Airdates Of Kovacs Sketches On Vol. 2

A fan of the two "Ernie Kovacs Collection" DVD sets wrote in recently, noting that the bonus sketches on Volume 2 do not have their airdates listed in the liner notes, and asked if we wouldn't mind divulging them.

Not at all! They should have made it into the liners, ideally, and so that everyone has the information, here are the sketches and airdates for Volume 2:

Disc 1 sketches
Interview: Algernon Gerard, Archaeologist - 1/24/56
Howard, the World's Strongest Ant: A Hot Date - 1/27/56
Strangely Believe It: Writers to Blame - 2/17/56
The Kapusta Kid in Outer Space Meets Olivia Scilloscope - 4/5/56
Charlie Clod in Brazil - 4/6/56
Ernie's Opening Monolog - 4/11/56 (K)
Miklos Molnar's Glue: 4/26/56 (K)
Percy Dovetonsils: "Ode to Electricity" - 6/11/56
Interview: The World at Your Doorstep - 6/18/56 (K)

Disc 2 sketches
Irving Wong, Tin Pan Alley Songwriter - 1/13/56
Percy Dovetonsils: "Ode to a Housefly" - 1/18/56
Rock Mississippi in The Umbrella Salesman of Ranchipur - 1/26/56
Howard the World's Strongest Ant: Howard's Campground - 2/23/56
Skodney Silsky, Hollywood Reporter - 4/11/56 (K)
Ernie's Opening Monolog - 4/18/56
Surprise Audience Member (Al Kelly) - 4/23/56
Audio Lost - 4/24/56
Matzoh Hepplewhite - 7/5/56

What the (K) stands for: on several dates, two shows were done back-to-back – one live, and then another direct-to-kinescope for air at a later date, when Ernie and Edie would be on vacation. 

Until next time…it's been real!

Ben Model
New York NY

The Ernie Kovacs Collection Volume 2 Announced Today

Attenton current, former and future members of the EEFMS!

Shout Factory announced today the release (on Tuesday, October 23, 2012) of the second DVD box set of Ernie Kovacs television programs.  I have been working as curator on this set since fall of 2011, and am pretty excited about it and hope you will be, too.

I watched all 74 extant episodes of Ernie's morning show for NBC and selected 8 full episodes (2 of which have Edie's songs intact because they were in the public domain!) as well as 18 additional sketches from the morning show.  Three killer episodes of "Take a Good Look" are on disc 3, as well as the much-sought-after unaired "Medicine Man" pilot co-starring Buster Keaton, seen in a brand new transfer. What I'm really excited about is the inclusion of Ernie's October 1961 interview for "The Lively Arts" on the CBC, in which he speaks candidly about his working methods and his philosophy of television.  I will try to write more in detail about the contents of the set as the release date gets closer.

Make sure you pre-order from Shout Factory, the only place you can get a free bonus DVD containing 7 additional episodes of "Take a Good Look"! Click this link to pre-order your copy today: The Ernie Kovacs Collection: Volume 2 with Bonus DVD!

I'm grateful to Jordan Fields at Shout Factory and to Josh Mills of Ediad Productions for the opportunity to put this follow-up set together for them, and mostly of course I am indebted and deeply grateful to Edie Adams (wherever she is right now)  whose forward-thinking efforts to save all of Ernie's stuff has meant we can all continue to enjoy his comedy in the 21st century.

"It's been real…"

Ben Model
New York, NY

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OVERWHELMING DEMAND FOR FIRST KOVACS COLLECTION RELEASED IN 2011 FUELS SECOND VOLUMEWITH MORE THAN 9 HOURS OF PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED & RARE CLASSIC TELEVISION CONTENT

The Ernie Kovacs Collection
Volume 2

OVERWHELMING DEMAND FOR FIRST KOVACS COLLECTION RELEASED IN 2011 FUELS SECOND VOLUMEWITH MORE THAN 9 HOURS OF PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED & RARE CLASSIC TELEVISION CONTENT

SET FEATURES 8 EPISODES OF KOVACS' NATIONAL MORNING SHOW, 3 FULL EPISODES OF KOVACS' ODDBALL GAMESHOW TAKE A GOOD LOOK, AN UNAIRED TV PILOT MEDICINE MAN FEATURING BUSTER KEATON, RARE SOLO INTERVIEW WITH KOVACS, 2011 AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUEPANEL DISCUSSION, HOME MOVIE WITH JACKIE GLEASON, EDIE ADAMS AND MORE

TAKE A GOOD LOOK BONUS DVD AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM SHOUTFACTORY.COM

OWN IT ON DVD OCTOBER 23, 2012 FROM SHOUT! FACTORY

LOS ANGELES, CA (JULY 10, 2012) More of the vast archive of Ernie Kovacs' (www.erniekovacs.com) iconic brand of comedy and classic television will once again be available to consumers both physically and digitally for the first time since it originally aired in the 1950's. One of television's early comedy pioneers gets his second box set due to overwhelming demand.

