A Conversation With Bobby Rydell
Metrowny | Melanie Hulick
HULICK: Hi Bobby. You’re returning to Seneca Niagara Casino for one show on Saturday, February 16th.
RYDELL: Yes! I’m coming back! I like playing that venue. It’s called the Bears Den right?
HULICK: Yes. I’ve never seen your show. What can we expect?
RYDELL: A lot of singing! (laughs) I do some comedy, and just have a lot of fun. Of course I do a lot of the hits and I do a “Bye, Bye, Birdie†medley, which is from the movie I did with Ann Margret. I also do a tribute to Bobby Darin, who I adored.
HULICK: Have you always wanted to be a singer?
RYDELL: As long as I can remember Melanie. As a matter of fact, I still have a letter that my mom sent to my dad when he was overseas, which at that time I would have been three years old… yes, it was 1945. My mom wrote to him and at the end of this letter she wrote, “The baby’s always singing.†My dad wrote back, “Who knows… maybe one day we’ll have a star in the family.†So if I had any talent at that age, my dad was the first one to see it. He used to take me around to different nightclubs in Philadelphia when I was nine or ten years old and ask the club owners if they would mind if his son got up on stage and sang a couple songs and do some imitations. So there I was at nine years old and people are applauding and I’m thinking… gee, I only have to do this and they do that? That’s wonderful!
HULICK: (laughs) So you said, “I’ll take it!â€
RYDELL: (laughs) Right! So, I’ve been doing it all my life!
HULICK: I read that you are one of the top five artists of your era.
RYDELL: Really? I didn’t know that.
HULICK: Yes, you are.
RYDELL: Wow! Hey… who’s in front of me? Who’s in front of me? (laughs)
HULICK: (laughs) That, I don’t know!
RYDELL: That’s great! I never knew that.
HULICK: You’ve done movies, plays and of course had a huge singing career. I was very intrigued when I read you were a semi regular on the Red Skelton Show.
RYDELL: Yes. I ended up doing about 12 shows with Mr. Skelton. We were getting ready to do the very first one and I did an impression of his character , Clem Kadiddlehopper (as Rydell goes into his impression over the phone), which he overheard me and he started talking back to me as Clem. Then next thing I know, in the second or third show, they wrote in a character called Zeke Kadiddlehopper for me, who was Clem’s cousin! And then the producer came to me and said I was the only one who has ever imitated one of Red’s characters.
HULICK: What a great story. Bobby, I’d like to talk a little bit about your double organ transplant.
RYDELL: Yes! I’m coming back! I like playing that venue. It’s called the Bears Den right?
HULICK: Yes. I’ve never seen your show. What can we expect?
RYDELL: A lot of singing! (laughs) I do some comedy, and just have a lot of fun. Of course I do a lot of the hits and I do a “Bye, Bye, Birdie†medley, which is from the movie I did with Ann Margret. I also do a tribute to Bobby Darin, who I adored.
HULICK: Have you always wanted to be a singer?
RYDELL: As long as I can remember Melanie. As a matter of fact, I still have a letter that my mom sent to my dad when he was overseas, which at that time I would have been three years old… yes, it was 1945. My mom wrote to him and at the end of this letter she wrote, “The baby’s always singing.†My dad wrote back, “Who knows… maybe one day we’ll have a star in the family.†So if I had any talent at that age, my dad was the first one to see it. He used to take me around to different nightclubs in Philadelphia when I was nine or ten years old and ask the club owners if they would mind if his son got up on stage and sang a couple songs and do some imitations. So there I was at nine years old and people are applauding and I’m thinking… gee, I only have to do this and they do that? That’s wonderful!
HULICK: (laughs) So you said, “I’ll take it!â€
RYDELL: (laughs) Right! So, I’ve been doing it all my life!
HULICK: I read that you are one of the top five artists of your era.
RYDELL: Really? I didn’t know that.
HULICK: Yes, you are.
RYDELL: Wow! Hey… who’s in front of me? Who’s in front of me? (laughs)
HULICK: (laughs) That, I don’t know!
RYDELL: That’s great! I never knew that.
HULICK: You’ve done movies, plays and of course had a huge singing career. I was very intrigued when I read you were a semi regular on the Red Skelton Show.
RYDELL: Yes. I ended up doing about 12 shows with Mr. Skelton. We were getting ready to do the very first one and I did an impression of his character , Clem Kadiddlehopper (as Rydell goes into his impression over the phone), which he overheard me and he started talking back to me as Clem. Then next thing I know, in the second or third show, they wrote in a character called Zeke Kadiddlehopper for me, who was Clem’s cousin! And then the producer came to me and said I was the only one who has ever imitated one of Red’s characters.
HULICK: What a great story. Bobby, I’d like to talk a little bit about your double organ transplant.
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