Inner-View; Interview with Rich Little

Interview with your host. Drop. The topic of show business and perhaps a specific type of show business unique perhaps type of show business and its Rich Little. Which reminds me. When I say you are unique you are unique and I wonder if anyone has ever done. Rich Little. Fred traveling I did it once on The Merv Griffin Show I didn't see it but everybody that knows we said it wasn't very good which depresses me depresses me because I wish somebody would do it would be the ultimate compliment Wouldn't it be interesting if I got upset. I bet it was yeah. With all the people that I do you know if somebody did me I didn't think it was humorous. I would think it was humorous. Take a crank letter and if anybody wants to imitate me I could give them a few pointers of things that I just the tight mouth that Reagan does this I do this a

lot. They use my hands a lot and I use set an expression that Jack Benny used you see and you know you see and you know I saw there are little things that I could I could help them with. But you see it as a compliment you know to someone else. Yeah. Do they see it that way. I hope so I hope so. I've had a lot of people a lot of celebrities say to me you know I wish you would imitate me because it was Chad Everett That said it the other day on a talk show in Los Angeles that he thought it would be the ultimate compliment that he'd really arrive in show business that he had made a difference little community. I mean that's the way he expressed it which I thought was very nice. So he said I hope he's working on it you know. How do you do Chad Everett I mean in your human reservoir you have about 200 voices. Yeah. Do you recall what the first one ever was.

Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah. What is John White. No it was Jimmy Stewart and really what it was Jimmy Stewart. I can remember in the very early I must have been. Oh about. 12 or 13 I was sitting down to dinner and saying Mom I'd like a piece of Oppal pot I think ha. That was the word that I started with Jimmy Stewart. Pot. Isn't it interesting that his horse's name was pot. You know but that was the first one that I ever did you Mr.. Other than teachers I've been doing teachers before that. From what I understand of 14 in Canada you started doing a teacher and is that when you found out that you really could do this sort of thing. Well I suddenly realized my gosh I've got power here. The kids think I'm popular because you know when you're a young kid going to school the most important thing is to be popular you know I mean you want to be accepted with the other kids. And why was I accepted because they they knew what I could do because what I would do in class was I would answer

the teacher in their voice. So if Mr. Bell who was really the first voice I ever did Clarence Bell our homeroom teacher had a bell Bush notion you had a left and he sounded like they felt the time he said Richard what's the answer to for be in your textbook. And I stood up and said very seriously the answer is two hundred twenty five pounds not about Mr. Bell would say that's right Richard. You're not only a brilliant student but I notice you have a very fine speaker. You know that the kids laughed at this and they thought it was great and of course I was accepted. But. What's funny about Rich Little. What's good about an impression is as far as you're concerned oh everything I saw when I was a little kid a little kid. We better find out how long have you been in show business. Depends on when I started professionally in this country since

1965. But before that in Canada where I was born about 17 years I was on the radio at 18 doing an all night show and then I became a disc jockey for a while and then I came down the states and 65 so professionally since 65 in this country. So what is the appeal. Well it's not only seeing one person it's seeing a whole bunch of people in one. All wrapped up in one. You know and that that's appealing to me. The appeal and what one. Imitates other people does it can. The fact first of all is that he does it accurately or the fact that he's funny when he does it. Well you know he imitates a right that he doesn't comment in a calm way you have to get embarrassed if the someone does an impression and it just doesn't work and you know.

Yeah that's a that's a difficulty Yes you do pull for the person you want yeah do a good voice. Yeah. And when they don't it really is you take it almost personally she's absolutely right. And what she said actually is I think very true as I've always felt with the impersonator if you do the impression of well people well a Prado will appreciate how well you do it if you're funny on top of that then you've got two things going for you on stage. You know the joke plus the impression and that's one appeal I guess when you when you get your routine in order do you always go for a punch line so you'll have something to. Yeah yeah. Sometimes when I feel maybe an impression could be better or it isn't working or I'm not happy with it. You have to then rely more on the joke you know to get you out of it. Some voices I do don't necessarily need jokes. And it's interesting that when you first start out being an impersonator and if you do new voices or even the old voices as soon as people recognize that you do it well they'll applaud.

And then you can go on to the next one and then you do a few lines they'll applaud and you don't need material and you say to yourself gee this is great. I don't need to be funny they're applauding all the time. Then what happens is they know you do john wayne they know you do Jimmy Stewart Richard Nixon. Now the next time they see you they say no you've got to say something because we know you do the impression Well now we want to hear what you have to say. And that's when you have to come up with the material but I know a lot of impersonators when they first start thinking this is easy I don't even need jokes they're just applauding every time they hear it. You know. What launched you in Canada and therefore launched you in America indirectly was the album was it. Well that was one thing that helped. I had the can you tell us a little bit about I know I had the counterpart to the Vaughn Meader album which was the first family and it was the second fastest album I think of selling album of all time I mean it was a big seller.

