"Scrooge and the Stars" (1963) - Rich Little - Part 2

If you got the chance to listen to Rich Little's 1963 album "Scrooge and the Stars," I'm sure you'll agree that it's something!

I had always known that Rich Little was Canadian, and at this point in time he was well-known in his home country, but had not appeared yet on American TV and I don't think this album saw an American relase, although every star that gets imitated was known to American audiences.

One thing that worked against this album was an issue that no one could have anticipated. The Ghost of Christmas Present was "played" by John F. Kennedy and this album was released in Canada right about the time that JFK was assassinated. Bad timing for any hope of Americans enjoying this album.

A couple of quotes from "JFK" that come from the book (more or less) are poignant in retrospect. He says, "My life upon the globe is brief. It ends tonight. As a matter of fact, it ends as quickly as you can say your name."

Kind of eerie as well, but now that 50-odd years have passed, you can think, "Hey, he did a pretty good JFK!"

The album on the left was out, the album on the left was in.

I presume not many people in America was aware of Rich Little's album anyway, but he certainly fared better than American comedian Vaughn Meader, who had a quick rise to fame impersonating JFK on "The First Family" comedy album in 1962. There was no market for such a thing a year later.

To show what comes around goes around, in 1981 Rich Little headlined a new album in that series, "Then First Family Rides Again," which spoofed the newly elected Ronald Reagan and featured Vaughn Meader in a small role.

But what about the other celebrities on the "Scrooge and the Stars" album?

We'll talk about them next!