Produced and distributed by Shout! Factory in association with Ediad Productions, Inc., The Ernie Kovacs Collection Volume 2, a 3-DVD box set is set to debut in stores across North America on October 23, 2012, just in time for the holiday season. Pent-up demand from fans, rave reviews of the first collection, and better than expected sales of the first collection have made this new volume a reality. This DVD box set is now available to preorder at Amazon.com, ShoutFactoryStore.com, erniekovacs.com and other online retailers.

Kovacs, whose offbeat humor graced the airwaves for just a decade in the 1950s and 60s, served healthy portions of the offbeat to his audiences, who had never seen anything quite like this cigar-wielding charmer. Wickedly funny but not offensive, Kovacs' unique humor and flair for improvisation would ripple across generations, influencing TV funnymen from Johnny Carson, Monty Python and David Letterman to Jim Henson, Pee Wee Herman and Saturday Night Live.

The first 6-Disc DVD collection, curated by noted film/television historian Ben Model, was designed to appeal to Kovacs fans already familiar with his work, and was priced at $69.97. This second 3-Disc DVD collection, priced at $29.93, is designed to introduce a broader audience to the comedic icon. Kovacs, who died in a 1962 car accident, left behind an unparalleled body of work that survives thanks to the indefatigable efforts of his wife and co-star, the late Edie Adams (www.edieadams.com). With more than 150 half hours of early television in the archive, Kovacs' legacy and archive is perhaps the largest collection of privately owned early television in existence.

Fans who pre-order The Ernie Kovacs Collection direct from ShoutFactoryStore.com will receive as a gift with purchase, an exclusive bonus DVD containing seven episodes of Kovacs' game show Take A Good Look, all unseen since their original broadcast. Panelists/guests include Edie Adams, Carl Reiner, Cesar Romero, Hans Conreid, Rogers Hornsby and Bobby Fischer.

Since the release of the first box set in 2011, a Kovacs revival is in full swing. In April of 2012, Shout! Factory released a single set DVD The ABC Specials, and a long lost, previously unreleased comedy album, Percy Dovetonsils...Thpeaks was released on vinyl, CD and digital formats on June 19 of this year. Additionally, a series of special live events focusing on his work were produced at the Paley Center for Television in New York, the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles, the Museum of the Moving Image in New York and the Long Beach (CA) Museum of Art. Additional events are planned in the near future in Washington, DC and Los Angeles.

The Ernie Kovacs Collection Volume 2 includes a comprehensive booklet filled with rare photos and informative program notes from Kovacs and Edie Adams archivist Ben Model. Priced to own at (SRP) $29.93, The Ernie Kovacs Collection Volume 2 from Shout! Factory offers fans another goldmine of comedy genius from one of television's original genius.
The Ernie Kovacs Collection Volume 2 Features:

• 8 More Episodes From Kovacs' National Morning Show
• 18 Bonus Sketches Featuring Many Of His Most Beloved Characters
• 3 Complete Episodes Of His Oddball Game Show Take A Good Look
• "A Pony For Chris" - His Rare TV Pilot For Medicine Man Costarring Buster Keaton
• The Lively Arts Featuring The Only Existing Filmed Solo Interview With Ernie Kovacs
• 2011 American Cinematheque Panel, featuring Harry Shearer, Jeff Garlin, Bob Odenkirk, Merrill Markoe, George Schlatter, Jolene Brand and Ben Model.

DISC 1: THE NBC MORNING SHOW (December 12, 1955, to July 27, 1956 - 10:30-11:00 a.m.)

