All stories by Trav S.D. on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

The Ten Most Repulsive Girlie-Man Easy Listening Songs of the '70s Era by Trav S.D.

I don’t usually do listicles here; I prefer trying to do some actual writing since I’m not getting paid for it and my only rewards are absolute sovereignty and self-indulgence. B…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 04:55PM[SHARE]

Elvis Presley IS "Wild in the Country by Trav S.D.

Another post in honor of the King’s birthday (see previous post here). Thought I would take a moment to nod my Stetson in the direction of this most unusual hybrid of a movie. Wild …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 03:07PM[SHARE]

Soupy Sales! by Trav S.D.

Originally posted in 2011 Today is the birthday of the great Soup Sales (Milton Supman, 1926-2009) When I was a kid growing up in the 70s, Soupy was one of that army of scores of mysterious …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:52PM[SHARE]

The Hall of Hams #60: José Ferrer by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of the distinguished actor and director José Ferrer (José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón, 1912-1992). Ferrer possessed a natural dignity, intelligence and comma…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 06:04AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Adolph Zukor, Founder of Paramount by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of Adolph Zukor (1873-1976). In the unlikely event you didn’t know, Zukor was the founder and long time President, then Chairman of the Board of Paramount Picture…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:05PM[SHARE]

Zora Neal Hurston by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of the great folklorist, anthropologist and writer Zora Neal Hurston (1891-1960). The daughter of an Alabama sharecropper and preacher, her life’s journey took he…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:00AM[SHARE]

Stars of Vaudeville #854: Myrtle Vail by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of Myrtle Vail (1888-1978), a lady with three interesting legs to her career. The first phase was vaudeville, in which she performed with her husband George Damerel. In…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:08AM[SHARE]
Monday, January 6, 2014

Laugh, Clown, Laugh by Trav S.D.

It’s Loretta Young's birthday today (1913-2000). Few people know it but her career began during the silent era. She was four years old when she began acting in films. And she was all o…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 02:22PM[SHARE]

Florence Turner: The Vitagraph Girl by Trav S.D.

 Today is the birthday of Florence Turner (1885-1946). New York native Turner began acting onstage at the age of three, and was a relatively elderly 22 when she went to work for Vitagraph…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:58AM[SHARE]
Sunday, January 5, 2014

Murders in the Zoo by Trav S.D.

Today, as we posted earlier, is the birthday of director Eddie Sutherland. Usually associated with comedies, he did make a couple of horror movies, the straighter of which was the 1933 shock…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 03:51PM[SHARE]

The Vaudeville of Marilyn Manson by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of Marilyn Manson (Brian Hugh Warner, b. 1969). I had long pondered the curious word choice of Manson and others in his field (heavy metal, theatrical rock and roll) wh…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 03:22PM[SHARE]

Tonight, Get Your Fatty On by Trav S.D.

Sundays at Midnight in January (technically early Monday mornings) TCM is showing a bevy of classic Fatty Arbuckle shorts from the early Mack Sennett days. Your correspondent has seen …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 02:11PM[SHARE]

The Most Important Comedian Ever Affiliated with Saturday Night Live by Trav S.D.

  And that person is Michael O’Donoghue (1940-1995). This is not submitted for a debate; it’s a fact. The source of that fact is an infallible oracle: me. O’Donoghue was…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:48AM[SHARE]

Stars of Slapstick #173: Eddie Sutherland by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of Albert Edward “Eddie” Sutherland (1895-1973). On his mother’s side Sutherland was a sixth generation member of a theatrical dynasty. His mother Jul…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:12AM[SHARE]
Saturday, January 4, 2014

Stars of Slapstick #172: Charles Inslee by Trav S.D.

Although the specific date isn’t known, January is supposed to be the right birth month for Charles Inslee (1870-1922.) Inslee is best known today for being a member of Chaplin’s…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:52AM[SHARE]

R.I.P. Phil Everly by Trav S.D.

