The Amazing Rich Little

by Billy Ingram

Who Rich Little is I don't know so much; what he is a master impressionist who can imitate almost any famous figure. On occasion in the 1980s, if a star wasn't available and a movie required additional dialogue from them, Little would be called in to record the lines. We may never know how often that happened.

In January of 1964, Rich Little made his American television debut on CBS's The Judy Garland Show. In 1966 Little was a regular cast member on the short-lived Judy Carne sitcom on ABC, Love on a Rooftop.

"The Man of a Thousand Voices" was a big favorite of Ronald Reagan who thought Little was hilarious. Most of the old school Hollywood stars enjoyed Little's act immensely because it was clean and family friendly, even when he played The Strip. Jack Benny was a huge fan, the comedian loved to hear Little do his impression of Benny's TV character.

Little was especially popular in the 1970s on variety and talk shows, both daytime and nighttime, and game shows like Hollywood Squares. For many years he was an unofficial monthly guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and was a fixture on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, appearing on 24 of the specials.

Rich Little even had his own short-lived, hour-long variety show (everyone in the seventies had one it seemed) called The Rich Little Show that lasted for 15 episodes in 1975-76. I was not a fan. Charlotte Rae (Facts of Life) was one of his co-stars. Guest star included the usual suspects: Andy Griffith, Chad Everett, Bill Bixby, The Jackson 5, Betty White, Bob Hope and Bill Cosby.

He may be better known to primetime TV viewers from The Kopycats, one of the rotating comedies under the The ABC Comedy Hour banner in 1972 where he was joined by other famous impressionists like Frank Gorshin and George Kirby. That series lasted 7 episodes.

Over his long career, Little has released nine albums and starred in three HBO specials, he's the last remaining headliner from the golden years of Las Vegas still performing in 'Sin City.'

Although he previously preformed at the Sands, Sahara, and Golden Nugget, Rich Little has a new autobiographical comedy revue in 2020, Rich Little Live!, at the Laugh Factory inside the Tropicana on The Strip in Las Vegas. One audience member said of the show, "I saw Rich Little over 40 years ago. He is still as good today as he was then. Close your eyes and you would think the person he is impersonating is actually in the room."

Rich Little on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson:

Rich Little - The Man of a Thousand Voices

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