The U.S. Army Turns 250 by Trav S.D.

The United States Army was created by the Continental Congress on this day in 1775. George Washington was appointed as its commander on the following day. (Note how the army was always inten…

A Dynasty of Hunters by Trav S.D.

If you’re a fan of classic films and don’t recognize the name Ian Hunter (1900-1975), relax, it’s okay. I didn’t! But he’s right there, right there, in prominent roles in some of t…

One Week from Today: An Event on Dwarfism: Arts and Advocacy by Trav S.D.

The Diary of Anne Frank by Trav S.D.

June 12 was the birthday of Anne Frank (1929-1945). Confronted with the bewildering descent of America into a place where schoolgirls need to hide out in attics and where Jews are being viol…

A Weegee Way Station by Trav S.D.

June 12 being the birthday of Weegee (1899-1968), we thought it might be useful to create a little post that relates him to some of this blog’s customary topics. First, some short biograph…

R.I.P. Brian Wilson by Trav S.D.

Just got the word that Brian Wilson has passed. Never mind the cause. The man was 82. Still, who’d ever dream that all three Wilson brothers would die before Keith Richards? I had somethin…

Love for Dudley Manlove by Trav S.D.

If I didn’t know any better and you had asked me which of the cast members of Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) was named “DUDLEY MANLOVE” I almost certainly would have pointed to Bunny B…

The Plucking of a Peacock, or The Fall of Frederick Kovert by Trav S.D.

According to IMDB June 10 was the birthday of female impersonator Frederick Kovert (1895-1949). The name is sometimes rendered “Ko Vert”, making it seem exotic somehow. Kovert, his real …

The Keltonization of Paul Marco by Trav S.D.

Paul Marco (Angelo Inzalaco, 1927-2006) dined out better than most on being part of the Ed Wood stock company. Die-hards know him as the guy who played goofy Officer Kelton, the Gilligan-esq…

Rhode Island Screen News, Sorta by Trav S.D.

The world is horrible so as an antidote, I proffer these two Rhode Island cultural tidbits, as fluffy as a clamcake: 1) The streaming series Sirens is set in a very Block Island-esque locati…

The Late, Great Johnny Ace by Trav S.D.

Cole Porter, Jackie Mason, S.N. Behrman, Bob Cummings, Michael J. Fox, Fred Waring, Skip James, Harry Gribbon, George Axelrod, John Howard Payne, and Leslie Banks were all born on June 9; so…

A Proper Post on Joan Rivers by Trav S.D.

The title of this piece in not to imply that my previous post on Joan Rivers (Joan Molinsky, 1933-2014) was in any way improper. It was however, incomplete. I wrote it in 2013, when she was …

Of H.A. Spanuth and the Wonders of Vod-a-Vil by Trav S.D.

Vaudeville lovers owe much to the enterprise of Hans August (H.A.) Spanuth (1884-1976). Spanuth was a second generation cultural figure. His father, August Spanuth (1857-1920) was a German p…

Kitty West: The Axe Woman of Bourbon Street by Trav S.D.

Tribute today to burlesque legend Kitty West (Abbie Jewel Slawson, 1930-2019), whose ingenious stage name plants the idea in your head that you’ve heard of her before, no doubt because it …

R.I.P. Charles Strouse by Trav S.D.

Broadway composer Charles Strouse (1928-2025) would have been 97 years old today; we lost him three weeks ago. Strouse left behind a staggering body of accomplishment at the time of his pass…

Scott of the Antarctic by Trav S.D.

Having had temperatures in the high 80s in New York the past couple of days put me in an odd frame of mind to contemplate the life (and death) of British polar explorer Robert Falcon Scott (…

Colin Quinn/ Tough Crowd by Trav S.D.

This may shock you, maybe it won’t, most likely you won’t care, but I was a huge fan of Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn (2002-2004) back in the day, and I’m still a fan of Quinn’s. If y…

The Moves of Mitzi Mayfair by Trav S.D.

Before Mitzi Green and Mitzi Gaynor, show biz had Mitzi Mayfair (Juanita Emylyn Pique, 1914-1976). This Mitzi started out as a kid act in vaudeville at age 11 in her hometown of St. Louis, e…

Peter Donald and His Dialects by Trav S.D.

Okay, no one remembers Peter Donald (1918-1979) but the handful who do know him as the Irishman Ajax Cassidy from Allen’s Alley on The Fred Allen Show. In that and such-like capacities he …

Tyler Brooke and the Perils of Billiards by Trav S.D.

Tribute now to stage and screen actor Tyler Brooke (Victor Hugo de Bierre, 1886-1943), known especially for his association with classic comedy. Brooke had been a bank clerk and a lawyer pri…

For National Hot Air Balloon Day: Some Movies Starring Hot Air Balloons by Trav S.D.

June 5 is National Hot Air Balloon Day, so we thought we would expend a little hot air celebrating their history and presence in pop culture, as we have done previously with blimps and Zeppe…

On Fontaine Fox, Toonerville, and The Trolley by Trav S.D.

Of all the major comic strips of the early 20th century, it seems to me none have been quite as forgotten as Toonerville Folks. I’m trying to think why. In its own time (1908-1955) there w…

Reasons to Watch “The Mortician” by Trav S.D.

I’ve only caught the first episode of The Mortician, HBO’s three-part documentary series, airing over three consecutive Mondays through June 15, but I hasten to recommend it for a couple…

Goodyear…On the Air by Trav S.D.

June 3, 2025 marks the centennial anniversary of the maiden voyage of the Goodyear Type AD airship Pilgrim, the first commercial non-rigid airship to use helium. Though the company had been…

Carving Up Dana Carvey by Trav S.D.

June 2 is the birthday of Charlie Watts, Johnny Weissmuller, Jerry Mathers, Marvin Hamlisch, Max Showalter, Kevin Brownlow, Cagliostro, June MacCloy, Leopoldo Fregoli, and Valaida Snow, et a…

Making Jack Goode by Trav S.D.

I’ve come across the occasional mention of this chap, who appears to have been well-regarded by contemporaries, so we include him now in our annals. Jack Goode a.k.a. Jack Good (Irwin Thom…

For Pride Month: We Eyeball “The Big Johnson” by Trav S.D.

I was so bummed to miss the premiere and launch party for The Big Johnson, Lola Rocknrolla’s documentary on the life of queer icon Dean Johnson (1961-2007) a couple of weeks ago, but fortu…

Natural Born: Circus, Sideshow, and The Art of Being Human by Trav S.D.

Tomorrow is the release date of Aaron Smith’s new book Natural Born: Circus, Sideshow, and The Art of Being Human (Outside Talker Press). But before I sing its praises, I only just realize…

On Fowley Father and Son by Trav S.D.

Today, a show biz father and son, each legendary in completely different spheres. The father was character actor Douglas Fowley (Daniel Fowley, 1911-1998). Fowley amassed over 300 credits in…

Happy National Alligator Day by Trav S.D.

Well, I couldn’t let National Alligator Day pass without adding pop culture representations of this ancient reptile to our store of animal posts. Just click on links below to learn more ab…

The Death of King George: Big Drama at the Texas Renaissance Festival by Trav S.D.

We seem to to be all about the headlines today, although I think you’ll agree we are keeping it on mission. Dramatic events concerning the Texas Renaissance Festival, generally touted as t…