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

Ernie Kovacs: The ABC Specials

April 19th, 2012, will mark the one year anniversary of the release of "The Ernie Kovacs Collection" DVD set. Today is the release day for "Ernie Kovacs: The ABC Specials," which is disc 5 from the original set. You can click the link above to learn more about the content of this disc, or the photo ad to purchase it.

Here is a great review from from Dusty Somers of "blogcritics.org."

I've been writing about Ernie for a long time now and highly recommend this packaging of the specials as a fantastic way to introduce the uninitiated to Ernie's work. This is when Ernie was really pushing the video envelope; everything was shot on videotape (no film) and new, innovative special effects and editing techniques were used.  What Ernie did back then with so little is what has influenced so much that is done with video by today's computer generation.  The material on this disc is a MUST SEE for video artists.

Special #6, from November 24, 1961, is the classic "Silent Show," aka "Eugene." This alone is worth the relatively inexpensive "price of admission" for this disc.

Yesterday would have been the 85th birthday of Edie Adams and this disc is a fitting tribute to her.  Without Edie's tireless efforts so much of Ernie's work would have been lost forever.  Special thanks also goes to "Shout Factory!" for releasing it, Edie's son Josh Mills for making that possible and of course to Ben Model, our friend, blog contributor and Kovacs Historian/Curator.  Ben was instrumental in putting this material together.

And speaking of Ben, he'll be hosting a great panel discussion on Ernie and Edie next Friday, April 27, 2012, at the "Museum Of The Moving Image" in Astoria, a section of the lovely borough of Queens, in the wonderful city of New York.  It promises to be great: just take a look at the stellar panel that's been assembled.  And, from what I understand, another stellar panelist is to be added soon (I'll tweet that when it happens).

Do you love Ernie and Edie?  Do you enjoy Greek diners run by charming folks who will remind you of Miklos Molnar?   Well, then buy this disc and get yourself out to Queens next Friday for some dinner and a show!

Until next time fellow Kovacsians:  "It's Been Real!"

Ernie Kovacs And Thelonious Monk

This has been rattling around in my mind for some time now: what are the similarities between these two wholly original geniuses, both heroes of mine? Some fun, some serious. Feel free to add more in the comments section.

1. From this article by Jeff Fitzgerald on the "All About Jazz" website:

"Ultimately, the legacy of Thelonious Monk is one of a genius incongruent with his age. Like television pioneer Ernie Kovacs, who was 60 years ahead of his time 50 years ago, we may still not have fully come to appreciate the body of work Monk left behind."

Yes. No argument here; this is the main and most important similarity.

2. As shown in the photo, both men favored cool specs, caps and facial hair. EK, however, never sported a beard except for the fake ones he would occasionally wear in bits (eg, Ernie as King Menelaus satirizing a scene from "Helen of Troy" by Euripides).

3. One of Monk's most famous tunes is a blues called "Straight No Chaser." Ernie liked his drinks that way, especially "'Round Midnight."

4. Both men had wives who absolutely adored them, realized their genius, then encouraged and supported it. For Ernie it was Edie and for Monk it was Nellie. That's not always easy to find. And Edie was a major talent in her own right. Just think what the world might have missed if it hadn't been for both of these great women.

5. Monk's REAL middle name is Sphere. That is too cool. While Ernie's middle name is fairly average his initials spell "EEK." That, in my humble opinion, is also too cool.

6. Ernie was gregarious and and spoke a great deal. Monk was introverted and didn't speak very much. Both men, however, would cause all heads to turn when they entered a room, because both men had a giant presence. When either man spoke their words had meaning and people listened. And, both men were hilariously funny.

7. Both men produced art that on the surface seems abstract and a bit rough around the edges, but upon closer inspection you come to realize that it's very logical and incomparably beautiful. And then you realize that you've never heard or seen anything like it.

8. Ernie and Monk both pushed boundaries, were fearless, ignored critics, broke rules and did things that people said couldn't, or shouldn't, be done. As a result doors were opened for artists everywhere. Who says you can't have milk flowing laterally out of a thermos or a tune that sounds beautiful even though it's loaded with minor seconds?

