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Rich Little Gets Real -- LUXE LIFE GUEST COLUMNIST
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Friday, July 14, 2006
This is Rich Little from Las Vegas. I love living in Las Vegas! Why? Because I love being near my money! Ha! Vegas is the greatest town to live in. It’s not only home, I also perform here at the Suncoast and Orleans casinos. There are many fabulous things to do in Vegas; sights to see, restaurants, shows and celebrities.
Many impersonators got their start in Vegas. People ask me how I got started, what is my secret. There is no magical secret; you have to have a good ear, hopefully two! It’s a passion. I practice each celebrity until I have mastered their voice, facial expressions and antics. Sometimes a voice comes in minutes and others take months. There are some I can’t master. So when I’m asked what’s my secret I tell them, “Be the best at what you want to do and be the best at what you can do.”
Why can’t the actors of today be impersonated? Is it because they aren’t very exciting, they under play or that a lot of them are different in every movie? You could say there’s no Russell Crowe, he plays different types of people in every movie. I suppose if Tom Hanks talked like 'Forrest Gump' in every part he played he’d be the most imitated person on the planet.
Of course actors like Owen Wilson, Ashton Kutcher and Tobey Mcguire can’t be imitated because they’re too young; there’s no character in their voices yet.
What about Harrison Ford, Michael Douglas and Gene Hackman; I’ve never heard anyone imitate any of them. There are others too; George Clooney, Bruce Willis, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Costner; they’re not on anybody’s list either. I’m not saying they’ll never be imitated; somebody will come along and do a George Clooney.
I’ve always loved to do voices no one else dose. Zachary Scott, Charles Bickford, Jack Hawkins, George Brent, Trevor Howard, I never do them in my show because only five percent of my audience would know who they are.
The forties and fifties were the best time for an impersonator, almost everybody could do, “good or bad”, Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, James Cagney or Edward G. Robinson. They were all larger than life and easily recognized.
Believe it or not sometimes an impersonator can be better than the real person because if you exaggerate it a little bit it has more of an impact. Usually a screen voice of an actor can sound different than his everyday speaking voice. I remember years ago Jack Benny phoned and asked me if I did Liberace; I said, “yes”; he said, “Great because I need his voice for my T.V. Show in a scene where I talk to him on the telephone”; I said, “Well Jack I can do it for you but I’m a little mystified – you’re a friend of Liberace why don’t you get him to do it?” Jack said, “I did but it doesn’t sound like him, his speaking voice is different from his stage voice – there’s no energy. To tell you the truth he sounded more like Loren Greene, ha ha.” So I did it with that whine like sound of his and it came off quite well. When I finished Jack said, “Now that’s Liberace!”
Johnny Carson was always one of my best voices and over the years a lot of people said, “You sound more like him than he does.” That’s because I could really get into Johnny Carson; I did him from the inside out instead of the other way around. I could really believe I was Johnny Carson. Many nights after doing Carson on stage I would walk to the dressing room and find myself writing out an alimony check; maybe that’s why he liked me so much.
The stars of the forties were fairly easy to do because they played the same character over and over. Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster were so well known you didn’t have to tell an audience who you were doing. Back then people said, “Bogie’s got a new movie coming out, there’s a new Gary Cooperpicture playing downtown.” Today they give you the name of the film first then the actor and maybe the director.
Directors have always played a big part in the success of a film and in some cases mean more than the star; Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock, David Leon are a few. There were big stars of the forties that no one could do. I’ve never heard anyone do Robert Taylor, Tyrone Power, Errol Flynn, and Fredrick March to name a few but not as many as today.
I’ve always been mystified by a few actors who make big money and play the lead in a film but no one knows who they are; Val Kilmer, Treat Williams, Tom Berenger -- why don’t their names register? It’s a mystery to me!
Why does Hollywood keep making remakes of old classic films? I guess they think they’ll make it better, bring it up to date and shoot it in color; it usually doesn’t work. If it was a “classic” in the first place how can you make it better?
Almost everything in life improves; we have better scientists, architects, cars, athletes, but there are two areas I don’t think get better; movies and music. I know a lot of young people won’t agree with this, they’re going to say it’s my age.
Generally speaking movies of the forties were about people, relationships, and the stories were better. Today the emphasis is on special effects and comic strip characters. Once in a while a “Gem” will sneak in like “Good Night and Good Luck” but usually the films of today are the same plot made over and over.
Give me a rainy night, a warm fire, a glass of merlot and an old black & white murder mystery with Trevor Howard and I’m as happy as a pig in mud.
About Rich Little
Legendary entertainer Rich Little is a 'master mimic' and considered the greatest impersonator of all time. He has impersonated some of the biggest (and smallest) names in the world, from politics to entertainment.
To hear some of his voices, including our own Robin Leach, visit his official website, RichLittle.com, and click on the voices link.
WHERE IS ROBIN?
Robin is on a well-deserved vacation and while he is away, a few of his friends are pitching in on writing duties. Here is the full schedule of guest columnists:Rita Rudner
Carrot Top
Wolfgang Puck
Michael Boychuck
Jack Colton
Lance Burton
Ken Henderson
Wayne Bernath
Rich Little
Mike Snedegar
Frank Marino
George Maloof
Greg J
CONTACT US
You can share your Vegas stories or anything else you wish with an email to robinsvegas@aol.com To ensure you don’t miss one posting, click here or at the 'Alert Me' up top if you’d like to know simultaneously as the brand new Luxe Life is posted.
Go to AOL Vegas for much more on hotels, casinos, restaurants, nightlife, and everything Las Vegas! Check our travel section for great deals on hotels, airfare and much more! And when visiting Vegas, be sure to see Las Vegas Magazine in your hotel suite featuring a print edition of AOL Vegas Luxe Life, and an incredible directory of attractions, shows and restaurants.