• EPISODES
  • The Ernie Kovacs Show January 6, 1956
  • The Ernie Kovacs Show January 23, 1956
  • The Ernie Kovacs Show January 30, 1956
  • The Ernie Kovacs Show March 16, 1956
• Bonus Sketches:
  • Interview: Algernon Gerard, Archaeologist
  • Howard, The World's Strongest Ant: A Hot Date
  • Strangely Believe It: Writers To Blame
  • The Kapusta Kid In Outer Space Meets Olivia Scilloscope
  • Charlie Clod In Brazil
  • Ernie's Opening Monologue
  • Miklos Molnar's Glue
  • Percy Dovetonsils: "Ode To Electricity"
  • Interview: The World At Your Doorstep

DISC 2: THE NBC MORNING SHOW

• EPISODES
  • The Ernie Kovacs Show April 12, 1956
  • The Ernie Kovacs Show April 17, 1956
  • The Ernie Kovacs Show May 17, 1956
  • The Ernie Kovacs Show June 27, 1956
• Bonus Sketches
  • Irving Wong: Tin Pan Alley Songwriter
  • Percy Dovetonsils: "Ode To A Housefly"
  • Rock Mississippi In The Umbrella Salesman Of Ranchipur
  • Howard, The World's Strongest Ant: Howard's Campground
  • Skodney Silsky, Hollywood Reporter
  • Ernie's Opening Monologue
  • Surprise Audience Member
  • Audio Lost
  • Matzoh Hepplewhite

DISC 3: RARITIES

• Take A Good Look - April 21, 1960 - Panelists: Ben Alexander, Tony Randall, Edie Adams; Guests: Scott Crossfield, Clarence Nash
• Take A Good Look April 28, 1960 - Panelists: Ben Alexander, Cesar Romero, Edie Adams; Guests: Mack Sennett, Daniel Inoyue, Asta The Dog
• Take A Good Look March 2, 1961 - Panelists: Hans Conreid, Cesar Romero, Edie Adams; Guests: Carl Reiner, Bob Rosberg
• Interview With Ernie Kovacs on The Lively Arts October 31, 1961 - Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC)
• "A Pony For Chris" - Unaired Pilot for Series Medicine Man Costarring Buster Keaton; Filmed January 1961, Produced by Screen Gems
• Ernie Kovacs Panel Discussion: August 27, 2011, at the American Cinematheque in Hollywood, CA
• Home Movies: Golf With Ernie and Edie
• Wake Me When It's Over Trailer
• Five Golden Hours Trailer

About Ediad Productions, Inc.
Formed by the late entertainer & Muriel Cigar girl Edie Adams and currently run by her son Joshua Mills, Ediad Productions is home to what is likely the largest independent archive of early American television in existence. With more than 150 half-hours of content from legendary comedian Ernie Kovacs as well as two seasons of Edie Adams' prime time variety show from the mid-1960's, Ediad Productions is a treasure trove of classic popular entertainment. Titles in the archive include, The Ernie Kovacs Show, Ernie in Kovacsland, Take A Good Look (clues), the Kovacs specials for ABC, The Edie Adams Show, Here's Edie! And much more. Ediad Productions is the go-to archive for television, digital & mobile entertainment content and is based in Los Angeles, California.

About Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is a diversified entertainment company devoted to producing, uncovering and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their careers sharing their music, television and film faves with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory's DVD offerings serve up classic, contemporary and cult TV series, riveting sports programs, live music, animation and documentaries in lavish packages crammed with extras. The company's audio catalogue boasts GRAMMY®-nominated box sets, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable "best of" compilations. These riches are the result of a creative acquisitions mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com

Ben Model Talks Kovacs On WNYC/NPR - Listen In

I appeared on the "Leonard Lopate Show" on WNYC/NPR on Monday August 22. I had a blast, and even got to chat with Alice Cooper before I went on. Cooper was on the show in the segment before mine, and is a huge Ernie Kovacs fan.


You can listen to the segment with me and Mike Pesca (guest host for the show this week):



Until next time...it's been real.

Ben Model
New York, NY

"It's Been Real" - A View From The Stage At The Paley Event

(Robert Smigel, George Schlatter, Jolene Brand Schlatter, Pat Mitchell, Ben Model and
Joel Hodgson between flashbulbs on the red carpet at the Paley Center for Media.)

Preparing for the Kovacs panel event on April 12 found me cramming like this was the Kovacs LSAT’s. Re-reviewing less-common content from the new set and boning up on facts in the Kovacs chronology from the three books on Ernie as well as notable facts I’d figured out in my own research. And then the question came up – what about Lollos?

My good friend, photographer Steve Friedman, had introduced me to John Lollos a couple of years back when I’d begun doing research for the Kovacs set. If you’re a credit-reader, you’ll know this name. John Lollos is the guy who conceived and produced “The Best of Ernie Kovacs”  that aired on public television in 1977. He’s had a long and varied career in TV and theater as well, and graciously chatted with me at length about the back-story of making “Best Of” and getting it on the air.