9. Both men were art forms unto themselves, owing to their singular originality. I would like to think Ernie loved Monk's music and Monk loved Ernie's comedy for this reason.

10. In the final analysis, Ernest Edward Kovacs and Thelonious Sphere Monk were both kind, decent men who advanced their respective art forms to new heights.

I'm sorry I never got to meet either one but am very grateful for the legacy each left behind.

Until next time, Kovacsians, "It's Been Real!"

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

Springtime For Ernie Kovacs And Edie Adams: Paley Center And DVD Set

Spring is here and there is a great deal going on in Kovacsland. I haven't posted anything in a while and in light of all that is happening I figured it was about time that I did (my thanks to Ben Model for posting and keeping the blog fresh with some great news).

1. If you're going to be in New York City (Manhattan) tomorrow, I strongly suggest that you buy tickets to It’s Been Real: The Life and Legacy of Ernie Kovacs at the Paley Center For Media.  This event features a stellar panel, including our own Ben Model, and starts Tuesday, April 12th, 2011, at 6:30pm. 

2.  The Paley Center festivities are a week prior to the official release of Shout Factory's "The Ernie Kovacs Collection" 6 DVD set , which is Tuesday, April 19th, 2011. If you pre-order the set, you'll get a bonus 7th DVD for free; you can do so by clicking on the link or on the banner in the upper left corner of this blog. To get the bonus disc you must order the set directly from Shout Factory and clicking one of the aforementioned links takes you directly to the set's page on their site; do not order from Barnes And Noble, Amazon, etc., if you want the bonus disc.  Ben Model was the curator for this fantastic new release, the first of Ernie's work in years and much of it not seen since it originally aired.  I've discussed it with Ben and you have my word that this is the definitive collection and one that Kovacs fans everywhere should own.  The two emails that I get most frequently ask whether it's possible to see the live color version of "Eugene" ("The Silent Show") or footage of Ernie hosting "Tonight".   They are included on this new set, "Eugene" on one of the main discs and the "Tonight" clips on the bonus disc.    You can read a full summary of what's on the discs here.   

3.  A special thanks goes to Josh Mills, Edie Adams son who runs Ediad Productions Inc., for bringing all of this wonderful new material to the fans.  Josh has started two websites, one for Edie and one for Ernie (screen captures of the sites are to the left).  The information provided on them is great and I'm thrilled to have both join with my site and Ben's to continue promoting the legacy of these two wonderful video artists. If you need to acquire the rights to any video footage Josh is the person to contact and you can do so through either of the sites he runs; I'll often get emails asking about this.   

Until next time Kovacsians, "It's Been Real!"

"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

Percy's Poetry Book And A New Book On Ernie

Rick Spector runs a company called ""Stairway To The Stars" which specializes in costumes, props, awards and historical artifacts from the golden age of film and television. One of the ways Rick obtains these items is through auction. He recently acquired Percy Dovetonsils' book of poetry at an auction held by the Hollywood Entertainment Museum.

Rick shared some pics with us. The color photo doesn't have to do with Percy or the auction item; Rick discovered some interesting color photos for auction on eBay and since you don't see a lot of these I thought I'd show it. The color pic dates from 1960. Thanks Rick:



Speaking of books we're excited to announce that a brand new one about Ernie is coming out in April, 2010. It's titled "Ernie Kovacs & Early TV Comedy: Nothing in Moderation" and comes to us from The University Of Texas Press. Author Andrew Horton, who is the The Jeanne H Smith Professor of Film And Video Studies at The University Of Oklahoma, took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions for us:

1. What inspired you to write a book about Ernie Kovacs?

I wrote this book because Ernie has always been a part of me since I was a child and I finally said, "It's time to take a closer look at what has kept me laughing so much all these years.

