11,407 stories by "Trav S.D."
Today’s new Travalanche post for May 2, 2026 is about Lorenz Hart and the recent bio-pic Blue Moon. And since it’s Kentucky Derby Day, this little post about on and around horse racing. …
May 2 was the birthday of genius Broadway and Hollywood lyricist Lorenz Hart (1895-1943), best known for his 25 year songwriting partnership with Richard Rodgers. I wrote about the pair as a…
Today’s new Travalanche posts for May 1, 2026 are about: Joy Harmon, Sylvia Gerrish, and The Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition. And several posts for May Day: peruse the s…
Today we tie up one of the few remaining loose ends from our recent excursion to our ancestral Southern homelands (as reported in this series of posts). May 1, 1897 was opening day of the Th…
A few words on a star of old who fell on hard times, Sylvia Gerrish (Lillian Rollins, 1860-1906). Gerrish was a native San Franciscan; her parents were Mainers drawn to the west coast by the…
I was already planning a post on Joy Harmon (1938-2026), probably because she was in beach party and other teen oriented movies in the 1960s, and perhaps I had confused her in my head with J…
Today’s new Travalanche posts for April 30, 2026 are about Gary Collins, William H. Crane, and the Till Marionettes Today we also celebrate: Walpurgisnacht and the Witches of Travalanche a…
At this juncture, I feel the need to reorient my attitude toward TV personality Gary Collins (1938-2012). Is it a fit subject for worry? I reckon not. At any rate, I always found him likable…
William H. Crane (1845-1928) had a long career in the theatre, but is best known to us today from the handful of silent motion pictures he made during the last years of his life, a couple of…
April 30 was the birthday of puppeteer and vaudeville entertainer John Coates Till (1843-1910). Forgive me, but I can’t recall now who put me on to the existence of “Professor” Till an…
Today’s new Travalanche posts for April 29, 2026 are about big bandleader Russ Morgan, and actress Eve Plumb, best known from The Brady Bunch. Also it is International Dance Dance, birthda…
Yes, I am an unabashed fan of the lovely Eve Plumb (birth year redacted for both our sakes) for all sorts of reasons, including 1) the fact that I met her once, when she was acting in my for…
Strange that in all of our thousands of posts we haven’t yet had occasion to mention big bandleader Russ Morgan (1904-1969) even once. Remedied today! Morgan was born and raised in Scranto…
Today’s new Travalanche post for April 28, 2026 is about Harper Lee (born 100 years ago today) and To Kill a Mockingbird. Also for National Superhero Day, check out nearly 50 posts about s…
Alabama novelist Harper Lee (Nelle Harper Lee, 1926-2016) was born 100 years ago today. A relative of Robert E. Lee (though not a descendent), the author was born, raised, and died in the sm…
Most educated people know but one thing about Samuel F.B. Morse (1791-1872); today we aim to fill the portrait out with some additional intel which amplify the signal of his greatness (see w…
Today’s new Travalanche posts for April 27, 2026 are about Samuel F.B. Morse, pin-up artist George Petty, playwright/screenwriter and Don Mullally. Earlier Travalanche posts for April 27 (…
April 27 was the birthday of pin-up artist George Brown Petty IV (1894–1975). This year (2026) marks a century since Petty opened his successful painting studio. You may have some vague i…
I first learned about screenwriter Don Mullally (1886-1933, sometimes spelled Mullaly) because he co-wrote Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) with the similarly ill-fated Carl Erickson. He is …
Today’s new Travalanche post for April 26, 2026 is about agent and producer Charles K. Feldman. Also it’s World Burlesque Day. The Finding Aid to Burlesque on Travalanche is here. Earlie…
There are many paths to a creative career in the film business. Some are less conventional than others. Charles K. Feldman (1905-1968) started out as an attorney for talent agencies, then be…
Today’s new Travalanche posts for April 25, 2026 are about the late Randy Bourscheidt, the late Lynn Hamilton, and the still later Paula Trueman. Also check out this post for World Penguin…
Actress Lynn Hamilton (1930-2025) passed away back in June; as I often do, I decided to push what amounts to an obit back to the decedent’s next birthday. She is not to be confused with Li…
Those who know the work of Paula Trueman (1897-1994) at all likely know her as one of those ubiquitous professional old ladies of the ’70s and ’80s, along with the likes of Ruth Gordon, …
Thanks, James Monroe, of Monroe and Company, for conveying the sad news that our mutual mentor Randall “Randy” Boursheidt (1944-2026) passed away about a week ago. I had the pleasure of …
