George Kirby

One of the greatest impressionists of all time, George Kirby was a frequent flyer on tv variety and talk shows, and on the nightclub stage from the 1950s all the way until the 1990s. One of the first black comics to fully cross over to white audiences, Kirby's gift was his uncanny ability to mimic pop culture figures singing as well as speaking. George was a favorite of Ed Sullivan, who featured him on his "Toast of the Town" show as well as his national variety program. After a run on The Kopykats -- an ABC show devoted to impressionists -- George earned his own short-run series but his career was interrupted by drug charges that sent him to prison for over three years. While his career never fully recovered, he remained active in Vegas and was a guest on Bob Hope's USO shows. As always, find extended clips below and thanks for sharing our shows!

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While George's impressions were his main calling card he was also a fine standup with an expressive style and great timing. This cute bit, about his wife's poker game, is drawn from his 1970s standup work. https://youtu.be/PACXnn0842o

George had a wonderfully versatile voice and it served him well on ABC's The Kopykats which ran in the 1970s and then his own George Kirby Half a Comedy Hour which had a 22 episode run. In his bit, from George's show, he imitates two classic caucasian blowhards -- Ralph Kramden and Archie Bunker (with an assist from another Legend, Marilyn Michaels). https://youtu.be/XJmBrefkI3Q

Back in the day, Bob Hope would make an annual USO tour to entertain US troops in a war zone or hostile environment. Along with singers and scantily-clad cheerleaders, Bob would always bring a comedian along and in 1983 George was picked to join the USO tour of Beirut. Here's George being introduced by Bob, then treating the troops to some standup and a fine impression of Humprey Bogart singing jazz. https://youtu.be/IVmzsqOuA74?t=416