As I say in my intro: Kovacs was an indelible part of my own childhood. When I was growing up in the l950’s, no one made me laugh louder and more frequently than Ernie Kovacs. The sheer nutty brilliance of the man, his wife Edie Adams, and his comic co-conspirators such as writers including Rex Lardner, Deke Heyward, and Mike Marmer and actors such as Barbara Loden, Peter Hanley and Trigger Lund has come back to make me laugh again and again through the years, often at unexpected moments.

Let’s be more specific. As a child allowed to watch several hours of television a day, I became hooked not so much on "I Love Lucy" or even Disney’s "Mickey Mouse Club" shows, but on the various Ernie Kovacs shows that existed throughout this period.

I was too young to "analyze" what it was that I enjoyed so much about his humor, but in retrospect I was fully aware that Kovacs was much further "out there" as a comedian than anyone else in the biz including my other favorites, Sid Caesar and Steve Allen. In particular, I constantly entertained family and friends acting out The Nairobi Trio, those three apes who always mischievously acted out stunts on each other, particularly angering the middle ape, as the same tune, "Solfeggio" played every time they appeared. I too would hum the song and pretend to play the xylophone with my two little xylophone hammers while then turning like some kind of a robot and zapping the "ape" (be "she" my sister, mother, grandmother, or "he" my father, grandfather or a friend) over the head with my imaginary hammers (often substituting other objects).

2. Two major books have been written about Ernie: David Walley's "Nothing In Moderation: The Ernie Kovacs Story" first published in 1975 (reprinted in 1987 as "The Ernie Kovacs Phile") and Diana Rico's "Kovacsland: A Biography Of Ernie Kovacs" first published in 1990. They both do a great job of delving into the many facets of Ernie's career and art. I can tell you that every major EK fan I know, including me, has read both and is wondering how your book is different and what new information it brings to the table (or in Ernie's case the poker table).

These books are very good and useful and bring in a lot, especially Rico's, of his life/bio. Where I come in is taking first of all a wider look at COMEDY itself thus placing Kovacs, yes, with not necessarily INFLUENCES but SIMILARITIES to everyone from ARISTOPHANES in Ancient Greece to the MARX BROTHERS , CHAPLIN, KEATON and to suggest how he exemplifies elements of, for instance, COMMEDIA DELL' ARTE in Italy (the mixture of improv with set pieces, etc.) and SURREALISM as well.
 
As I say early in the book, Question: what do Monty Python, David Letterman, much of Saturday Night Live especially in its early years, Larry David, especially in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" on which he works without a script, "Flight of the Conchords", "Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In", "The Uncle Floyd Show", "Captain Kangaroo" and even "Sesame Street", to offer but a short list, have in common? One answer is quite simple: they all reflect--whether knowingly or not--the imaginative and wildly creative comic jokes, ludic characterizations, hilarious insights and zany experiments that Ernie Kovacs handed down in his years with early American television and late 1950’s Hollywood cinema. “Nothing in Moderation” was not only Kovacs’ wholehearted approach to comedy and life but is also the line on his tombstone in Los Angeles’ Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

Long story short, as you see from the list of chapters, I go into close detail examining the types of comedy he developed and the influences this has had:

Chapter 1: An Overview of the Post-War Era & The Ernie Kovacs Shows in the Context of American Television Comedy

Chapter 2: The Flow of the Philadelphia & New York Kovacs Shows: Comic Surrealism Verbal and Visual

Chapter 3: Silence Please! Ernie, California & Working With Music, Sound & Surrealistic Visuals on His Specials

Chapter 4: Ernie in the Movies: From Comic Director to Supporting Character Actor

Chapter 5: The Kovacs Legacy: “I Don’t Know: I Just Do It!”

3. I read the following comment on the University of Texas web site "In this book, Andrew Horton offers the first sustained look at Ernie Kovacs's wide-ranging and lasting contributions to the development of TV comedy". In what ways?

