All stories by Trav S.d. on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Leo G. Carroll Was Over a Barrell by Trav S.D.

October 25 was the natal day of the great English-American actor Leo G. Carroll; as it happens we have also just passed the 50th anniversary of his passing (October 16, 1972). Thanks to The …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:03AM[SHARE]
Monday, October 24, 2022

On Some Post-Romero Zombies by Trav S.D.

It's hard to tell where World Zombie Day is at these day " it may have happened on October 13, though trying to find news about it makes me feel like a post-apocalyptic grandpa in his baseme…

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

Wham, Bam, Thank You, Zamrock by Trav S.D.

Africa has been my mind a lot lately and not just because I watched Idris Elba have an implausible confrontation with a crazy lion the other night in Beast. My son is doing his country proud…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:33PM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 23, 2022

Michael Crichton Would Be 80 Today by Trav S.D.

Author Michael Crichton (1942-2008) would be 80 today, had cancer not taken him prematurely several years ago. An irony there, for he was a medical doctor (he possessed an M.D. but never pra…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 03:37PM[SHARE]

The Coleen Gray Centennial by Trav S.D.

Today marks the centennial of the birth of movie star Coleen Gray (Doris Jensen, 1922-2015). And yes the word "star" is used accurately here: Gray was top or second-billed in dozens of Holly…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 06:55AM[SHARE]
Saturday, October 22, 2022

The Final Days of Funicello by Trav S.D.

Annette Funicello (1942-2013) would have been 80 years old today if not for her sad, early death a decade ago. Teenage stardom and early retirement due to illness means that she'll forever b…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:13AM[SHARE]

Boots Mallory: Starred in "Carnival Lady" by Trav S.D.

For someone whose screen footprint was so small, and whose life was so short, Patricia "Boots" Mallory (1913-1958) managed to cram a lot of interesting stuff anyway. Born in New Orleans and …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:13AM[SHARE]

The Merits of Lee Meredith by Trav S.D.

Three cheers and more than a few wolf whistles for Lee Meredith (Judith Lee Sauls, b. 1947)! Classic comedy fans know her well, as she somehow managed to make a mark in vaudeville/burlesque/…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:13AM[SHARE]
Friday, October 21, 2022

Penn and Teller News by Trav S.D.

Three important news items for fans of the great magic (and magic debunking) team of Penn and Teller. First, Penn Jillette now has a new novel out, called Random. New Yorkers should be glad …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:13AM[SHARE]

"For Me and My Gal" (1942): A Great Musical About Vaudeville by Trav S.D.

Today marks 80th anniversary of the terrific vaudeville-themed musical For Me and My Gal (1942) at Loew's State; this year marks the 60th anniversary of the passing of the film's protagonist…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:13AM[SHARE]

For International Shakeout Day: Earthquake! (1974) by Trav S.D.

The third Thursday in October is observed as International Shakeout Day, designed to increase awareness of earthquake safety. As with fire safety, the issue is hardly irrelevant to theatres,…

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

The Trials and Tribulations of Yogi Yorgesson by Trav S.D.

This one goes out to my good friend and former musical collaborator Sarah Engelke, who introduced me to the joys of dialect comedian and novelty song performer Yogi Yorgesson (1908-1956). Sa…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:03AM[SHARE]
Thursday, October 20, 2022

Arlene Francis: What's Her Line? by Trav S.D.

When I was a kid in the '70s, Arlene Francis (Arlene Francis Kazanijan, 1907-2001), was still a going concern, one of those omnipresent celebrities you saw on game shows, talk shows on the l…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:19AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Coming Soon! The Socko Centennial Saturdays Series! by Trav S.D.

Can I help it if we're in the midst of a particularly good crop of vaudeville and classic comedy related centennial anniversaries? Well I can't just ignore them. In November and December I'l…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:33PM[SHARE]

Drawing a Bead on Gentleman Dan Tobin by Trav S.D.

I don't know if character actor Dan Tobin (1910-1982) always went by "Gentleman Dan", but no less austere a platform than FindaGrave.com styles him that way. It's an apparent reference to To…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 05:55AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, October 18, 2022

100 Years Ago Today: The Founding of the BBC by Trav S.D.

I really love the image of the periodical above, it reminds me of a joke of my friend Scott Stiffler, whom I first knew as a comedian before he became a Chelsea based local news editor. He h…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:13AM[SHARE]

The Venerable Evelyn Venable by Trav S.D.