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Rich Little Gets Real -- LUXE LIFE GUEST COLUMNIST
This is Rich Little from Las Vegas. I love living in Las Vegas! Why? Because I love being near my money! Ha! Vegas is the greatest town to live in. It’s not only home, I also perform here at the Suncoast and Orleans casinos. There are many fabulous things to do in Vegas; sights to see, restaurants, shows and celebrities. Many impersonators got their start in Vegas. People ask me how I got started, what is my secret. There is no magical secret; you have to have a good ear, hopefully two! It’s a passion. I practice each celebrity until I have mastered their voice, facial expressions and antics. Sometimes a voice comes in minutes and others take months. There are some I can’t master. So when I’m asked what’s my secret I tell them, “Be the best at what you want to do and be the best at what you can do.”
Why can’t the actors of today be impersonated? Is it because they aren’t very exciting, they under play or that a lot of them are different in every movie? You could say there’s no Russell Crowe, he plays different types of people in every movie. I suppose if Tom Hanks talked like 'Forrest Gump' in every part he played he’d be the most imitated person on the planet.
Of course actors like Owen Wilson, Ashton Kutcher and Tobey Mcguire can’t be imitated because they’re too young; there’s no character in their voices yet.
What about Harrison Ford, Michael Douglas and Gene Hackman; I’ve never heard anyone imitate any of them. There are others too; George Clooney, Bruce Willis, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Costner; they’re not on anybody’s list either. I’m not saying they’ll never be imitated; somebody will come along and do a George Clooney.
I’ve always loved to do voices no one else dose. Zachary Scott, Charles Bickford, Jack Hawkins, George Brent, Trevor Howard, I never do them in my show because only five percent of my audience would know who they are.
The forties and fifties were the best time for an impersonator, almost everybody could do, “good or bad”, Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, James Cagney or Edward G. Robinson. They were all larger than life and easily recognized.
Believe it or not sometimes an impersonator can be better than the real person because if you exaggerate it a little bit it has more of an impact. Usually a screen voice of an actor can sound different than his everyday speaking voice. I remember years ago Jack Benny phoned and asked me if I did Liberace; I said, “yes”; he said, “Great because I need his voice for my T.V. Show in a scene where I talk to him on the telephone”; I said, “Well Jack I can do it for you but I’m a little mystified – you’re a friend of Liberace why don’t you get him to do it?” Jack said, “I did but it doesn’t sound like him, his speaking voice is different from his stage voice – there’s no energy. To tell you the truth he sounded more like Loren Greene, ha ha.” So I did it with that whine like sound of his and it came off quite well. When I finished Jack said, “Now that’s Liberace!”
Johnny Carson was always one of my best voices and over the years a lot of people said, “You sound more like him than he does.” That’s because I could really get into Johnny Carson; I did him from the inside out instead of the other way around. I could really believe I was Johnny Carson. Many nights after doing Carson on stage I would walk to the dressing room and find myself writing out an alimony check; maybe that’s why he liked me so much.
The stars of the forties were fairly easy to do because they played the same character over and over. Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster were so well known you didn’t have to tell an audience who you were doing. Back then people said, “Bogie’s got a new movie coming out, there’s a new Gary Cooperpicture playing downtown.” Today they give you the name of the film first then the actor and maybe the director.
Directors have always played a big part in the success of a film and in some cases mean more than the star; Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock, David Leon are a few. There were big stars of the forties that no one could do. I’ve never heard anyone do Robert Taylor, Tyrone Power, Errol Flynn, and Fredrick March to name a few but not as many as today.
I’ve always been mystified by a few actors who make big money and play the lead in a film but no one knows who they are; Val Kilmer, Treat Williams, Tom Berenger -- why don’t their names register? It’s a mystery to me!
Why does Hollywood keep making remakes of old classic films? I guess they think they’ll make it better, bring it up to date and shoot it in color; it usually doesn’t work. If it was a “classic” in the first place how can you make it better?
Almost everything in life improves; we have better scientists, architects, cars, athletes, but there are two areas I don’t think get better; movies and music. I know a lot of young people won’t agree with this, they’re going to say it’s my age.
Generally speaking movies of the forties were about people, relationships, and the stories were better. Today the emphasis is on special effects and comic strip characters. Once in a while a “Gem” will sneak in like “Good Night and Good Luck” but usually the films of today are the same plot made over and over.
Give me a rainy night, a warm fire, a glass of merlot and an old black & white murder mystery with Trevor Howard and I’m as happy as a pig in mud.
About Rich Little
Legendary entertainer Rich Little is a 'master mimic' and considered the greatest impersonator of all time. He has impersonated some of the biggest (and smallest) names in the world, from politics to entertainment.
To hear some of his voices, including our own Robin Leach, visit his official website, RichLittle.com, and click on the voices link.
WHERE IS ROBIN?
Robin is on a well-deserved vacation and while he is away, a few of his friends are pitching in on writing duties. Here is the full schedule of guest columnists:
CONTACT US
You can share your Vegas stories or anything else you wish with an email to robinsvegas@aol.com To ensure you don’t miss one posting, click here or at the 'Alert Me' up top if you’d like to know simultaneously as the brand new Luxe Life is posted. Go to AOL Vegas for much more on hotels, casinos, restaurants, nightlife, and everything Las Vegas! Check our travel section for great deals on hotels, airfare and much more! And when visiting Vegas, be sure to see Las Vegas Magazine in your hotel suite featuring a print edition of AOL Vegas Luxe Life, and an incredible directory of attractions, shows and restaurants.
robinsvegas at 3:57:00 PM PDT Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | digg this