Again, I take a close look at shows and specific scenes/moments to "open up" Kovacs' comic genius of VERBAL AND VISUAL, individual and ensemble and suggest influences this has had long since his day. I watch and write not just as a FAN or as a MEDIA SCHOLAR but as a comic screenwriter myself having, for instance, published one book "LAUGHING OUT LOUD: WRITING THE COMEDY CENTERED SCREENPLAY" (U of California Press) which has been used effectively around the world, I'm happy to say! I would add one more perspective I bring which is I fully appreciate his "Hungarian Viewpoint" for I have worked in Europe including Hungary, Czech Republic, Yugoslavia and Greece and appreciate THEIR HUMOR AND CAN SEE HOW PARTIALLY ERNIE WAS PULLING FROM SOME OF THESE ROOTS TOO!

Finally, let me add this since I am writing this a few days before Mardi Gras and in the book I do look closely at the SPIRIT OF CARNIVAL THAT ERNIE REPRESENTS! LONG LIVE ERNIE AND CARNIVAL IN OUR HEARTS AND SOULS AND LAUGHTER:

Can we think of any more appropriate carnival!

Mikhail Bakhtin in writing about the nature of carnival in Europe but projecting to the spirit of the carnivalesque in any culture, commented that:

“Carnival is not a spectacle seen by the
people; they live in it, and everyone
participates because its very idea embraces
all the people. While carnival last, there is no other life outside it (7).”

Looking back on the nature of Ernie Kovacs’ original forms of comedy on early American television in the 1950’s up through into the 1960’s, it is certainly fair to say whenever and wherever Ernie was “working”, a carnival was in session and all of those around him had to understand that. Thus it seems accurate to say that Ernie Kovacs brought a spirit of carnival into the new medium of television, a spirit that has had lasting influences. Ernie’s comment that, “I don’t know. I just do it!” is absolutely “carnivalesque” in the sense we have been discussing.

Let’s be more specific. The carnival spirit can be seen as celebrating the three “F’s”: freedom, fantasy, and festivity (Horton. Laughing Out Loud: Writing the Comedy Centered Screenplay p4). Certainly Ernie felt the “freedom” to do just about anything he wanted to do (as long as no one was being hurt!), and he had endless amounts of “fantasy” that allowed him to dream up what to do. Finally the “festivity” was the SHARING of his comedy with others. If you do all of this by yourself for yourself, that is not the carnival spirit. Carnival is to be shared “in the streets” and, in this case, in the living rooms of America. And in my personal interviews with Edie Adams, she explained she enjoyed helping to edit at times because, as she put it,“ Ernie really needed someone to help edit because he was so into whatever he was doing that often he didn’t know if it was funny or not (personal interview).”

4. You're a screenwriter and have written books on the subject. Do you offer a critical analysis of Ernie's films in the book?

Yes! I have a whole chapter on his films. I NOTE, FOR INSTANCE, (SEE BELOW) HOW VERY FEW ACTORS EVER MAKE IT IN BOTH TV AND FILM, AND ERNIE WASN'T A BIG STAR YET, BUT HE WAS CLEARLY DEVELOPING IN THIS "OTHER MEDIUM" AS I NOTE BELOW IN THE CHAPTER:

In his five brief “cinematic years”, Ernie never became a famous lead actor. But he came through often as an impressive supporting character in both comedies and dramas and thus proved to be one of those rare actors who could move from television to film and back again successfully. To put this in a clearer context, it’s important to realize how small a group such actors are or have been. Jerry Seinfeld, for instance, is still funny in reruns of Seinfeld (1990-98), but he has not yet become a movie star and has actually not really tried to cross the bridge, since he has often commented how difficult such medium crossing can be. Similarly, while a few actors have been able to move between the two mediums such as James Garner, Bill Cosby and Lucille Ball, we cannot speak of distinguished feature film careers of most television comics such as Milton Berle, Johnny Carson, Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore.

5. Who did you interview who worked with Ernie in those early days?

I was so lucky to be able to interview Edie Adams several times in her home and in Kansas when we were both invited to the Annual Buster Keaton Fesitval in Iola to celebrate Buster and Ernie given that even on the day Ernie died he had been working with Buster on a TV Pilot Show.

A number of my friends worked in TV in the early days and they were helpful and of Ernie's staff workers I was able to interview Robert Key.

(ED. NOTE: For a thorough discussion of the pilot Ernie and Buster worked on see this article by our friend Rob Foster.)