Evelyn Venable (1913-1993) is one of those actresses whose work you likely know without knowing that you know it. Her obscurity can not be chalked up to being a bit player, or even a support…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:07AM[SHARE]
Monday, October 17, 2022

Help Kelly Monteith! by Trav S.D.

I've come to regard The Love Boat as the Noah's Ark of celebrities " every species represented, and always in pairs. (Sure, Yogi's Ark is also a Noah's Ark of celebrities but only the Hanna-…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:13AM[SHARE]

The Legends of Nathanael West and Eileen McKenney by Trav S.D.

On account of his superlative, highly unique fiction, we tend to regard Nathanael West (Nathan Weinstein, 1903-1940) as a literary figure as opposed to a theatrical or show biz one, but his …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:03AM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 16, 2022

Lloyd Corrigan: Oscar-Winning Mayor in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" by Trav S.D.

For years I have taken good care to qualify my boast that I have ALMOST written about every cast member of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), because there's always someone else. This m…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:25PM[SHARE]
Saturday, October 15, 2022

Foiled by Cornel Wilde by Trav S.D.

Scratch beneath the surface of almost anybody in show business and you'll usually find a more fascinating person than Hollywood presents. I'm assuming its because the town is focused on prom…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:55AM[SHARE]

On The Gruesome Greatness of the Grand Guignol by Trav S.D.

Many impulses contributed to the creation of this post: the approach of Halloween, our snowballing Francophilia, the fact that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the closing of the orig…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 07:43AM[SHARE]
Friday, October 14, 2022

Jack Arnold: From Broadway to the Black Lagoon by Trav S.D.

Jack Arnold (Jack Arnold Waks, 1916-1992) is typically celebrated as a director of '50s sci-fi and horror classics ('tis the season), though his accomplishments range across all genres, and …

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:43AM[SHARE]
Thursday, October 13, 2022

Pamela Tiffin Would Be 80 Today by Trav S.D.

Pamela Tiffin (1941-2020) passed away a few months ago, but I thought I'd leave a tribute for this birthday benchmark she never made it to. I think of Tiffin was one of the "'60s youth gener…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:49AM[SHARE]

Jacques Inaudi: The Piedmont Prodigy by Trav S.D.

Jacques Inaudi (Giacomo Inaudi, 1867-1950) was an internationally known math prodigy from Northern Italy. Studied and written about by major scientists, his fame brought him to the attention…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:49AM[SHARE]

Born 150 Years Ago Today: Louise Closser Hale by Trav S.D.

Louise Closser Hale (1872-1933) was an early 20th century Renaissance woman: actress of stage and screen, magazine editor, author of numerous works of fiction and non-fiction, and playwright…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 09:37AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Comedy in the Films of Martin Scorsese by Trav S.D.

This somewhat impulsive post arises from the fact that we re-watched Martin Scorsese's Casino (1995) last night and were reminded of the unusually large number of comedians there are through…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 02:55AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, October 11, 2022

The Death of Henry Blake by Trav S.D.

It is my enthusiastic honor to point you to a piece I wrote on another website today. The omnivorous and multi-mediumistic Heather Quinlan is curating a wonderful series on HiLoBrow.com call…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:37PM[SHARE]

Clifford Essex: Boss of British Banjoes by Trav S.D.

Having had a recent occasion to mention Clifford Essex (1869-1946), we thought his contributions to the variety arts sufficient to merit a brief entry of his own here. Essex was basically th…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:25AM[SHARE]
Monday, October 10, 2022

Born 100 Years Ago Today: The Wilde Twins by Trav S.D.

Born on October 10, 2022: Lee and Lyn Wilde: The Wilde Twins. Singers, movies actresses, and pin-up models, the sisters were most active during the 1940s. The girls grew up in East St. Louis…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:19AM[SHARE]
Sunday, October 9, 2022

R.I.P. Wojo (My Favorite Teacher) by Trav S.D.

October 5 was World Teachers Day, so we compose this belated tribute to someone to whom I owe a lot. I've been wanting to look him up lately, as I've recently picked up a thread that started…

SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:25AM[SHARE]

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off