So, when Steve posed this question to me, I had a “D’oh!” moment – John lives in the tri-state area and could certainly get to Paley. It was only fitting that the man responsible for the forty- and fifty-somethings’ having discovered Kovacs through the “Best Of” series – to say nothing of the next generation down who’d found the show on home video or in pieces on YouTube – should be in the house that night. I had bought a block of tickets the moment they went on sale, and had one for Mr. Lollos, and as it turned out he was able to attend the Paley event.

The “green room” for us panelists was upstairs in the executive offices where there was a large antique card table and bookcases whose shelves also hosted many radio mike frames with call letters of stations long gone. When I entered I found Mr. Olbermann chatting with the Schlatters, exchanging stories of classic broadcasting comedy…Bob & Ray, Laugh-In etc. Paley Chief Curator Ron Simon invited me to sit at the table and, after being introduced, I basically nodded and smiled while stories were told. Smigel and Hodgson arrived soon after, and I chatted with them a little. I'd been in touch with Joel in the late 90s when he was doing an online ant farm website. After that I hovered in the background, being a little more comfortable hanging out with curator folk.

Photos were taken, and then we were escorted downstairs where we were miked just outside the Paley’s video control room. (Mr. Schlatter disappeared inside for a few minutes...I'm sure it was hard to resist.) We then entered the auditorium to applause, and the evening began.

The clip reel, assembled by Paley curator Barry Monush, ran 17 minutes (impressive, considering how much material there is) to a great response. It won’t really be necessary to go into details on what was discussed during the panel here. I noticed when I took my seat onstage that there were two young-ish people in the back row typing on laptops. Turns out the event was being tweeted live on the Paley’s Twitter feed. Rather than make you go there and try to find April 12 on it, I got screen grabs of the evening’s feed, and have posted them here (scroll way down to the bottom).

Ron Simon and I had coordinated running a pair of Dutch Master spots during the panel, but the discussion and Q&A went on without an opportunity to run these. I managed to point out John Lollos, seated in the second row, during the evening and he got a real nice hand. During the Q&A John spoke and talked about the challenge of including the DM spots on the “Best Of” shows, as commercials were not shown on PBS in 1977. Olbermann picked up on this and made it a segue to the DM spots, which we then ran.

We each made a final statement to wrap up the evening, with Keith’s closing being a warm call to arms for all us fans to share Kovacs programs with people, now that we all have our hands on them.

In the end, many of the Kovacs facts I'd crammed my cranium with went unused, and I managed to hold up okay alongside everyone else on the panel who had way more credibility, fame, etc than I did. Part of what helped was the way Olbermann addressed me and asked questions. My agenda was to make sure we all acknowledged Edie Adams and the work she did with Ernie and later, saving his shows. I managed to work that in, and Keith pointed out Josh Mills in the audience. The evening was a spectacular success and I think we were all floating for a bit for a few hours after it all ended.

With all the pre-ordered DVD sets arriving in fans' mailboxes this week, my hope is that the euphoria over Kovacs will expand and ripple outward...once you've all come up for air after what will probably be a number of marathon viewings of the 15+ hours of Kovacs shows (not 13 hours – you did order from Shout, didn't you?).

It's really been real.

Ben Model
Kovacsland Online

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"Kovacs Hates TV" - Vintage Article From 1953

Here's a vintage article from May 1953, published during the run of "Kovacs Unlimited" on CBS, in a magazine called Focus, whose focus wasn't on TV. I'm not sure what it focused on, as its articles cover a range of topics possibly of interest to the supermarket shopper or newsstand browser. The mini-magazine itself measures 4" x 6". Still, it's an interesting early look at the early Ernie. I picked this up on eBay a bunch of years ago and have been meaning to post it.

Here you go.

Ben Model
curator, The Ernie Kovacs Collection DVD set
webmaster, Kovacsland Online

"Television's Original Genius" - Out Of Print, But Still Viewable

While you're waiting for the release of "The Ernie Kovacs Collection" DVD set, here's something you can watch. While poking around for Kovacs pics, Google Images took me to a shot of Ernie on a website called "John Barbour's World". Yes, it's the John Barbour who made the documentary "Ernie Kovacs: Television's Original Genius" (1982), which aired on Showtime and was available on VHS a long time ago.

Mr. Barbour has posted the entire documentary on his website. Click here to go to his page for the show, where you can watch it, in eight somewhat lo-fi Quicktime file segments.