6. The book is available for pre-order on the University Of Texas web site and the Amazon and Barnes And Noble web sites. Will it also be available in retail outlets?

I assume so but U Texas will have to tell you this. Alas, the paperback version will not be out the first year.

Our thanks go out to Andy Horton for a very informative interview.   It's going to be a great new angle on Ernie's work and something I'm sure all EK fans will enjoy reading.

My Dad first exposed me to EK  by making me watch "The Best Of Ernie Kovacs" on PBS in 1978 and then a couple of years later my friends and I discovered "The Uncle Floyd Show" on cable TV. That's one connection I truly look forward to reading about!   Both are from New Jersey and I've always considered the similarities. 

Until next time Kovacsians: "It's Been Real!"

Edie Adams Interview With Josh Mills And Becky Greenlaw

EK fan Mary Lou Cassidy brought to our attention a six part interview that Doug Norwine of Heritage Auction Galleries did with Edie's son Josh Mills and her assistant Becky Greenlaw as part of their last celebrity memorabilia auction which took place from June 5-7, 2009.

Each segment is about 7 minutes. The first five feature Josh and Becky discussing Edie and Ernie; the sixth shows Edie's gowns and dresses which are up for auction with either Josh or Becky discussing their history:

PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 PART 5 PART 6

We thank Mary for digging these out for all EK fans to see; they are not easy to find on the site.

One very interesting item that sold was for $1314.50 was EK's famous poker table! That's probably a lot less than Ernie would have lost in a typical night of gambling.

Until next time, "It's Been Real!"

Ernie The Sketch The Artist

Good morning Kovacsians. I bet you didn't know Ernie was also something of an artist. EK fan Lynda Francis shared the following anecdote with me:

Back in the late 70's the nurses aides at a nursing home in Chelsea (Oklahoma) decided to have an auction to raise enough money to buy every resident a Christmas gift as some had no family. They bought a book of celebrity addresses and sent letters requesting a piece of memorabilia, an autograph or whatever they could get. It was amazing the response they got. The residents not only got a gift but also other needed items. Edie Adams sent this sketch. I cannot remember what I paid for it.

Here's a photo of the sketch:

Here's a close-up of the signature:

The sketch is of a Gaucho. Lynda emailed wanting to know if EK did any other artwork. To be honest, I'm not sure. He would parody art on his shows and sketch on his morning show in Philly for the kids and his likeness was rendered for bits in Mad Magazine and by artists such as Don Bevan and Al Hirschfeld. If I find out about any other drawings EK did I'll post the info here.

Thanks for stopping by folks and thanks for the pics Lynda!

Until next time, "It's Been Real."

Quitting The Nairobi Trio

Good afternoon Kovacsians. I discovered the book to the left while doing some "Nairobi Trio" research online and was able to get a copy from my local library.

I just finished reading and it's fantastic. Rather than give you a review I'll say this; its not what you might think. And the way EK and "The Nairobi Trio" work into this true story is wonderful. Yours truly picks up ANYTHING that has to do with EK and reads it, yet I found that right from the start I was enjoying the book so much that it wouldn't have mattered to me whether EK was mentioned or not. When he finally was it really hit me. Great writing and well worth your time. To learn more about the author, Jim Knipfel, visit his website. Scroll down and you'll see a link to the book on Amazon along with a plot summary.

Our fight to get EK listed as a past guest host of "The Tonight Show" continues. This link will bring you to both articles on the subject, one written by me and the other by Ben Model. There you'll find full instructions on how you can join the fight. Let's get EK on that list!! Our thanks go to both Mark Evanier and Altrok Radio for writing great pieces on this subject regarding our campaign.

I haven't done this in a while so a here's a "shout out" (EK used to call it "Yoo Hoo Time" on TTGR) to all the members of the Ernie Kovacs MySpace Fan Page, which is currently up to 874 friends. I'd like to thank all those that have asked to be added. If you'd like to be a friend visit the page by clicking on the link above and put in a request!

