Fred Travalena

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on June 29th, 2009

There aren’t many impressionists around. When we were growing up, there seemed to be enough to have one on Merv’s show at least once a month. And once a month on Tonight. And an occasional appearance on Steve Allen’s show or on Ed Sullivan. Now, our impressionists are almost limited to weak, makeup-dependent turns on Saturday Night Live by sketch comics who often barely approximate the celebrity they’re impersonating and yell out catchphrases.

People like David Frye and Frank Gorshin and Will Jordan did amazing impressions with little more than a comb or a shift of the suit jacket.

Have American audiences outgrown the art of impersonation? Has it gone the way of doubletalk as something that automatically elicits hearty laughter, applause and admiration?

Comedian and impersonator Fred Travalena died Sunday afternoon after a seven-year battle with cancer. He was 66.

He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2002 and prostate cancer in 2003. Following five years’ remission, the lymphoma returned in 2008.

During Travalena’s 40-year career, he entertained audiences with impressions of celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Bob Hope. He was a regular on the “Tonight Show,” with Johnny Carson.

It’s fashionable among today’s comedians to deride impressionists. But they certainly do get a response. And, in the case of Travalena (and others), they had long, successful careers.

We tried to think of comedians working today who are primarily impressionists and we could only come up with Jim Morris and Steve Bridges, two brilliant mimics who mainly are noted for their tremendous impressions of political figures.

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