Ben Model

Wish Ernie Kovacs A Happy 92nd Birthday...Online!

It's Ernie Kovacs' birthday tomorrow, January 23rd. Now that an official website, Facebook page, Twitter account and MySpace page have been set up for Ernie, here's your chance to give an online shout-out to Ernie on what would have been his 92nd birthday.

Kovacs fans are being asked to say Happy Birthday on all these social media and to sign off with "It's Been Real"...if you're on Twitter, be sure to use the catch-phrase as a hashtag (#itsbeenreal).

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/realerniekovacs
Twitter: @erniekovacs
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/realerniekovacs
Official website: www.erniekovacs.com

And here's a quote from Terry Gilliam about Ernie that's just been posted:

"One of my strongest memories as a kid growing or not-growing up in the countryside of Minnesota was having to go to our neighbour's house to watch television. I had no idea that the Nameless God of Surreal Humour was hunting me down. I felt happy with the ......world as it was. But, one night that dark god coaxed the neighbours into switching the TV to The Ernie Kovacs Show. I was ambushed. Knocked sideways into a world where the bizarre and the daft and the preposterous all lived happily alongside wisdom, wit and perception. I had never experienced anything so visually absurd and inventive. It was sublime. It hurt. I was 11 years old. Was this some new form of child abuse? If it was, it was one of the most momentous things that ever happened to me. Ernie Kovacs scarred me for life. Thankfully, I've never recovered."

And...remember to brush with Koda-Dent, the toothpaste with the film in it!*

Ben Model
www.erniekovacs.info

*this was a spoof product Ernie did a mock commercial for on an episode of his DuMont late night show...a predecessor of the infamous Schnitzel-Dent spot from 1956.

"The Ernie Kovacs Collection" DVD Box Set Available For Pre-Order!

Good morning, Kovacs fans!! Wonderful news: Shout!Factory is releasing a 6-disc DVD set entitled "The Ernie Kovacs Collection", and contains 13+ hours of Kovacs shows, sketches, and other rarities. I've been working on curating the set for Shout since May of last year, and had been asked to keep "hush-hush" about it until today, when Shout Factory's press release goes wide.

The set will be released on April 19, 2011 but is available for pre-order today on Shout's website. You'll want to order the set on Shout!Factory's website as it's the only way to qualify to receive a 7th bonus disc that includes an hour of sketches from the 1956 summer replacement show plus material from the two surviving "Tonight!" shows Ernie hosted (one of which includes the first-ever Eugene tilted-table sketch). Click here to go to Shout Factory's website and pre-order the set.

Click here to read the press release, which lists all the programming.

It's been real...

Ben Model
www.erniekovacs.info

Be Sure You "Like" Ernie Kovacs On Facebook

I've created a new fan page for Ernie Kovacs created on Facebook. I'll be disabling the group I set up some time ago and will use the fan page to post news and trivia. Click here to go directly to the page or click on the Facebook badge below:

Ernie Kovacs

It's been real!

Ben Model,
New York, NY

Ernie Kovacs & Early TV Comedy: Nothing In Moderation

Good afternoon fellow Kovacsians. It's been a while.

Exactly two months ago I posted information about the new book "Ernie Kovacs & Early TV Comedy: Nothing In Moderation" by Andrew Horton, which was released on April 1, 2010. It includes an interview with the author and all the info you'll need if you'd like to acquire a copy. That post will give you a very thorough understanding of the book; this post will give you my quick impressions since I just finished reading it.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and suggest that it's a fine addition to the library of anyone who really wants to study the work of Ernie Kovacs; it's wonderful that fans and scholars now have another book to provide them with knowledge. It's divided into five chapters which take us through and help us to understand EK's work and what influenced it during different periods of his development, from the very beginning until the very end. That, in a nutshell, is what the book is.

Here is what it is not: a biography of Ernie Kovacs. And, it doesn't claim to be; Professor Horton points this out quite clearly towards the end of his introduction:

Finally, I wish to note that I spend almost no time in these pages on Ernie's biography since that is not the subject of my study. The Works Cited section does cover book that do justice to a summary of Kovacs' life, especially Diana Rico's thoroughly researched book "Kovacsland".