And of course it took the country by storm and I thought it was very funny never dreaming that some 20 years later I would put out a sequel to it. I mean I thought that record was great anyway. Living in Canada we decided to to do the Canadian version of that using the Prime Minister then whose name was different Baker great character to God's great name. I wish he was known here because he all the politicians in Canada far surpassed the ones down here. And I was doing different Baker if you're anybody Canadian watching will know but he looked like an owl. And they have buck teeth. You had John Walsh and he shuck and they let you do your work right. I honestly look back you know and I shouted like dish and I can remember the joke I used to use I use this over and over. At the time was now the leader of a top profession. Now Lester Pearson House side of the House of Commons that I resembled our Arctic bird.

Wow. I don't care he can say what he likes. Doesn't bother me I don't give a fuck. Ha ha. That was my big mouth. Ah ha. I might I might mention one other thing and this is funny and I thought about it over the years I've never told is that any talk shows or anything but it's true. I did a lot of of fairs and exhibitions and kana that when a peg Jina Western Canada and I can remember the follow the book the show was America and he didn't know all these people that I was doing but he could see the reaction in the crowd you know. Anyway I would do Lester Pearson and John Diefenbaker and Tommy Douglas and all the political ones and the audience reacted and he was amazing he was. He was curious you know because they are such characters. Anyway to make a long story short his son's about age 12 13 came up from the United States somewhere and they saw my show every night they sat in the front row and they watched it

over and over they were always there. And then one night I was getting ready for the show about six o'clock in the motel and one of the kids banging on my door Rance riches what's wrong what fire what. No no turn on your television. Turn on the TV Quick. There is a guy stealing your act. He's doing all your voices. And I said You're kidding. No turn on I turn it on. It was different Baker and it was Pierce and it was Tommy Dott is talking in the House of Commons America. Oh there was Diefenbaker he's working he's doing he's doing your stuff. And I said no that is him. Oh yeah but the interesting thing was I remember the time he said there's a guy doing doing your voices and he's not doing that as well. Your you're the first one it seems to me who attempted and who got accurately. No you read the Ronald Reagan voice. Well I I suppose you're right. You know I just got back from a trip around the world. And

next year I'm going to go somewhere else and I'm having more fun doing Ronald Reagan and he's having more fun he's having fun watching you because he revealed to you the fact that he also does a voice. That's right that's right I mean to stand in front of the president of our country and realize here is the president trying to think up something witty and clever to say to him. And then all of a sudden he says to me you know. I like to do impressions. I said what I said No way. I do impressions. I want to say oh yes I know what you're trying to do a president. I didn't I didn't say that and I didn't say that. Canada packed my bag and my beaver and back together. But I said Really I didn't know that anyway he starts to do Jimmy Stewart for me. And here is Reagan you know going why why why for drama. John Marsh and he's doing it pretty well the way most people do Jimmy Stewart and I'd be a lot of people have done Jimmy Stewart in front of me so that didn't really faze me

it's when he won in the Truman Capote he absolutely blew my mind I mean right from Jimmy Stewart with no coaxing he goes right and Truman could have been telling Phil joke abed and we were all standing around while Reagan me doing this and I kept thinking I was. Wouldn't it be interesting if some foreign dignitary happened to come along at that point who had never met him before and said I think of it like the president of the United States is that them where are you. Good heavens. Very strange right. But that just shows you what kind of sense humor has I can't think of any other president that would do that. I get Jimmy Carter Nixon. Definitely not Gerald Ford. I had a great sense of humor but I can't really see him doing impressions so that of course it was very amusing and just points out the fact that he's a man who likes to laugh. Gerald Ford being seems to me the most difficult of the recent presidents to do was

that correct. Gerald Ford it was actually probably one of the easiest to do and yeah in a way it was one of the hardest because I didn't realize it was so easy to do it's just kind of on monotone voice. I've been working on it for some time and then one day I just happened to stumble across it so to heart so to speak. But he was the hardest one to do and I was looking for something else. I don't know what I was looking for but I never really got him down until just when he left office and I can remember running into him in Palm Springs and I'd do Frank Sinatra through down there and I said to him I said Mr. Mr. President I said you're leaving just when I got you down they can't do this to me. Oh I'm sorry about 5 how to have you with me. Sure I did. Doing impressions. No but I'm in awe of the skill involved.

