Kensico Vaudeville Project #13 Name: Alfred Bardelang, Jr. Act: None Born: March 1929 Died: 4 February 1934 The little boy would have been the fifth generation of his family to enter the theatrical profession. However, tragedy struck the family of Alfred Bardelang, Jr. He died at just four years and five months old. His twin brother only lived to be two and 1/2. Alfred Jr. was the progeny of two actors. His father, Alfred Sr., Continue Reading →
On Saturday I debuted my W.C. Fields History Walking Tour as part of Fields Fest, a 6-week celebration of the life of the great comedian. Dorothy Parker was a huge fan of Fields. In my book The Algonquin Round Table New York: A Historical Guide, I was really happy to be able to include a photo of Parker and Fields together. One of the parts of the tour I wanted to do, but didn’t for Continue Reading →
I love a good festival. In 1999 my friends and I started the long-running Dorothy Parker-theme Parkerfest. Two years ago I was one of the organizers for the Marx Brothers tribute, Marxfest. And now I am getting back into the Jazz Age by becoming part of W.C. Fields and Fields Fest. On Dec. 25 is the 70th anniversary of the death of the great comedian. Fields Fest is being executed by Trav S.D., everyone’s favorite Continue Reading →
The Ziegfeld name is back in the news in New York. It is for a small item—that is only important to a few people—the few souls who like going to a movie theater in a cavernous space of more than 1,000 seats. Newspapers and bloggers in New York are probably writing about the Ziegfeld name for one of the last times, and that is sad. It is because the movie theater that was built in Continue Reading →
While researching my book The Algonquin Round Table New York: A Historical Guide, I uncovered a lost 1952 radio show recorded inside the Algonquin Hotel, The Tex and Jinx Show. Among the guests are owner Ben Bodne, Broadway librettist Alan Jay Lerner, and screenwriter-author Anita Loos. It’s an amazing time capsule of the hotel, at a time when Harry S. Truman was in the White House, a gallon of gas cost a quarter, and the Continue Reading →
This Friday is Dorothy Parker’s birthday, and the Dorothy Parker Society is having parties in New York and the Catskills to celebrate. But a recent review of the new book Dorothy Parker Complete Broadway, 1918-1923, makes me want to recommend it as a birthday present from Dottie to you. Los Angeles playwright Steven Vlasak wrote: If you love Dorothy Parker, then you’ll have a major crush on this new book compiled by Parker expert Kevin Continue Reading →