Chapter four,"Ernie in the Movies: From Comic Director to Supporting Character Actor", was the most enlightening section for me. I admit that I don't spend a great deal of time considering Ernie's films and I've been writing about him for well over a decade. I never felt that they were at all what he was about or even anything to do with him really; EK was at his best when he ran the show and not when he was a crew member on someone else's ship. And that's no joke about the ship; Ernie went to Hollywood figuring he might be a leading man one day and ended up portraying so many military officers that at one point he took out an ad in "Variety", imploring "No More Captains--Please." Professor Horton does a great job of pointing this out while at the same time providing excellent analysis of the films in which EK appeared and his contributions to them.

My thanks go out to Professor Horton for the wonderful mention he gives us in the "Works Cited" section under "Internet Sources". Both Ben Model and myself have worked hard over the years to help keep EK's memory alive and to have a solid internet resource where people can learn more about him. It's great to be given a nod for that. I'd also like to thank all of you who visit my site, Ben's, and this blog for your constant support of our work. Visit Ben's site by clicking the link above and you'll find a section called "books by/on Kovacs" which will show you a list of all that is available on EK, prior to the release of this book.

The following is off topic, but a fun way to end. I get emails from time to time asking if EK based Percy Dovetonsils on Tennessee Williams. To be honest, I don't know. I have heard it alluded to, however, and I can definitely see it. Here's a video of the great playwright reading poetry. I'll let you all be the judge:

Until we meet again, "It's Been Real!"

ED. NOTE, FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 2010:

Ben Model sent me the following message regarding the basis for Percy Dovetonsils. Thanks Ben!

Al,

Ernie's Percy character was supposedly based on someone named Ted Malone (orig name Frank Alden Russell), who read poetry on a radio program that began in 1929 and went into the 1940s called "Between the Bookends"...which is why Percy's sign-off was usually "I'll see you just outside the bookends". Here's a link to his obit on the NY Times. Here's a link to download and lithen to a 1945 epithode: click!. Malone has no dithernable lithp, but Malone's voice itself does seem to be the basis for the Percy character.

Ben

I can definitely see EK having morphed the voice into what became Percy. Here are couple of interesting pictures of Ted Malone:

Ted Malone Dining With Ronald Reagan And Jane Wyman

Ted Malone With Some Kids And An Unfortunate Mustache

I can see that aspects of Percy's looks were derived from Mr. Malone as well.

I've also found an interesting interview with Professor Andrew Horton. You'll see a poster of EK when they first show his office:

"Solfeggio" Lyrics

Someone wrote me over at my erniekovacs.info website, looking to find the lyrics to "Solfeggio" (a/k/a "Song of the Nairobi Trio"). In case anyone else has been wondering, here's what I wrote back:

They're not too complicated, especially if you know "Doe, a Deer" from the Sound of Music. "Solfeggio" is a musical notation system where each of the eight pitches on the major scale is given a name: do re me fa sol la ti do.

The "lyrics" to the song are nothing more than the names of the notes of the melody:

"Solfeggio" lyrics:

Mi sol la
Re fa-re sol
Do me-do fa re
Sol sol (bongo roll...)

Mi sol la
Re fa-re sol
Do me-do fa re
Sol sol do (wham!)

Do mi fa
Si re-se mi
La do-la fa re
Sol sol (bongo roll...)

Do mi-do fa
Si re-se mi
La do-la fa re
Sol sol do (wham!)

Thanks for writing!

Ben Model

Tell NBC To Add Ernie Kovacs To Their "Tonight Show" Host List!!

If everyone who reads this blog posts something on the Tonight Show forum at NBC's website, they may get the message that something is wrong with the pantheon of hosts on their "Tonight Show Experience" website, shown below:


Go to NBC's "Tonight Show Experience" website by clicking here, and then click on "Community" to go to the posting forum. You will need to sign up in order to post to the board, but it's pretty simple to do. You should see my post about Ernie there:


Log in and post a reply (supporting this cause). Let's see if we can get NBC to take notice...

EDITOR'S NOTE: Ben; fantastic idea! I've already posted a reply on Ben's post on the NBC board. If you need more background on Ernie's "Tonight Show" tenure, I posted a piece last week that discusses it.

You can also send a message directly to NBC about without registering to post on the message board:

http://www.nbc.com/Footer/Contact_Us/

You'll see a pull down menu that says "Select Show." Choose "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and then a box will open where you can type in your message.

Let's try to get Ernie on that list!- Al Quagliata

Not To Be Morbid, But...

A blog by Larry Harnisch at the online version of the L.A. Times called "The Daily Mirror" posts images of pages from the paper from the past. A recent blog posting includes a hi-res image of the front page of the Times on January 13, 1962. Click here to go to the blog post to see the front page image real big and read the article. Also posted is an image of a later article interviewing Edie.

