Ernie Kovacs

[Maxwell]

There are several other very good clips of Kovacs material on YouTube, including a few classic Dutch Masters Cigar commercials I still remember from my childhood.

[Jhammes]

This is from a 1961 Kovacs special:

"There's a standard formula for success in the entertainment medium and that is beat it to death if it succeeeds."

[LLeff]

This is from a 1961 Kovacs special:

"There's a standard formula for success in the entertainment medium and that is beat it to death if it succeeeds."

Responses from 1980s television:

Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Ernie?
Ernie, kiss ma grits!
You're in big trouble, Mister Kovacs!

[Jhammes]

Edie Adams was reunited with Ernie Kovacs on October 15, 2008.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vEiWKK3pOE

[Jhammes]

Just for your FYI... finally, there is a fantastic "new" official DVD collection. This is from Edie Adams personal collection of kines and videotapes, the project has been supervised by her son Josh Mills, and this is surprisingly comprehensive coverage of Ernie's all too brief television career. Surprising, as it is well known that early television networks had a "standard operating procedure" of taping over video or disposing "unwanted" kinnies ( thank you Jack, Mary, Joan, and the Benny "kids" for donating the Benny radio/TV work to UCLA, and for preserving the master "in living color" videotapes of the NBC Benny Specials... otherwise they would be long gone).
This is still only a fraction of what should be, as mentioned above so much of early television was disposed of and is now lost forever, but it is astounding this much exists. And...
if that wasn't enough, our friend Jack is referenced twice, and even quoted, in an accompanying booklet: Jack once told Ernie he had no idea why he laughed at his material... he just did.

A disclaimer: I have no connection whatsoever with this project: am just a fan and wanted to share.

[Jhammes]

Mea Culpa!!

>>thank you Jack, Mary, Joan, and the Benny "kids"

(...this should read Benny "grand-kids"...)

>>for donating the Benny radio/TV work to UCLA, and for preserving the master "in living color"
>>videotapes of the NBC Benny Specials... otherwise they would be long gone

Mea Culpa again!! How COULD this message go without including the ongoing labor of love and
tireless efforts of our fearless leader? ( I am appropriately embarrassed: please forgive )
Thank YOU Laura, for lighting that candle years ago, and for preserving/sharing the Benny
goodness... your ongoing work means the world to us!

[GrassReek]

I got the new Kovacs set for my birthday, and am about half way through it so far. I finally got to see some of his early shows, and full versions (minus singers) of the more mainstream live shows. A lot of them were on Comedy Central in the 1990s late at night.

Also fun to watch are the episodes of What's My Line when he replaced Fred Allen on the panel. I don't think he took the job seriously, though, as most of his questions about the guest were more for laughs than to actually guess the person's "line".

JD