Rick is excited to produce his own VodCast "Ricky UnLeashed!" 

Our production team plans to have Rick perform his own songs, character monologues and twisted tales. You’ve been warned...

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    He will interview many of his wonderful friends from the world of music, movies, TV and the Arts.

We are in pre-production now. 

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    Set to launch on Rick's YouTube channel, Little Ricky Austin.  

Please subscribe at the links provided on this website.

During the past year, Rick has been in focused isolation, writing several scripts for various mediums.   

 

     "Dinero!”  A broad parody of Mexican Telenovelas, about a feuding familia battling for the Estate's vast goat  ranch wealth, set in Del Rio, Texas. 

    Think, 'Dallas meets Survivor' as  seen on Del Rio Public Access TV. 

There will be blood, and laughter! 

 

    "O. Henry's Irish Adventures" sends the world famous writer off to discover his ancestry. Set in the midst of the bloody Irish Civil War and the boisterous Women's Suffrage Movement during World War One.

1915--1920s era.

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    Think, 'Pinky Blinders meets Downton Abbey, with a Sherlock Holmes twist ending!' 

He has a short film script that is now being developed into a gritty dramatic TV series, set in the midst of the LA Riots of the early 1990's. 

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  South Central Avenue, home of a legendary Blues Club, is Sanctuary to the cast of colorful musicians and bar patrons, living amongst the hostile racial tensions filling the burning streets of Los Angeles. 

All based on actual news events of those turbulent times.

 

    Rick was winner of the prestigious Samuel French Award for Acting Excellence.

Rick has quite a stage career as well.

    Audiences remember him as Elvis in "Big El's Best Friend." 

Touring nationally with ten time Grammy Award Winners Asleep at the Wheel, in “A Ride With Bob"' the musical journey of Bob Wills' life,

 

      Elvis sightings were seen again, across the country.   

Rick gave his autographed picture of "EL & W"to President George W. Bush, after his comic Elvis routine at the prestigious Sold Out Kennedy Center run in Washington, D C. 

The famed photo hangs in many clubs Rick has played through the years. 

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   He garnered a B. Iden Payne Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical, as well.  

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   Also known for his wildly varied character work on "The Border Radio Show" a live stage musical about the powerful pirate radio stations along the Texas border in the1930s --1980s. Wolfman Jack; Gov."Pappy" O'Daniels and Dr. Brinkley, -- the hilarious True Life 'Goat Gland Doctor' -- are just a few of the colorful characters crowds have loved, on various tours.

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   The world famous West Bank Cafe, on New York's Theatre Row,  saw Rick's music & sketch comedy group every week, performing alongside his dear friend Lewis Black, as the house MC. They still enjoy a good game of golf & ribald laughter, when touring schedules permit. 

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    After seeing Rick onstage, TV producers brought him in to meet Lorne Michaels and Buck Henry; Dave Thomas and Al Franken, for “The New Show'' being developed for NBC.

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    Seven months of SRO audiences roared for the musical smash hit...

"Lost Highway: The Hank Williams Story."

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    Fans remember Rick in the multi Tony Winning musical "Big River" as Pa. 

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    Walt Disney studios hired Rick for their TV movie comedy "Blank Check" still running continuously somewhere in the world today.  Thanks for the steady residuals Mickey!

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     Kenny Rogers enjoyed Rick's comic portrayal in the CBS-TV movie  "Gambler V". 

Rick treasures the time spent on set with Kenny talking about his early Texas music days. 

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   Steven Soderbergh put Rick in the feature film "The Underneath" with Peter Gallagher; Shelley Duvall and William Fichtner.

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    Aaron Spelling cast Rick opposite John Schneider in the ABC TV series "Heaven Help Us". A blatant copy of Fantasy Island, complete with Ricardo Montalban.

Rick’s memory highlight was playing music with John in his luxury trailer.

 

Film festivals saw Rick starring as Nowhere Man in the "Nowhere Man Trilogy" of silent short films.

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   The gruesome Vampire Western "The Magnificent Dead" filmed out at Willie Nelson's famed Luck, Texas movie set, saw Rick portray the evil corrupt Mayor Lucifer, now available on Amazon. 

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    Rick was thrilled to work with his dear friend Oscar Nominee John Hawkes, on a Fox TV Pilot,

'Planet Rules' in Los Angeles.

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   One of Rick's favorite TV appearances was his dramatic starring portrayal as Buckminster Fuller for the PBS Special Event, "9 Chains to the Moon".  

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    Still today, fans constantly recognize Rick from his season on the multiple Emmy & Peabody Winning TV Series, "Wishbone" for PBS-TV where he yet again portrayed his comic Elvis routines. 

"Thank Ya'vury much!  You’re beautiful. Don’t be cruel, now. C’mon. Love me tender, baby. Hunka Hunka!"

   

    Warner Brothers Records in New York hired Rick and Fred Newman of ‘Prairie Home Companion' fame to record a comedy parody album, full of wacky voices and silly sound effects.

 “Way Off the Wall” … sadly, long out of print.  Still a highlight in a wild career of wonderful fun. 

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     As a busy Host & MC, Rick was chosen to portray multiple iconic comedic characters in a solo show

"40 Years of TV Comedy" at the world famous Bottom Line in NYC. 

    A deep honor to host four sold out shows, on the very stage that every musical legend has appeared in the last half century. 

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   The Tony Winning Mark Taper Forum in LA hired Rick for two sold out tours of "Freedom Song" that he helped develop, write and perform.

    "O. Henry: The Rolling Stone" Rick's One-Man musical play, tours nationally as well, telling the life stories of the famous author.

 

   During this Covid era lockdown, he has written a full length musical script about the colorful writer, called "O. Henry's Short Story".

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    Set in rural Texas 1882 to 1897 and the bright lights of Broadway, 1901 til 1910, with George M. Cohan, Joseph Pulitzer, Randolph Hearst and Houdini, among others. The 'Gilded Age' costumes add showbiz visual flare. All told using projections with no scenery,, much easier to tour and attract Investors since all the Period music is now Public Domain. 

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    *Seeking Investors* now to prepare for when we may see live theatre again.  We will!  I promise you all.

 

   Author of several lauded short stories & monologue shows himself...

Rick is polishing his comic memoirs now. 

His sweet short stories about singing the hit song ‘Taxi’ onstage with Harry Chapin 

“Flyin’ High in Harry Chapin’s Taxi” and his childhood meeting with baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle, “Mickey & Ricky” are being shopped now for publishers as the basis for a collection of his short stories.

 

     "Midlife Mating in the Digital Divide: My Decade of Online Near Mrs." may end up as a stage play or printed memoirs and an audio book once ongoing negotiations are more firmly in place. 

 

   Currently, Ronald J. Fields, the heir to W.C. Fields, has hand picked Rick to portray Ronald's Grandfather in the brand new play  W.C. Fields: "An Honest Man"  planned for a world premiere off Broadway run and National Tours to follow. 

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     Ronald hired a very young Rick to portray W.C. off Broadway, back in 1983. Ronald & Rick have now come full circle telling the hilarious jokes & raucous laughter W. C. Fields still brings to audiences today.

 

   Rick is a Producer on the Creative Core Team as well.  Zoom readings and rehearsals are underway, with production staff & talents gathered from coast to coast.  

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    With his busy singing career taking off, Rick is recording his new collection of his original songs and cool covers, "One Road More…" 

 

   Mr. Perkins is the CEO of Perkins Entertainment Group (PEG) a full service production company serving multiple media platforms.

 

Please contact us to see how we may work together soon! 

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We will get through this dreadful Covid Era and folks will be thrilled to support the Arts again!