I think it's incredible you know just when you think about just what do you do when you've been asked I'm sure but at what moment you get into it so so fast and well that's something that I always wanted to do right from the very beginning I used to watch a lot of impersonators George Kerby Frank Gore Sean was one of my idols when I was a kid I mean marveled at what he does and still does. And I did I used to watch them all and most of them most of them did impressions by turning around and sort of fixing their hair and then turning back as the character you know they'd say Kirk Douglas and then they turn around to do something. Now you come back yes that's Kirk Douglas. You know where is what I wanted to do and that was effect of the way they do that they make it look difficult turn around and come back and what I wanted to do was not do that technique was to be able to jump from one voice to another very quickly this is what I really wanted to do and I guess that just comes by concentrating fast and by doing it

over the years I've I just can I just can pinpoint it quicker you know the voice so I can do every public runs I can how I kow souled that Truman Capote. And then Ronald Reagan I don't wonder John I'm sure I mean just to do them that fast way by just concentrating like quick you were saying before. But there's a right way to do Jimmy Stewart for instance and a wrong way. What do you mean by that. Well most people when they do Jimmy Stewart Jimmy Stewart is a good example of one that is imitated by just about everybody because all you really have to do to do Jimmy Stewart is drop was odd dry Marsh you are on your say and it's only when you look deeper into it you realize that a gem isn't so much a drawl a hit you know it's kind of.

Wild. Justin doesn't it he's like a Model T you do you know how to conduct a client come up but one should get him on he just he just keeps calling the law you know saw doesn't like that it's more of a just a hesitation now and everybody does it differently of course and I don't say that mine is the perfect Jimmy Stewart but just one approach that's another interesting thing about doing impressions is that. There's no one way to do it. You can do voices several ways a symbol has to come out of your personality. Well it's just like I do sometimes I voice will will bother me and I mean I haven't got it down I watch another impersonator do and I'll say that's interesting try that you know. Remember years ago will Jordan it was a very fine impersonator. He was doing Henry Fonda and he started talking like this. And he started to stretch the notes over the words and did it like

this. And I couldn't do it and I watched him do that and I just cannot copy what he did and did it almost the same way. And then five years later I ran into Will Jordan again he came up to me said Cashin I had wish I could do Henry Fonda like you know. You know you never try. No I didn't ask you you know my name is Vince. Hi I'm just curious when you especially when you're clicking into midst as quickly as you do. Is there an image that you work off of for each person do you try to key into an image how do you how in the heck do you do it. Well it's just becoming that person for the second mentally. And then I let the physical take care of itself. I mean there's certain people I do there's no way I'm going to look like them. I do a very bad Orson Welles Carol Channing you know you just chatted with Carol Channing just half what you got. You know if she is she's kind of out of focus. So it's just it's somewhat tart entirely

metal. That's what it really is. And I really believe for the second or the minute I'm doing it that I really am that person. That's why sometimes after I finished doing Johnny Carson I'll say to the audience Gee I felt so much like Johnny I just got the urge to write an alimony check. I don't feel like working on Monday. It's very strange you know. How did he react to your routine that you used to do of saying that Davies jokes are bad they wouldn't be Johnny Carson. That's right that's right. I just will say. Ah. No what is it I say about Johnny Carson and the filters. Now I must be doing a good Carson because the jokes are bombing. Yeah that's right. Well we'll be right back with with we'll be right back with little. To.

The. We're talking about the world of showbusiness through the eyes or the many eyes or the many voices of the One and Only Rich Little.

It was you talk about Gerald Ford give you a problem of the voice of urges if you have time to Johnny Carson through for a while. Well the heart of course you don't learn. The hardest voice for me to learn. This sounds like a smart alec answer and probably is is the one I can't do. I mean I I've been trying for years to do a good Bob Hope. I can do a little of it. Ed McMahon I've never been able to do Spencer Tracy I've never been able to do. Robert Redford Gosh I wish I could imitate him make a lot of points doing him. How do you imitate Robert Redford. You know those voices are extremely tough I should be able to do Bob Hope and I do him a bit but it's for some strange reason it's a voice that never seems to register with the audience. And you'd think it would but maybe one of the reason for that is that Bob has so many different sounds you know. There's a monologue called by I tell you I just flow all we're doing what to do a command

performance for Queen Elizabeth the royal family they ran out of ashes but I want to tell you I mean there's that kind of a rhythmic thing. And then there's the other side of Bob. He's kind of folks you know everything's kind of like this. Everything's low key. You know but I've done I'm just the way I just did it there and it just doesn't seem to get a big reaction. Maybe I don't do it well enough. Probably not. Where does someone like you. Trying out a new voice on an audience with your celebrity status. It's pretty difficult for you to go into a small club it seems to me. Well my problem is and I was thinking about this the other day Charles is that. In the old days. Well not in the old days but ten years ago let's say before I would come into this town because Las Vegas let's face it this is this is the big time here. This is where you really make it and you want to do well here. So you never think of coming in here with a new show or some new piece of material I would go somewhere

else some small club in Omaha or up to Canada or somewhere and try it out and find out where you know things don't work and try and correct them and then when I come to Las Vegas least I'm all set. Unfortunately I can't do that anymore. And the reason is that my act now you saw it the other night is so technical with the living screen and the things coming out of the ceiling and all the film and all the different effects that I can't take that to any other club because they they can't show it. They can't use it. And so that means I'm doing one act here in Las Vegas and doing another act on the road that isn't so technical so I have to unfortunately do that for the first time opening night. And I really don't get the bugs are now out of it until two or three days into the engagement I feel now what I'm doing right now is working 10 times better than it did opening night just because I got a chance to run it for a while because you know I'm doing I'm doing things in the act. Conversations on film with people already done and that has to be

