All stories by Trav S.D. on BroadwayStars

Friday, October 24, 2014

Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of the legendary Jerry Lewis impersonator Sammy Petrillo (1934-2007), best known for his one starring movie role, in Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952). …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:03AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Harold Lloyd in "Never Weaken" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of Never Weaken (1921), one of the last of Harold Lloyd’s shorts, and one of the best of his so-called “thrill comedies”,…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:54AM[SHARE]

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

Today is the anniversary of the release date of Charlie Chaplin’s The Adventurer (1917), his last film on his Mutual contract, and one of his funniest, best-made flat-out comedie…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:40AM[SHARE]
Monday, October 20, 2014

Grandpa Jones! by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of the great Louis Marshall “Grandpa” Jones (1913-1998). Most of us known Grandpa Jones as one of the anchors of the tv variety series Hee Haw from 1969 …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 05:45PM[SHARE]

Charlie Chaplin in "Shoulder Arms" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of Charlie Chaplin’s seminal World War One comedy Shoulder Arms (1918). Shoulder Arms (initially called Camouflage), was first pla…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:14AM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 19, 2014

Force Majeure Tonight! by Trav S.D.

Filed under: Contemporary Variety, PLUGS Tagged: Fore Majeure, Sara Valentine, Tanya Solomon

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:11AM[SHARE]

Laurel and Hardy in "Bacon Grabbers" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of the silent Laurel and Hardy comedy Bacon Grabbers (1929). In this film (not one of their most inventive) the pair play repo men for the …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:03AM[SHARE]
Saturday, October 18, 2014

Tomorrow A.M. at Film Forum: Harry Langdon in "The Strong Man" by Trav S.D.

Tomorrow morning at 11am, New York’s Film Forum will be screening the Harry Langdon comedy The Strong Man (1926), the very first feature film directed by Frank Capra.  In T…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 04:19PM[SHARE]

Samuel W. Gumpertz (Dreamland Circus Sideshow) by Trav S.D.

Dick D. Zigun gave the Mad Marchioness and me the thoughtful engagement gift of the historic postcard above a few days ago. Since we’ve been spending so much time out at Coney Island p…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 04:37AM[SHARE]
Thursday, October 16, 2014

Oct 16 5:30PM | Whitman Among the Bohemians: Book and Website Launch, and Tour of Pfaff's Cellar by Trav S.D.

Originally posted on in.ter.reg.num:An exciting upcoming event about Walt Whitman at NYU’s Humanities Initiative. See info on the poster below!

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 04:27PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Harold Lloyd in "Bliss" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of the 1917 Harold Lloyd comedy Bliss, directed by Alf Goulding. Bliss is one of Lloyd’s earliest “glasses” comedies. …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:04AM[SHARE]
Monday, October 13, 2014

Buster Keaton in "The Navigator" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of Buster Keaton’s 1924 classic The Navigator.  This film is often ranked with The Gold Rush, City Lights and Keaton's own The Gen…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:45AM[SHARE]

Classic Comedians Get Their Own Categories on Travalanche by Trav S.D.

Thought you might like to know we’ve added a new feature to Travalanche this morning. As you may have noticed, around the time of the release of Chain of Fools a year and a half …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:22AM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 12, 2014

Harry Langdon in "The Hansom Cabman" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Harry Langdon comedy The Hansom Cabman (1924), directed by Harry Edwards.  In this one, Harry is a groom-to-be (his famous …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:07PM[SHARE]

Harold Lloyd in "Pay Your Dues" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of the Harold Lloyd comedy short Pay Your Dues (1919). This is one of the first Lloyd shorts (maybe the first?) I ever saw. One tends to di…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:57PM[SHARE]

Harold Lloyd in "Welcome Danger" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of Harold Lloyd’s first talking feature Welcome, Danger (1929), co-directed by Clyde Bruckman and Mal St. Clair.  Welcome Danger w…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:00PM[SHARE]

Stars of Slapstick #199: Dane and Arthur by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of Karl Dane (Rasmus Karl Therkelsen Gottlieb, 1886-1934), who for four years was paired in a comedy team with George K. Arthur (1899-1985). Dane had been a manual l…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:03AM[SHARE]

This Columbus Day Come Learn About ANOTHER Pioneer by Trav S.D.

October 13 (tomorrow) at 7pm, you’ll have a chance to come hear my new play being read at Baruch College for FREE — last chance before it makes its official world premiere at La …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:17AM[SHARE]
Saturday, October 11, 2014

Tomorrow Morning on TCM: A Science Fiction Classic by Hal Roach??? by Trav S.D.

Tomorrow at 9:30 am (EST), Turner Classic Movies will be showing a picture that’s long been on my must-see list: the original version of One Million B.C. (1940), directed and pro…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 04:22PM[SHARE]

NYC Zombie Crawl Tonight! by Trav S.D.

Filed under: Horror (Mostly Gothic), PLUGS, SOCIAL EVENTS Tagged: NYC Zombie Crawl

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:03AM[SHARE]

The Villain Still Pursued Her by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of the all-star camp romp The Villain Still Pursued Her (1940). Why this hoot of a movie didn’t make it into the canon of comedy clas…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:00AM[SHARE]

Stars of Slapstick #198: Mickey Daniels by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of Mickey Daniels (1914-1970). The nephew of actress Bebe Daniels and the son of a pair of actor parents, Daniels began his career as one of the first group of kids in …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:19AM[SHARE]
Friday, October 10, 2014

W.C. Fields: Never Give a Sucker an Even Break by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of W.C. Fields’ last and craziest starring vehicle Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941). The film is virtually plotless stream-of…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:19PM[SHARE]

Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle in "The Round Up" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle’s first feature film The Round Up (1920). Arbuckle was one of the first of the slapstick comed…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:10PM[SHARE]

Century of Slapstick #51: Those Love Pangs by Trav S.D.

Today marks the 100th anniversary of one of Charlie Chaplin’s best Keystone comedies, Those Love Pangs.  In this comedy, it’s rutting season. In the opening section Charlie…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:28AM[SHARE]

Stan Laurel in "The Lucky Dog" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the release date of The Lucky Dog (1921). This is the first film which features the talents of both Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, although it is six years befo…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:31AM[SHARE]

Laurel and Hardy in "Great Guns" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the Laurel and Hardy comedy Great Guns (1941). This is the team’s first comedy for 20th Century Fox (following 13 years working for the man who put th…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:48AM[SHARE]
Thursday, October 9, 2014

American Horror Story: Blow Off by Trav S.D.

In side shows, the “blow off” is the promised added attraction that lures you to the egress. It usually turns out to be lame, but it’s too late — you can’t go b…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:13PM[SHARE]

Tomorrow on TCM: Marilyn Miller in "Sally" by Trav S.D.

Tomorrow morning at 7:30 Turner Classic Movies will be showing Sally (1929), Marilyn Miller’s first film, one of only three she made before her untimely death in 1936 (for more o…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:46AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 8, 2014

American Horror Story: Freak Show by Trav S.D.

Tonight I will have the rare privilege of being one of the few people on earth to come home from his job at the FREAK SHOW to go watch the premiere episode AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SH…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:26AM[SHARE]

Laurel and Hardy in "The Second Hundred Years" by Trav S.D.

Today is the anniversary of the silent comedy short The Second Hundred Years (1927), starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. This is an interesting one, because the two men were not yet…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:02AM[SHARE]

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