An Ernie Tribute Music Video

My Google alert for "Ernie Kovacs" caught this posting from Feb 26 on a blog called PowerPop. The blog describes itself as: "An idiosyncratic blog dedicated to the precursors, the practitioners, and the descendants of power pop. All suggestions for postings and sidebar links welcome, contact any of us." Anyhoo, this posting embeds a music video by a band called The Loud Family in which the band (or their director) recreates several classic Kovacs bits, rather faithfully in some instances, and actually adds a sight gag or two that fit the mold. Here's the video:

Kovacs Memorabilia Auction Feb 21-22 2009 In Texas

A pair of Ernie's Percy Dovetonsils glasses are among many piece of Kovacs memorabilia slated for the auction block on Feb 21-22 at Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas Texas.

You may never get a chance to see any of these items again, but you can take a gander at the auction preview page. Click here to go directly to the list of Ernie Kovacs stuff. In each item display, just above each item image, there is a text box that says "turn off/on Pan & Zoom Images". Turn it off and then click on the image to see it in high resolution. For instance, you'll see that the black horizontal "eyelids" on Percy's glasses were drawn on.

There are also two books that have been hollowed out with some sort of sound or light effect inside. Ernie tried out the "library" sequence of the 1957 Silent Show a couple times when he was hosting Tonight in November and December of 1956. These prop books may be from those dry runs. Kinescopes survive for at least one of those Tonight episodes.

Below is an image for four title cards up for auction, in a lot, which are not identified but I believe these are from Kovacs Unlimited (CBS, 1952-54), as Schroeder was one of the puppets used on the show. The puppet is still around, in the collection of a relative of Andy McKay.


Anyone with deep pockets live near Dallas? Paging Mr. Letterman...!

Anniversary Of Ernie's Death (And Birth)

Yesterday marked the anniversary of the accident that prematurely ended Ernie's life in 1962. His 90th birthday comes up in ten days, on January 23rd. There used to be an event held in Trenton in January to commemorate these two events, organized by a woman whose uncle was Bernie Kosnowski, the "polka king" of NJ (or Trenton, anyway) and whose last name Ernie used a great deal (the names Arthur B. Kosnowski or Betty Lou Kosnowski pop up a lot in sketches). But it got too hard to get people to come out in January to play poker and smoke cigars.

For those of you in the NJ area, I will be giving a talk on Kovacs and showing clips at the Ocean County Library in Toms River, NJ on Monday January 26th 2009. Click on the image to go to the library's website. I'm still narrowing down what I'm going to show, but have to tell you it won't be anything planned for the DVD set, as that material hasn't been transferred or remastered yet. If nothing else, the evening will be a chance to meet – and watch Ernie Kovacs – with other fans. Click on the image to find out more.

Ben Model

Twas The Night Before Christmas…Dovetonsils-Style

The classic holiday poem was given a Percy Dovetonsils treatment by Ernie, and was published in the December 1961 issue of Playboy Magazine. Ernie also recorded it in the fall of that year for the Dovetonsils LP he did for Vanguard, which was never released (but master tapes survive).

Pour yourthelf thum thnappth, thnuggle up to the hearth in your thartreuthe theerthucker drething gown, and warm yourthelf with thith little bon mot --

*******************

THAT HOARY
HOLIDAY CHESTNUT
IS GIVEN A
PARK AVENUE
TWIST

by
ERNIE "PERCY LLEWELYN DOVETONSILS" KOVACS

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the duplex
Just a valet was pressing (a glen plaid with blue checks).
The nylons were hung by the chimney with care
C.O.D. from I. Magnin's (the bill was still there).

The boys home from prep school all snug in their beds,
While visions of Marilyn danced in their heads.
And Mumms in her Bergdorf and I in my Saks
Lay in Louis XIV (whose first name was Max).

When up in the penthouse there arose such a clatter
I summoned the butler, asked, "What was the matter?"
I ran through the room in a 40 yard sprint,
Pulled up the venetians and leaned out to squint.

The moon on the sidewalks of chic Sutton Place
Gave the color of liver to the old doorman's face.
When what to my wond'ring eyes did appear
But a Mercedes-Benz pulling up in high gear!

With a cute little driver so lively and quick
I knew 'twas the chauffeur of Jolly Saint Nick!
More rapid than Jags, his convertible came
And he whistled and shouted and called it by name.

"Now Stupid! Now Junk-heap! Now Bucket of Bolts!
Look out for those taxis! (Those drivers are dolts!)
Look out for the porch! Look out for the wall!
Whatever you do, Mercedes don't stall!"