split timing. And I've never done it before until opening night so if you want to see a guy nervous in Las Vegas I mean whether it's nerves it's just I'm very apprehensive about his nerves. It would be opening night for me. Let's talk about that a little bit because I saw the opening night and things did not go perfectly. It was this and that. But you maintain that Ocwen image he threw out of you were Mr. calm. Because it seems to me what you did immediately is you engage the audience in the in the time problem and the and the equipment the audience was aware it was technical right and that they kind of you know they feel sorry for you but they they can relate to it because they know it's a mistake. And if you can pull it out if you can pull out of it they appreciate it and appreciate your ability to be able to do that because it is true and not everybody can do that. Some people would panic or get very nasty and walk off as you know yeah that is true and it's an idea

that never accomplishes anything but of course you get very frustrated and just walk off I wouldn't do that I don't think because it would. What do you suggest like for comedians an impression is coming up or places to go or like being live in Las Vegas. We have a workshop at the Tropicana and that's happening. But what do you suggest for people that. Young rich Little's and Bill Cosby said Dave you should tell us a little bit about you because I think that would be make that question even more interesting. Yeah I do voice a name for David Hayes and I do voices and I think I do a great Bill Cosby don't you. Yeah well yeah I think it's good. I can't do it so I'd love to hear it. Oh I'd love to hear it. All right you see those cars are very very good usually every morning.

Brightening. Ah but I just I just like to know like you know well what do you suggest. You know for people like me and I got somebody. And what do you suggest where to go or what to do or just keep just keep doing it you know. I would suggest that you should get in the aluminum siding business. Yeah I know but I'm sure they told you to get into yes on it then as a matter of fact people used to tell me I still can remember them too. Maybe they were right but I had hammered away at me very early in my career. Rich is fun to do impressions you know everybody does a few every group does a few impressions every singer does one or two. But no guy has ever made it big in this business as an impersonator. Not to the top. So I have fun doing it but you better think about something else I said such as what acting singing or comedy straight comedy. And I said to myself.

Yeah but there are a million comedians and a million singers there's very few impersonators because that's one of the things you don't have much competition. I sometimes wish I did because sometimes when I see somebody do a voice well as you just did. Cosby well that inspires me to say. You know there's a better than I do or I should be doing that voice and because I sometimes get lazy and and I should go after more voices you know I I do 200 which seems to be a lot but there's a lot of new people coming up in television and everything and I should i should be taping them and studying them. The trouble is there's a lot of people I see on TV that I'm not interested in doing because I you know a lot of the shows I'm just not interested in watching and I'm getting way off the track to answer your question. I always I always tell people who are first starting out you know comics or impersonators that it's extremely tough it's tougher now than it ever was 10 20 years ago because there's not many places you can be seen today. I mean you can learn you're traded at a workshop and you get up in front of an

audience and everything how do you take it to the next step. Well what I did was see what I did with the beginning was I played coffee houses. And in the 60s and that was good training. And then I went into clubs and I gradually got on to television and then I got into variety and then I went on the Judy Garland Show in 1065 in Hollywood Palace and Dean Martin and Steve Allen and all these variety shows are all looking for little five 10 minute pieces you know which I worked up I had a number of them. And one thing led to another and then I got on the television series 11 a rooftop and then things started snowballing from there. But today if you're good if you're a good comedian a good impersonator Why do you go. You possibly could get on The Tonight Show. They still Ed. people going on there. There's no variety. There's nowhere to be seen. How do you suddenly become an opening act in Las Vegas when nobody knows who you are you know. You have to be seen on TV I think or have a hit record. So it's a lot tougher today.

Is that why you were so kind to travel you know normally you know you find you know your potential competitor is the last guy you're going to help will push. But it seems to me if I understand the press and the media you have been you have gone out of your way to elevate him to some kind of celebrity status when he was first starting. Well I don't know what I really did or not I gave him a little push I mean I got him a few things and got him going. If you didn't have the talent I don't think he would have lasted and he credits me for that which is very nice. I think Fred is as a good talent does a lot of voice as well. I always feel pretty secure about what I do and I don't when I see other impersonators. If somebody does something well I feel like gee I wish everybody else could see this because they're good I don't feel like wait a minute they can become bigger than me or more well-known and and take over but I don't feel it that way at all. I just think there's room for everybody and it really excites me to see somebody do a good impression. So that

gives back by five. I guess I've helped a few people you know over the years with someone with your skill which is of course most of us don't have it. Why do you think now from that perspective of having that skill Why do you think he made it to be the number one impressionist in the world. He works very hard on a lot of people work hard but you know but I you know I've heard that you know stories that he would you know take recorders and I don't know if this is I don't know if this is true I guess you're from Canada I'm aware of that but someone told me that you always had tape recorders going in and and that it's like a technician is like anybody a musician you have to put in your hours you have to put in your time. And plus he has great pair ears so it's you know that's what radar will get will get an insight answer from your road manager isn't Mel Bishop Hi welcome.

