March 3, 2002
By: Laura Deni

THAT LONG TOBACCO ROAD - FROM PICKING TOBACCO TO PLAYING CAROL CHANNING

Richard Skipper and Carol Channing in San Francisco last week

Carol Channing is 81 years old. She's been in show business for over 60 years. She's just penned her autobiography. Last weekend she was honored in San Francisco. Richard Skipper honors her every time he takes the stage performing as Carol Channing. This past weekend they performed on the same stage.

Broadway To Vegas spoke with Skipper after he returned to his home in New York.

Richard Skipper

Channing appeared with Skipper and sang with the Gay Men's Chorus at the Palace of Fine Arts to raise cash for gay youth programs. She refused to accept a fee.

"San Francisco proclaimed it Carol Channing Day. She was given a proclamation and she spent the day at City Hall and then attended 5:00 p.m. rehearsals. She is incredible!," exclaimed Skipper.

Channing was a definite hit with the Board of Supervisors. The graduate of Lowell High received not only the proclamation, but applause and admiration from the elected officials. She delivered extended remarks, offering to cut short her thoughts quipping to President Ammiano - "Anytime you'd like me to stop, just say so."

"I wouldn't dare," he replied.

The auditorium at Lowell High is named in Channing's honor. "What I like best about that," she said, "is that my name doesn't come down when I'm not appearing there."

Jerry Herman and Carol Channing

"Never in a million years do impersonators get the opportunity to share the stage with the person they impersonate," continued Skipper. "There I was standing in the wings while she was doing Hello Dolly!"

Skipper is in an awkward performance hard spot. "Gay venues strangely enough are afraid that audiences aren't going to be interested in Carol Channing and straight venues are afraid of getting the gay groups that you see on the Jerry Springer Show," explained Skipper.

"I never do anything off color or anything that would be offensive to anyone in the audience. Booking people are so closed minded that they think they know the audiences better than the audiences do," Skipper complained. "If you attract an audience that is over thirty-five the booking agents aren't interested. Yet, the vast majority of people attending shows are over thirty-five."

"What drives me crazy is to watch entertainment videos where everything is 15 to 20 second thoughts and then the camera angle changes. "You can't focus on anyone's face. That is what made the Garland show so great," he said referring to the Emmy award winning show based on the book by Garland's daughter Lorna Luft.

"There have been reports of studies where students watched that show and they are amazed at the results. The students said they were better able to understand the character, get a good sense of who Judy Garland was, because the camera angles weren't choppy. In a live performance the audience gets a chance to really focus on the character," elaborated the performer.

Richard Skipper as Judy Garland

"I did Judy Garland before I developed Carol Channing. My concern with Carol was whether an audience would be interested in a full show," he said referring to his act which was created while Channing was between runs of Hello Dolly and doing her club act. "The problem of most impersonators is that after the initial look - what do you do?"

What Skipper did was to focus on the multi talented career of Channing and know the lady almost better than she knows herself.

"When Gracie Allen was dying she asked Carol to go on tour with George and Carol appeared all over the road doing the George and Gracie routines," continued Skipper. "People should study what she did in Thoroughly Modern Millie. She is under appreciated as a movie actress.

Before Skipper could launch his tribute to Channing he needed to run the routine past the original.

That took place when a friend insisted that he attend - dressed as Channing- an event honoring the real McCoy. Reluctant at first to show up where he hadn't been invited, he put on the Channing get up and showed up. He was seated at Channing's table. He offered to do his act for her and when she agreed they went into a room where Skipper not only did his tribute but found himself bombarded by questions from Channing about her career and life. Skipper never faltered and passed the Channing test.

"After appearing as Carol Channing for Carol and winning the Bistro Awards I knew I was going in the right direction," said Skipper who has just been nominated for another MAC Award.

"My goal with the Carol show is to eventually get it to Broadway. I avoid the word impersonator in any of my press. I refer to my show as a loving tribute."