Just heard via the Oracle of O’Malley that Phil Everly has passed on (heart disease). A sad benchmark! The influence of the Everly Brothers is incaluable: Lennon and McCartney…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:44AM[SHARE]
Friday, January 3, 2014

Snowbeast! by Trav S.D.

Given the meteorological state of affairs in the Northeast, it seemed a fitting day to give props to the 1977 made-for-television movie Snowbeast. Well, not too many props. It’s not…

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

Stars of Vaudeville #853: Pola Negri by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of Pola Negri (Apolonia ChaÅ‚upiec, 1897-1987). Polish born, she originally trained as a dancer until illness compelled her to focus instead on the dramatic arts. Su…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:25AM[SHARE]

Bartolomeo Bosco by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of Giovanni Bartolomeo Bosco (1793-1863). Bosco was a magician so popular and influential that many others later appropriated his name. He is mostly commonly mentioned …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:16AM[SHARE]

Jane Barnell, a.k.a. Lady Olga by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday, according to some sources, of Jane Barnell, known professionally as Lady Olga Roderick. (Two different birth dates are given for her, depending on the source: January …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 06:13AM[SHARE]
Thursday, January 2, 2014

Stars of Vaudeville #852: The Mighty Atom (Joseph Greenstein) by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of Joseph L. Greenstein, a.k.a The Mighty Atom (1893-1977). Greenstein was not only one of the premier circus strongmen of the 20th century, but, because he continued t…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 06:10AM[SHARE]

2013: The Year in Review by Trav S.D.

Happy New Year! Now that we’re done tooting horns  in celebration of the arrival of 2014, today we toot our own horn about the year just past. It’s been an eventful twelvem…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 04:49AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Stars of Vaudeville #851: Lillian Lorraine by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of Lillian Lorraine (Mary Ann Brennan, 1892-1955). A native of San Francisco, she went onstage at age 14 and was spotted by Flo Ziegfeld in 1907 when she appeared in th…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 04:18PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, December 31, 2013

New Year's Eve with Jack Benny by Trav S.D.

We’re ringing out the old year with a slew of old timey New Year’s episodes…and this is the last of ‘em! Here are two New Year’s Eve episodes from the Jack Benn…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 03:20PM[SHARE]

New Year's Eve with Abbott and Costello by Trav S.D.

We’re ringing out the old year with a slew of old timey New Year’s episodes: Here’s Abbott and Costello’s New Year’s themed radio show from 1943 going into 1…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 03:10PM[SHARE]

Magic by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of Sir Anthony Hopkins (b. 1937). I can’t believe I didn’t get it together to do a post on him today for my Hall of Hams — but it’s on the calen…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 02:41PM[SHARE]

New Year's Eve with the Great Gildersleeve by Trav S.D.

We’re ringing out the old year with a slew of old timey New Year’s episodes: Radio comedian Harold “Hal” Peary (1908-1985) created his popular radio character Throckm…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 02:19PM[SHARE]

Guy Lombardo's Last New Year's Eve by Trav S.D.

We’re ringing out the old year with a slew of old timey New Year’s episodes: You never know what you’ve got til it’s gone! Big band leader Guy Lombardo began doing…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 02:13PM[SHARE]

New Year's Eve with Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians by Trav S.D.

We’re ringing out the old year with a slew of old timey New Year’s episodes: Here to ring in the New Year 1947, Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians (for Johnson’s Wax —…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:59PM[SHARE]

Charlie's New Year (from "The Gold Rush") by Trav S.D.

Here’s something to make you jolly this New Year’s Eve. This is one of Chaplin’s handful of most famous “pathos” scenes, from his masterpiece The Gold RushÂ…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:53AM[SHARE]

Tim Considine: Lightning Bolt by Trav S.D.

Today is the birthday of Tim Considine (b. 1940). Why is HE here today? My friends, people like him are the very reason this blog exists! I discovered a serendipitous synchronicity when I st…

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

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