Take your hat off. No no no I want you to if you want to get in the business a million years and the only reason or that which is a star that he has is he has gotten completely away from what every other impersonator used to do at least to turn around to the face with a bit of the Koreans in objected to different things and I was going to make a suggestion to the gentleman here to find out what do you do the best. Whatever you do the best. Maybe do two characters maybe one be a straight man while the other and you interject these little things and that takes you out of the norm of a guy saying I'm not going to do this tonight but that's what Rick has done. He's elevated a step above just now we're doing this and I'm going to do this and do that and I don't know whether you've done it in a charge but it would be a good showcase if these young people if you showcased them on your show one day is to each one doing a good bit. They in turn get a videotape or and then see what you do to they're doing a lot of lounge acts and every big party everybody's getting into production. Now they could use in these production

numbers they could use somebody does a good eight 10 12 minutes so you've got to work at these people all the hotel entertainment people let them see your act and maybe in one of these little reviews or one of the big production things doing a little spot and then you elaborate you build on it and not trying to do everything but trying to do a few things I want and you're not going to be a star immediately. I don't know you know what the feeling is I know most of us I say us paid a lot to do this for a long time. You know it's everybody's always an overnight sensation. They work 20 years Don and Buddy Hackett and the other guys have worked 20 or 30 years and then finally they become an overnight star. So we've been paid to do it in all the little joints so you've got to you know do these things and you do a little act and finally you may open to be an opening act and if you're have the talent and you got the luck whatever it is then maybe become a star. You're one of those points drive home to me every time I go see a showcase here in town and I find the young comedians they want to work loose. And so lose that they're all over the place and they forget one thing. What an idea to just be able

to tell a joke. That doesn't mean you have to be a joke teller per se but just the opportunity to tell a joke or as Mel is saying develop one or two things and really grab an audience with that. Did you find that when you started it you that's true and I've always felt that when you do I'm at impressions or impersonations that one of the things that helps tremendously is be able to hear it while you're doing it. See I'm my worst critic when I'm out on stage I'm hearing it I know exactly what's wrong with the impression either I've got a cold or my voice is raspy the P.A. is bad but I know exactly what it's sounding like and to me I might say to myself This is not good I could do better. And so your you're your worst critic or your best critic and that the trouble with a lot of people who do voices is they don't know the good impressions from the bad impressions and they may. You may see a guy get up and he'll do a terrific Bill Cosby and he'll do a terrific John Wayne or a terrific Howard Cosell and then all of a sudden he'll do a voice that will be

terrible and Nixon that was so bad. And you say to yourself I can't believe no one's told him to take that out of the routine because that's all you when it's all over you don't remember what the greatest cause be was and as John Wayne was you remember he did a terrible Nixon and a terrible Tom Jones. And so if you had you know if if somebody else can tell you if you can hear it yourself somebody honestly should say to you listen do that voice on that. Don't do that and don't do that and concentrate on those because those are great and that will help you tremendously You have to do what Dave was saying of recording your own words and then playing it back. Oh he's absolutely right as a kid. I mean. I have two brothers and my family's not show business at all. My father was a doctor and my mother was a typical housewife. Very encouraging but no show business and from a very early age I mean I was a radio was everything for me I mean I taped everything how little $20 tape recorder that I nursed you know like a little child and

oiling it all the time and I had all my tapes all labeled I had all the Lux Radio Theater shows suspense and all that stuff movies and I play them all the time I had working voices all the time and my brothers they had their friends at home. They'd go upstairs and I'd be in my room with all these voices and all that stuff running. And they and their friends would say what's going on in there sounds like a gang of people and then I thought it's my crazy brother. You know he's a little kooky You know he thinks he's all these people he's you know well what is he going to smart and I don't know he's got to think about a future the guy's not going to amount to anything he's not going to make a dime in this world until he realizes you know I got to forget all this silliness and concentrate on a career become a doctor or a lawyer or what have you. Get an aluminum siding anything. And this is the way I was kind of treated I wasn't an eccentric I mean I wasn't. I hope I wasn't strange or anything but I I lived in that little world of showbusiness all the time and now my brothers pass and I say to them what are you going to get.