It is partially an audience interactive show. Question cards are passed out for people to ask questions about Carol's life.'

Carol once made headlines claiming she had sex only twice in her marriage. Does that question ever come up? Skipper replied, "In every show somebody will ask about that. I never see those cards. The questions are screened. I don't want my show to go in that direction. That is where the camp element ends. My performance is a 90 minute party celebrating Carol's life.

Finding a place to throw the party isn't necessarily a piece of cake.

"Booking agents say to me - Can you shake up the character a bit?"

His answer is -"No!"

He indicated that he receives numerous offers from radio stations asking to him to guest on over the edge morning programs where listeners and the hosts would be subjecting his Channing character to possible ridicule.

Carol Channing performing at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas in 1974

"I do not make fun of her," emphasized Skipper. "That is not what I am about. I have the utmost respect for her. I will continue to take the high road," said Skipper who often donates his time for benefit performances including fund-raisers for TOPA (Towards Older Person Awareness) & Presbyterian Camp.

"Last week Carol did a new routine about how she built San Francisco. She is now capitalizing on her age. She is 81 and proud of it. She talks about how she put the cement down for the Cathedral and was one of the first people to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. Recently she went into a self-imposed exile to write her autobiography. It's called Just Lucky I Guess, coming out in September."

We threw out an idea that Skipper team up with Channing in some fashion on her book tour. With no reflection upon any authors, book publishers or the book sellers, frequently book signing events can result in nobody showing up. Stores will order extra books that are even autographed by the author. After the author exits the store, the books are boxed up and returned to the publisher.

Skipper could perform in a venue with Channing in attendance and then following his show autographed books would be sold.

From picking tobacco to performing as Carol Channing - it's been a long tobacco road for Skipper.

"I started acting when I was 13 years old. I come from a blue collar background. My father was a welder. My father and both of my grandparents grew up on tobacco farms in South Carolina," said skipper who doesn't smoke.

The life of a tobacco farmer is a hard one. One of four children, Skipper grew up working in the fields.

"A typical season is you lay the tobacco beds.

Once the tobacco stalks start to grow, then pink flowers appear. When they are in full bloom you know you it's time to succar the tobacco which means you cut the top of the stalks. Then you go through the fields and break off the bottom leaves. Next week you go back and do that to the next level. You keep doing that week after week. It's a full summer program. I did that for four summers and hated every minute.

A boy holds a rack of tobacco leaves in South Carolina

"On August 5, 1979 I announced to my family that I was going to New York. I had never flown or been to New York and I had $500 in my pocket.

"Right before I came to New York I was packing my things. It was Friday night and I was leaving on Sunday. My mother said - You're serious aren't you? That's how much in denial that were. My father said - You'll be back home in three weeks."

Although his parents haven't seen him perform as Channing they have attended his Judy Garland performance. His sister whom Skipper calls "very supportive" has traveled to Atlantic City to watch his act.

Skipper, who performed in Carnegie Hall last December, frequently speaks to groups of aspiring entertainers and sometimes what he says makes the parents cringe. "Many times teachers, parents and friends tell the person to have something else to fall back on. A lot of parents don't like it when I say this - but if you have something to fall back on changes are you'll fall back," he related regarding a safety mattress that has no bounce.

Without a safety net Skipper had a greater focus on creating his Carol Channing and succeeding as an actor.

"I went to every audition, did whatever it would take, took any role that came along. That doesn't mean that I didn't do the survival jobs," he quickly added. "I've waited tables and done temp work. But, I was always focused on my performing career."

Skipper beings his fourth engagement at Windsor Casinos with Undercover Girls starring Richard Skipper with Tommy Femia (as Judy Garland), Scott Cooper as Marilyn Monroe & Bobby Bruno as Mr. Joan Rivers. March 10th - 31st Casino Windsor, Windsor Ontario, Canada. You can visit Richard's website at www.RichardSkipper.com