If you are a Facebook user there are two EK Groups on that site; one run by Ron Evry and the other by my fellow EK blogger Ben Model. You must be a member of Facebook to join the groups and participate but clicking either link will bring you to the page so you can see them. Definitely join if you can; Ben and I always use the groups to post EK updates.

Another site to which we've added EK updates is Twitter; you can always visit that link to see what we're up to. In addition, I've embedded the Twitter updates directly into the homepage of www.erniekovacs.net. If you're a member of Twitter be sure to sign up as an EK follower; if not you can learn more about the service here.

Until next time my friends, "It's Been Real!"

EDITOR'S NOTE: After I posted this I contacted Jim Knipfel, author of "Quitting The Nairobi Trio" to tell him how much I enjoyed the book. He shared this anecdote with me:

Thank you, Al. I'm honored to have been recognized by the Kovacs cognescenti. Here's a story about the cover I think you'll appreciate.

About 2 weeks before the book was set to be released, the publisher realized that they had never obtained the rights to use the Nairobi Trio still. This was Bad News, and led to much hair pulling.

Finally, we contacted Edie Adams (who, as you know, controlled the estate) to get permission.

First, she wanted to read all the scenes in the book in which Ernie was mentioned. Happily, she was okay with those. Then came the matter of payment.

She asked how much people usually got for the rights to use an image on a book cover. "Usually anywhere between $200-$300," the publisher told her.

She thought about it for a minute, then said, "All right. I'll take $350."

God bless that woman.

(And god bless the publisher for agreeing to pay her $350.)

Many thanks again. I'm glad you liked the book.

Jim

Ernie Kovacs/Edie Adams Auction Results

Good morning Kovacsians. Here are some of the results of the memorabilia auction that took place this past weekend at the Heritage Auction Gallery and featured items from Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams (thanks go to Ben Model for providing the photo):

The two items that interested me the most, Percy's glasses and the Nairobi Trio Masks, went for a total of $5,975. Not that much for such a huge part of early TV history. I hope the folks who bought these items will consider loaning them to a museum at some point.

In a previous post I wrote about an item similar to lot number 49125 which is at the very top of the chart. I'm not surprised this didn't get bids as its a fairly common item. I think if they had obtained an E.E.F.M.S. card for the auction it would have been a different story; it's surprising they didn't as I believe these items came directly from the Kovacs estate.

You can visit the Heritage Auction Galleries website and sign up for a free account which will allow you to search the auction archives and view all the results. The auction number for the Ernie/Edie items is 7004 and the total amount sold was $720,273.11. This amount does not represent the total for Ernie/Edie items sold as there were items from other celebrities included in this auction.

Until next time, "It's Been Real!"- Al Quagliata

Fan Scan Joe Masi's The Man!

Good evening Kovacsians. Let me start out by thanking all the folks who have put in friend requests on the Ernie Kovacs MySpace Fan Page. Accept my apologies; we haven't mentioned the page in quite a while and are always getting requests. We're pushing towards 1,000; the page is currently at 856 fans and we're grateful to all who are helping to keep Ernie's work alive!

Today I'd like to share with you two scans which Kovacs fan Joe Masi sent me. The first is an autographed card from "Kovacs Unlimited" which he received back in 1953:

And here's an extra fun artifact in case you were wondering when Joe received this prized possession (I removed the street address):

Almost 56 years ago! Remember the days before zip codes? How about typewriters? Remember two cent postage? Well I don't but I wish I did. I grew up in Westchester County so of course Port Chester resonated with me; that I remember!

Joe was inquiring as to what the value of the card might be. To tell you the truth I'm not sure. Our last post talks about an upcoming auction of Kovacs memorabilia; a similar "Kovacs Unlimited" card is one of the listed items and there are several title cards which Ben Model thinks are also from that program. Here is another scan of one of these autographed cards which a fan sent me about seven years ago.