Made a shrine make a gesture and I think you know please don't be filthy. You know nowadays I hear at the showcases and all the comedy stores you see kids go out and if filthy is right and a friend of mine who is a producer of a number one show his son came to me and he talked about how funny it is and he gave me a routine of bodily functions and he the right words I said that's not funny. I said you know we're going to get on Carson Show doing that all you said no. I said and wrote out the I said you can do the same joke but do it in a nice way. And it's the only advice I can give cause everybody about that guy that said he did Lenny Bruce's material everything Lenny Bruce ever did I did extremely well. I said sure you said to him forget it. You're not going to make it with that stuff. You're going to hit me with it on TV. Do you find it's easier now that you've done this for quite a while to do new voices or do you still have to work as hard at the new voices than they did when you started out. And depends on what I'm doing. I have to work at it like when I set out to do Ronald Reagan I thought this is going to be the toughest things and

since Gerald Ford but when I noticed Reagan there and doing all the all of the main reasons and everything I thought oh wait I got something going here you know. So some voices are come very quickly and others take a long time. I don't know whether I find it easier doing it now. I actually in a way I find it tougher because I find the people to imitate now are tougher to do. The new breed of actor coming up the Jon Voight and the Dustin Hoffman's and the ALPA chinos I mean you can imitate them but nothing compared to Clark Gable and Gary Cooper and I'm free Bogart I mean not not even a comparison. Mainly because those guys were always the same Gary Cooper was always the same no matter what just Ahmet Clark Gable Even Gone With The Wind when he should have had a southern accent he just was never going to Clark Gable right. Whereas you say well I'm going to do out the Chino. Now you've got to tell an audience if you say you're going to go out but you know you can't just do Al but you know you've got to

actually say now but you know as The Godfather out but you know a Serco out but you know is cruising. I mean Al Pacino is different all the time. And Mitch might say something good about the new crop of actors. They're good. The new crop of actors are good I mean they're there but that the emphasis it doesn't seem to be on The Voice as much they're very unfair to people like you. That's right. Except for a guy like Jack Nicholson you know once in a while a guy all come along like that. You know I mean I'm just you know break every rule because he's always the same or was always so close to stall you know little of those good. Oh I don't know. So those guys are great when I see them I go oh gosh become a star please. You know or your newest Kermit the Frog but I will get to that when you get back and we get back with the many worlds of Rich Little. Was. Thank you.

Why with Rich Little.

I mostly question back you get what boys you can do. Once I made a big mistake why wasn't it a mistake as it turned out no one even noticed it but I introduced Gerald Ford stepped back from I came back supposedly as Gerald Ford and started to do a Spiro Agnew voice doing all my Gerald Ford lines like Sinatra and I was president of the in the days and I was doing it all the Spiro Agnew was big then. And it was wrong but nobody noticed. And it wasn't until the next day my musical conductor said you know you did Spiro Agnew for Gerald Ford I was white. He said yeah you did the whole routine I said but I said that isn't what depresses me depresses me because the audience didn't seem to know that was the biggest goof I think it's that that was just lack of concentration. One of my long time friends in this town and when he's not writing or playing politics

it is Joe who runs a probably one of the most successful acting workshops and do you have a lot of people coming in Joe who who really want to be impressionist or what do you have very few who want to do that. There's a last thought is one of I think it's a lost art from my end. Most of them want to be comedians if you impressionists come by but what impresses me so much about rich Charles is that he stretches when he goes onstage with a lot of his material. I used to review a show often at the MGM and I do I like how he stretched. Each show was different what I mean stretch. Well I saw one I saw him one time on Monday and Tuesday night two nights in a row and he tried new material in each of his shows and that's really rare because as Rich was saying in Las Vegas many people don't take chances. They've got they know they have a successful show and they'll stick to it.

And I've watched Rich Little bring in new things every time he goes on the stage which in fact he really makes in his repertoire quite effective and the second thing I'm very impressed with is a singing voice I mean people haven't said anything tonight. What a remarkable singer this man is you just amazes me with his songs and his is Voices of singers. That's right yeah. And do you have to end your show with the singing leading up to Tom Jones and what I mean by that was how do the audience demand that. No but I feel that it's hard to top Tom Jones especially with all a gyrations I mean that's a tough Sinatra almost did at one point. I try and finish with what I think is the high point of all the singers. And it's interesting I always end with the singing impressions because that's part of the show that I feel the majority of people are surprised a little bit because I don't see me do that much on TV they think of me in terms of Nixon or Johnny Carson or Reagan and all of a sudden I'm doing not only Tom Jones but and the old Diamond and Kenny

Rogers and all Kermit the Frog and Kermit the Frog and everything. Frank thank you Rick. But that was very nice what he said and I do try to every time I'm appearing do something new and it sometimes is a little gutsy to break into something new. Oh I think that's the appeal because the audience is you know and I suppose you're up against that. How many times can we hear Jimmy Stewart you know with you it's it's Jimmy Stewart in a very different context in that you have to find Yeah the context in which to put the voices into that that's the most important thing. You're talking about the difficulties in the sack. You do the thing where you talk to people on a screen and first like this I went out there with words on a screen. It was the answer was tremendous live. And I did that with Jimmy Stewart. Oh boy. You do over 200 voices right. I'd like to know how many of them are women. Only two. Oh me too. Well Carol turned out Channing and Jane Stapleton a foreman in the family.

