Almost two weeks ago, you may have read an obituary about the impressionist David Frye. Unless you’re old enough, you’re unlikely to have heard of him. For about eight years, he enjoyed great success and then he pretty much vanished.
I was too young at the time, but I was a big fan of comedy albums and that’s how I got to know him. When I later became obsessed with Richard Nixon, I came to appreciate how good Frye was, both in his impression of the President and in the material he did.
For example, the New York Times‘ obit notes that “some radio stations refused to play material from ‘Richard Nixon: A Fantasy,’ which they thought cut a little too close to the bone for some listeners.”
“Today I have regretfully been forced to accept the resignations of 1,541 of the finest public servants it has ever been my privilege to know,” Mr. Frye’s Nixon intones on the album. “As the man in charge, I must accept full responsibility, but not the blame. Let me explain the difference. People who are to blame lose their jobs; people who are responsible do not.”
In another skit, Nixon goes to the Godfather for help. “You want justice?” the Godfather asks. “Not necessarily,” Nixon replies.
That really is comedy with an edge.
Here’s a clip of Frye on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, from November, 1967. Two things you can see. First, Frye was extraordinarily physical as an impressionist. He focused on the face of the person he was doing, looking at a photo and practicing in a mirror. Second, this clip is about a year before Nixon was elected and Frye’s reign as the king of Nixon impersonators began. He doesn’t quite have Nixon fully formed yet. In time, he would not only get the voice down, but also the psychology of a man who still can’t quite believe he is the President.
Actually, there’s a third thing to note. Frye starts off with standard showbiz impressions, but the routine only really comes to life when he moves into the political stuff.
The first track is from Frye’s 1971 album Radio Free Nixon. The second one is from the 1973 work Richard Nixon: A Fantasy, released a year before he resigned, in which Nixon ends up in prison. Some fantasy.
[FOOTNOTE: Mina Kolb plays Pat Nixon on Radio Free Nixon; Carol Hanzel plays her in Richard Nixon: A Fantasy. Frye does the male voices, a mix of celebrities and politicians (e.g., Rev. Billy Graham, Nelson Rockefeller, Henry Fonda, George C. Scott). The exception is the narrator on Richard Nixon: A Fantasy, which I think is meant to be a parody of Walter Winchell's narration of the TV series The Untouchables (for example, see here). The narration is by Wendell "Windy" Craig, whom most people might know as the announcer for the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, but who I always recall from the album National Lampoon Radio Dinner.]
David Frye – The Dick Nixon Show