As strollers 'fore taxis and buses do fly,
He hit a poor cop and knocked him sky high.
Then up to the duplex the convertible flew,
With a trunk full of toys and St. Nicholas, too.

And then in a twinkling like a fast-driving heiress,
He slammed on the brakes and parked on the terrace!
As I drew on my Homburg and was turning around
Down the stone fireplace Santa came with a bound!

He was dressed all in cashmere from his head to his foot.
Abercrombie & Fitch was stamped on each boot.
He had a Hathaway shirt -- and was looking quite dudie
As he took genteel puffs on a meerschaum Kaywoodie.

His Cavanaugh hat and bright Argyle socks
Matched the fur on his suit which was ermine, not fox.
His beard was white mink -- a right jolly old elf
And I laughed at his spats, in spite of myself.

But a look at his tie (shantung and in red!)
And I wished that I'd stood all snug in my bed.
He spoke not a word but went straight to his work
And drove Sardi's caterer fairly berserk.

He ate like a demon as he trimmed up the tree--
Pheasant, hors d'ouevres and lobster gelée.
In a fine linen hankie he blew on his nose,
Sucked in his tummy -- up the chimney he rose.

His driver was snoozing, a lovely young dame.
She woke with a smile when he called her by name.
Come Gina, Bambina, it's time for linguini --
But first to the Stork Club, a real dry martini.

He saw me and hollered ere he whizzed out of sight --
"I'll bill you next month for my labors tonight!"

OUR OWN BEN MODEL GIVES US HIS INTERPRETATION OF THE POEM "A LA DOVETONSILS".
PRINT OUT THE POEM AND FOLLOW ALONG:

Kovacs Images From Life Posted Online

A friend of mine found something on Google images related to Kovacs. Life Magazine has posted, in somewhat hi-res, images of Ernie Kovacs from its collection. Most of these are photos by Ralph Morse from the April 15, 1957 cover story, but a few – like a few alternate versions of the color photo of Ernie in front of a television camera (image at right is one of them) – are new to my eyes.

Click here to go to Life's page on Google images to see all of these.

It's still been real...

Ben

Ernie Kovacs DVD Box Set To Be Released In 2009

"Hold everything...don't nobody move!!" There's big news for Ernie Kovacs fans…real big news. A new DVD box set of Kovacs programs is slated for release in 2009.

Koch Entertainment and the Archive of American Television have banded together to launch a new series of DVD's called The Archive of American Television Presents. The first release is a box set called The Studio One Anthology, which contains 17 episodes of the landmark live drama series Studio One. The set came out last week, on November 8th. Their next release will be the 1959 TV adaptation of Budd Schulberg's What Makes Sammy Run. Click on the link above for the AAT to see more about these and to watch a trailer for the Studio One set.

Also in the works is a DVD box set of Ernie Kovacs programs. I have been hired to curate the set, which will contain 15 hours of Ernie Kovacs shows, plus bonus extras.

I've been involved with the project for about a year, although things have become more official and in motion in the last few months (that's why you're only hearing about this now). I've screened a lot of material, visited Edie Adams' film/tape storage facility in L.A. and inspected kinescopes, done research at the Paley Center in N.Y., and looked at rare Kovacs materials found by private collectors.

There is no "street date" slated for the DVD set, but the release will happen sometime during 2009, possibly as early as the middle of the year. It's a little early to talk about specifically what will be on the set at this point. I will post updates here and on my site erniekovacs.info as things are remastered, confirmed and locked in as DVD content.

Edie was to have had a creative hand in helping select the programs on the set, and I was really looking forward to working with her on this. I miss her and hope that the set does justice to all the hard work she put in (since the 1960s!) to save kinescopes, videotape masters, scripts et al of Ernie Kovacs' amazing work.

-- Ben Model

EDITOR'S NOTE, FRIDAY, APRIL 10 2009: I'm sad to report that this project has been put on hold. Click here to read more.-
Al Quagliata

Rats In My Room

WFMU's blog site posts MP3's of many many of the LP's from their collection. I found today that the entire album "Music To Suffer By", recorded by Leona Anderson — whose immortal "Fish" and "Rats in My Room" were Kovacs show staples — are posted there.

Click here to go to the WFMU blog page for the album, where you can listen to and or download the entire album as well as see hi-res images of the front and back of the LP sleeve. The back has liner notes and photos of the recording session.

Happy Halloween!

Ben Model, in NYC