Now mind you I guess if I had a few drinks at a party I might do Bette Davis. I do I don't I. I've. Got Friends hap hap from from time to time but not too often because it's not that. Our rich. Dad was so bad go take us swimming Golden Pond. Very few women impressionist. Wow there are very few men impressionist too I mean there is this girl Julie DS who has not yet been seen in Las Vegas. Best I have ever seen. She does what we use are on we used to run great pretenders. She does Elizabeth Taylor she does Shelley Winters she does Gracie Allen I she's just totally brilliant. There's Marilyn Michaels who does great voices Sheila McCrae. But you're right in a way that even though those gals do them well still you

think of males mostly men do you have a question. Yeah when Johnny Carson said he didn't like you. Yeah McCain you're not on on Johnny Johnny didn't say that. Just what I have I feel every day when Johnny watches me sees all the things he'd like to forget. You know on one night I was I was watching the show and I thought it was me. It was doing is mocking all this I mean you do this and they want what what the hell am I doing. Rich Little right out there right now is probably adding that it was not. So he's he's conscious of it you know because what you do is you just you bring to the public's attention their little idiosyncrasies and maybe things they'd rather forget about. And I exaggerate them and so that can become embarrassing. She had some jokes or something that he didn't like something that she said you know that was earlier we were we were saying that one of his routines are if I'm doing bad jokes if they were good jokes it wouldn't be Johnny Carson that's right I would be doing a good Johnny Carson.

Yes which my name is Gary Bruno and I do comedy also. And I've noticed that something I can sometimes i can take a serious subject turn it funny and at the same time you plant the seed in the head of the audience. Now when you operate on a large scale level that you're operating on and you do somebody like President Reagan who also is an actor comedy writer we've seen his economical policy and you do and you do something like that you ever feel that. I mean the pressure of pushing somebody before you say you could push somebody up without wanting to you make people like somebody by doing them. Do you ever feel too isn't it when you make. I'm not saying for or against any president I mean if you do somebody like Nixon it makes him a likable character. Yeah right of him you know not our you know kind of a lovable little cartoon. Yeah that could be a detriment or an asset to them. Do you ever feel how you're writing that's why I really don't like to do people I don't admire or like. Now in a few cases I do them because they're so easy to do but I would say generally the people I do best are the people I admire the most. I don't

particularly admire Richard Nixon but because she's an exception. But Jimmy Stewart Frank Sinatra I mean those those are my idols John Wayne all the ones Perry Como. You name them. Neil Diamond those are the ones I really like. I mean those are the people that I watch or listen to all the time now. I should maybe be doing a lot of rock stars and people like that but I know I'm just not into that so it's tough for me. I happen to like Willie Nelson I started doing him. You know it depends on who I like and. Sometimes I say I should go after people that I don't I would say don't like but I'm not interested in because I should broaden my scope more but to talk about the character or business is there's something wrong about us in culture that we just want character to as a people we really we are very attracted by surface kinds of impressions of something and we don't really get to know the real person is that he to be so serious and true.

What how do you deal that's true. Do you see you therefore is. Well that's the superficial rich little that is you don't you get Sir facing the problem of mine I change that whole approach very early in my career I used to come out on stage and do 60 voices and I really used to applaud and say I was great as great John Wayne Jimmy Stewart and I wonder what he's like. I never saw a rich little. I don't know whether we like it or not don't know you know who he is you know so then I decided to I didn't really decide it just happened gradually was I started writing a lot of my own material I started coming out of character I started five. Fling with the audience. I started to get more of my own personality into my act and it helped an awful lot and made it more fun for me and more fun for the audience because I wasn't taking it so seriously because when I first started out if I came off stage and did one bad impression I would be very upset. And I said to myself hey this isn't worth it. I mean hack isn't that important. You know as long as the audience has fun and enjoys the show and they're with you and like you.

One of the problems of Will Rich Little please stand up but it did that happen for instance. Has any psychiatrist done a number on you or done a study on you of the fact that now is the kid with the doctor as a father two brothers. He has to hide behind a million personalities because he's not sure who he is. No one's ever done that but I think I know Rich Little as I've always been careful oh well it just isn't my nature I've never been vicious. I mean I've done a few things on Nixon only because that's what he's known for. But I never go for the throat I never make a point. Politically it creeps into it it has to but I don't do it Mort Sahl does. I don't know that much about politics. So I approach everything from a point of liking these people. And you're right in a way you know I'm a public. I do publics publicity for them is what I do in a way I can see who's popular around the country. When you were saying making the public except Rich Little doing a show like you asked for where you are merrily are yourself is that the motivation behind that you asked for.

