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of television and film actress Hope Lange (1933-2003). Already I hear you saying, “Good God, man, have you gone insane? How does television and film actress…

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

Filler by Trav S.D.

Three chances left to see Filler, the intriguing play by writer/director William Goulet at the 64E4 mainstage through November 30. I caught the show about a week ago and found my…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:38AM[SHARE]

Antarctica: A Year on Ice by Trav S.D.

With portions of the country under six feet of snow, and many other regions just beginning to feel the bite of winter (still technically three weeks away), one can always console oneself wit…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:50AM[SHARE]
Thursday, November 27, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving! by Trav S.D.

Filed under: Comedy, Laurel and Hardy Tagged: Laurel and Hardy, Oliver Hardy, pilgrims, Stan Laurel, Thanksgiving

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:30AM[SHARE]

Harry Langdon in "Fiddlesticks" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of the silent comedy short Fiddlesticks (1927), starring Harry Langdon, with he help of his dream team Harry Edwards (director), and Frank Capra …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:42AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Harold Lloyd in Dr. Jack by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Harold Lloyd film Dr. Jack (1922). Dr. Jack is easily my least favorite (and the weakest) of Lloyd's features. He plays a c…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:09PM[SHARE]

"Nefertitty in Space" and Why Lola Rock'N'Rolla is Our Favorite Film-maker by Trav S.D.

I don’t think it’s too much to say that Lola Rock’N’Rolla is now my favorite film-maker. The Mad Marchioness and I attended the world premiere of Lola’s new opu…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:44PM[SHARE]

Stuff Yourself Silly Tonight! by Trav S.D.

Filed under: BROOKLYN, Coney Island, Contemporary Variety, PLUGS Tagged: Adam RealMan, Coney Island, Stuff Yourself Silly

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:00AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Stars of Slapstick #203: Eddie Lyons by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of Eddie Lyons (1886-1926). Lyons started out in vaudeville and musical comedy. His first film The Villian Foiled, was co-directed by Mack Sennett and Henry Lehrman …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 06:58PM[SHARE]

Stars of Vaudeville # 883: The Oakland Sisters by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of Dagmar Oakland (Edna Andersen, 1893-1989), one half of the vaudeville team the Oakland Sisters. Her sister Vivien is better known today — she’ll get h…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 03:19PM[SHARE]

Laurel and Hardy in "Dirty Work" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Laurel and Hardy short Dirty Work (1933). This little comedy rests on duel premises, either of which would be right at home in a Thr…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:22AM[SHARE]
Monday, November 24, 2014

Tonight on TCM: Silent Comedy Classics by Trav S.D.

A great day for comedy on TCM. They’re following up today’s Joe E. Brown festival with a sampling of films from the upper echelon of silent film comedians. I’ve written abo…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:38AM[SHARE]

The Paris of Toulouse Lautrec at MOMA by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901). We recently saw MOMA’s exhibition The Paris of Toulouse-Lautrec: Prints and Posters and since it was so close to his …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:11AM[SHARE]
Sunday, November 23, 2014

A Tempest from Korea by Trav S.D.

How fortunate we were to get to see Mokwha Repertory Company’s adaptation of The Tempest during its brief three-day run at La MaMa. The South Korea based company specializing in bringi…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:21AM[SHARE]

Tomorrow on TCM: Comedies of Joe E. Brown by Trav S.D.

Tomorrow on Turner Classic Movies, a day long tribute to the great comedian Joe E. Brown (for a full bio on Brown, read my post here). Best known today for his late turns in films like So…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:44AM[SHARE]

Charley Chase in "All Wet" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of the one reel Charley Chase comedy All Wet (1924), directed by Leo McCarey. This is one of the series of Hal Roach comedies in which Chas…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:23AM[SHARE]

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