Agreed, his Nixon impersonation definitely made him. But he also did an excellent William F. Buckley, LBJ, Henry Fonda, George Jessel and countless others.

I remember the time, many years ago, when impressionists reigned supreme. There were loads of variety shows on television, and they provided lots of exposure for talented mimics. David Frye was pretty much at the top of the heap. But there was also Will Jordan (who looked and sounded more like Ed Sullivan than Sullivan himself), John Byner, Frank Gorshin, George Kirby, Marilyn Michaels, Sheila MacRae and an up-and-coming Rich Little (who, IMO, was quite overrated back then). After a while, there was Fred Travalena as well. Charlie Callas did voices. too.

Then, fairly suddenly, the bottom seemed to fall out. Impressionists weren't popular anymore - at least not on television. Everybody seemed to fade into obscurity (or Las Vegas), Rich Little got banned by Johnny Carson from the Tonight Show, and voice mimicry seemed to be a lost art.

David Frye's career seemed to go up in a puff of smoke after Tricky Dick resigned. How many people on the boards remember his hilarious Nixon album I Am the President? Classic. Especially the segment where Nixon smokes weed for the first time under the watchful eye of FBI Agent Jones (played by Chuck McCann) and starts to hallucinate. ("Jones! I think I'm having a bum voyage!")




Will Jordan told me that David Frye was plagued by alcoholism for years after his TV appearances dried up, and that that was what really destroyed his career. A real pity. I don't know if he ever got sober, but I saw in the newspaper that Frye died in Las Vegas. I heard years ago that he would make occasional live appearances there, but I hadn't heard his name mentioned professionally in quite a long time.

But I'll always remember him as one of the absolute very best mimics of the late '60s/early '70s. RIP

Signor V.