1) Frank Gorshin (1933-2005) was a remarkable talent. Probably best known as an impersonator who could capture Hollywood legends such as Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Jimmy Stewart, and Marlon Brando, Gorshin was a talented actor who was nominated for an Emmy for his role . . .

1) contd . . . as "The Riddler" in the 1960s Adam West "Batman" series.

2) Yet he also appeared in one of the most memorable "Star Trek" episodes ever, as Bele, the half-blackface/half-whiteface alien in "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield."

3) As good as Gorshin was---and he appeared on numerous television shows, including as an impressionist who kills his fiancee under the influence of one of his celebrity characters in "The Defenders"---he also had the distinction of appearing as himself on the Ed Sullivan Show.

4) Guest starring 12 times on Ed Sullivan, Gorshin was booked on that fateful Sunday night on Feb. 9, 1964 when a young British group, "The Beatles," appeared. (Another British singer, later in the Monkees, Davy Jones, was also on that show).

5) But here is the significance of Gorshin. His incredible impersonations were ONLY made possible by good material.

Gorshin was good because the male stars of the day were great. Douglas, Lancaster, Heston, Curtis, Sinatra, Brando.

6) Not only do we not have a troop of stars of that magnitude today, we do not have a single one that reaches that level.

7) Think of Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Ben Affleck, Aaron Eckhart, Christian Bale.

While some of these actors can and have delivered amazing performances

7) contd . . . none PERSONALLY are of the same magnitude as the stars of the 60s. I think this is obvious by the fact that there are no impersonators mimicking them today.

8) For an impersonation to work, the person himself has to be recognizable.

9) Indeed, many of our actors today are great at immersing themselves in ONE role (Matthew McConaughey, Gary Oldman, Christian Bale), but none exude that force of personality that lifts them above roles.

10) Perhaps the closest we came---and the most easily imitated . . .

10) contd . . . of stars since the 60s came in the 1980s with the rise of the "tough guys," the Reaganesque males like Stallone, Schwartzenegger, and Eastwood.

11) Each of these was easy to mimic (who hasn't done "make my day" or "ahlll be baaack" a dozen times?)

12) But outside those roles---even when they were great (Billy Munny in "Unforgiven," or Stallone in "Rocky")---the actors themselves were never impressionist material, only the characters they created.

13) And by the way, it is interesting that few actors ever create . . .

13) contd . . . a SINGLE memorable role that outlast their lifetimes, but we have seen at least three who have created TWO immortal roles each:
*Harrison Ford (Han Solo, Indiana Jones)
*Sylvester Stallone (Rocky, Rambo)
*Arnold Schwartzenegger (Conan, Terminator)

14) And, of course, Eastwood's "Dirty Harry" will always stand out as a memorable character.

15) But next time you want to see how far stardom in Hollywood has fallen, look for an impersonator. Lemme know who they are doing.

16) I guarantee you it won't be Ben Affleck or George Clooney.