[quote name=\'Walrus5241\' post=\'228095\' date=\'Oct 8 2009, 10:16 PM\']Am I the only one who thought that--besides a few moments and gestures-- the guy who did Dawson really wasn't that good? He had Dawson's body language and mannerisms down, but his voice didn't sound like Richard's at all! I feel like it would be a lot funnier had the Dawson impression been more spot-on.
Also, it seemed the audience picked up on some of the little Dawson mannerisms that he's known for, thus leading me to believe it's not *ancient* history as others have said. Of the classic game shows currently on GSN (which aren't in first-run as well), I'd say Dawson's Family Feud (along with Match Game) is the best known to the general public/most popular.[/quote]
To be fair, an impression is not something you just pick up on Wednesday and then have mastered by Saturday, especially when you are also working on other bits. Mannerisms are easy to pick up, the voice can take weeks if not months to get to sound reasonably close, especially for a voice which is unique as Richard's. If you see some of the iconic impersonations on SNL over time (Carvey's Bush, Ferrell's W, Hammond's Clinton), they will be a lot rougher in the beginning until they had sometime to hone them. Or you can go the Chevy Chase-Gerald Ford route, and just do mannerisms and ignore the voice. And if you're never going to use it again (I doubt we will ever see Mr. Dawson become a regular impersonation), why should Jason Sudekis really spend a lot of effort on it?
--Mike