God is that the millennium is all behind me now. Now do not support you or yourself you know except as yourself in that show and you do well it's been that yeah and it's interesting with that show a lot of people see me and say oh I love that show we watch it my kids Oh it's wonderful I'm somebody else. What are you doing. That's the show for you don't show off your talent you know you can't do it well you're a complete failure on that why when it's a failure but some people like it and some people don't I did it originally just to expand myself to do another side of me but I regionally did that show because I thought it was going to be an interview show. I thought it was going to be a new show and I thought it was going to be a variety show. And it never turned out that way now it's nothing more than a new story show. And so I'm not going to do it anymore and I'm not saying that it's not a good show. It is a good show but it's not the show I really wanted to do. Whether you realize it by you do and you asked for it as yourself. Yeah. When we when I saw you sing it maybe accept you sing straight better because I felt I knew you.

Well there's that side of it. Yeah because I am basically being myself on that show. May I guess correctly that you don't do as many acting roles as you would like to and fro. If that is so is it because people are reluctant to give you parts because they see you as the many voices rather than the one act that's true. It's always been so that's a liability. Yeah. They always think of me in terms of somebody else they'll read a script and say oh why would rich little be in this we have no impressions here. Well he's going to play him self a straight part now say can he act and produces I don't know I guess so. You know so you know they think they've they label you on this business are they roles you'd like to play that. Oh yeah a lot of really well I just finished writing a movie my own movie star myself now I'm a star and I don't think a very small part. But I just finished writing a comedy and I'm going to produce it myself and I don't know who's going to star in it. It maybe Jimmy Stewart because when I wrote it I kept stuttering. So Jimmy or Mel tell us me and you will say I

have two questions for you. Number one is that very straining on your vocal chords for you know doing all these in person nation. Another question is do you do vocal exercises before you perform. Not enough but I do it now usually when I drive over to MGM every night I'm singing in the car doing a bad robbery or something singing poly Achi anything to get the voice up. One day I was driving over last week the car and window was deaf for all I know looked over all my lady going. Good God what's your problem. I'm just warming up you know. But I do it usually in the car matter fact you'll find most people saying or do impressions in a car because no one around no one can hear them they can be bad anything they want. You know it's a great place to workout routines in the car with specially if you're alone. And Mel said one other point that I'd like to just mention before we go we're going on seven and I think it's important is that so many young comedians today

to be different will either be blue. RB so crazy in their material be so off the wall. The adults will not understand it even the kids secretly don't understand it but because the adults don't understand it. That's funny. And I feel that I don't want to mention anybody but I think you know who I mean a lot of a lot of comedians do off the wall material that's so off the wall it's so bizarre and the parents just go I'm sorry I don't understand I don't see what's funny when they ask you know and basically I don't know whether it is that funny it's just a sort of a defiance against against their parents against older people. But I just still think even with good comedians and there are a lot of good young comedians that just still can't beat it Jack Benny and you can't beat the Buddy Hackett's and then the Don Rickles I mean these guys I smell says 20 years and they know how it works and I know where the laughs are in their timing. It's also interesting to note in your audiences of your shows you not only see bits of Nicole

middle aged group in Las Vegas but you also see a younger group who see you as very hip. Is that accurate. I don't know that they see me as hip hip meaning a very contemporary in your in your car actually if I was a little more off the wall if I was if I if my political satire was a little more biting I would play a lot more colleges in the country. And even though I still do play colleges it's interesting that every time I play a college date it's homecoming because the parents are there so the kids are happy and the parents are delighted and they know it's not going to be offensive but you get some guy out there you know who starts out with a four letter word that really you know the Dean goals put God you know and and then hey man that's hip that's the day's humor all these four letter words you should say anything you want let it all hang out there's no there's no rules in comedy you should be yourself well I don't really believe in that I still think there are rules. And when I see somebody on the stage right some.

Jars me I mean it personally jars me. Dave this is you this is your chance. Do you have another voice that perhaps you're working on and you would like to get instant advice. What do you think your best or probably my Sammy Davis. Thank you. Thank you. Oh you want here. Oh I left it as a sitting or standing. I got to stand in the center of my you know I knew it would be a standing it's a cool it's a very short impression. Thank you you're marvelous in your group and I dig you and I like to do the Candyman 1 2 0 1 and 2 in the sun. Sprinkle lead in to do it with the minimum. Wage.

Law. Thank you don't travel go you I'm going to do I'm going to Home Box I was going to film my show next month I'm going to use a lot of young person letters in the audience and that should be fun you'd kill them if you did that. That's wonderful. That's a very good impression. What you see Mel right after the show. Thank you. We're running. More into the symbols and a lot you have to say that you know for some reason I don't know what it is but people mistake me for Steve Martin. And people come up to me in the street and say Are you are you and I go wow she's recognized me. Are you really. Steve Martin said no. All lady the other day said you're not Steve Martin I said no I'm not Steve Martin I'm sorry. Oh I thought you were in show business. Well if that woman did you know it's interesting though that Steve Martin sometimes people go up to him and say Are you rich little so as well it seems to me that to everyone except that one person knows

exactly who you are thank you very much. Right.