From left to right in the photo are "Kovacs Unlimited" cast members Eddie Hatrak, Edie Adams, Ernie, Trigger Lund and Andy McKay, each with an accompanying signature underneath. In all the different photos of this card the signatures appear similar though the ink colors are different. Joe is of the opinion that the signatures on his are "secretarial" and I tend to agree; "Kovacs Unlimited" was a nationally broadcast program which orginated daily, "live from New York", and I doubt very much that the cast would have had the time to sit around signing cards for which there were probably myriad requests while still preparing for a live comedy show. That being said this is still a great piece of Kovacsian memorabilia which could probably draw some nice bids at auction, especially with the envelope featuring that cool CBS-TV logo.

Joe also mentions in his email that he once had an EEFMS card but lost it; I have a feeling these are worth a bit more because they were from Ernie's local "Three To Get Ready" program in Philly and are probably rarer. Even though it's a scarce item I've received many scans of it from a variety of fans. Here's a color version of the card.

We thank Joe very kindly for his question and for taking the time to send these scans; what keeps this blog going and Ernie's legacy alive are the memories of the folks who loved him and enjoyed his work.

Until next time my fellow Kovacsians: "IT'S BEEN REAL!"- Al Quagliata

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

Good Ol' Officer Boyle Of The EEFMS

Good evening Kovacsians. When Edie Adams passed away last week I sent an email to our good friend Jack Phillippe, who grew up in Philadelphia and as a young man was a guest on a January 1952 episode of "Kovacs On The Corner."

Hearing of Edie's passing made Jack reminisce about growing up in Philly during the 1950's and watching the great television shows of that time. He wanted to share some artifacts from his collection with all of us and has been gracious enough to take the time to send me some scans.

The first is of an EEFMS card; it's an original from Ernie's very first show on WPTZ Channel Three, NBC in Philadelphia, "3 To Get Ready." Jack sent this once before and I posted it, but this time its a bit bigger and clearer. Enjoy:

One staple of Philadelphia televison in the 1950s was Officer Pete Boyle, played by that icon of Philadelphia Kids' TV Peter Boyle Sr.. Pete Sr. was the father of the late actor Peter Boyle Jr. most recently of "Everybody Loves Raymond" fame. "Offcier Pete Boyle" appeared in his own shows on WPTZ and many times as a guest on Ernie's. In fact, he played his "Officer Boyle" character the day that Jack appeared as a guest on "KOTC!"

Jack went to high school with Peter Boyle Jr. in the 1950s and Peter was an actor even back then. These photos are some extracts from a playbill that Jack kept from his high school days; they're for a musical called "Song Of Norway" in which the young Mr. Boyle appeared.

A very young Peter Boyle (a far cry from Frank Barone!):

Here he is on the cast list (even in high school it seems he had an understudy):

Peter Boyle Sr. hosted a very well known kids show in Philly called "Chuckwagon Pete" in which played the title character. Here's an ad he took out in the playbill:

You can click on the "Peter Boyle Sr." link above to see a photo of "Chuck Wagon Pete" and read more about the show.

Jack, thanks again for some great memories.

Until next time, "it's been real!"

AL QUAGLIATA

P.S.- The Ernie Kovacs My Space Fan Page is up to 828 friends since our last post. As always we thank everyone who requested an add or accepted a request from us. We also thank you for the nice comments sent about Edie.

Edie Adams Passes Away At The Age Of 81

It is with great sadness that fans everywhere mourn the death of the wonderful Ms. Edie Adams, who passed away on October 15th, 2008 at the age of 81. According to her son Josh Mills the cause of death was cancer and pneumonia.

My fellow Kovacs Blogger Ben Model took the time today to compile some information which I've taken and consolidated into this post. Thanks Ben.

Here's you go folks, courtesy of Ben Model:

Edie Adams' obituary appears in today's New York Times, written by Bruce Weber. To read it, click here.

Among Edie's major accomplishments, although not mentioned in the obit, is the fact that she spent decades saving and hunting down Kovacs programs...scripts, kinescopes, 2" master tapes etc etc. She was an amazing woman, full of life and always working on some project or other, and she will be missed.

Here's a link to an obit posted on Playbill.com and another on Theatermania.com.

For the story as posted by the AP click here

Here's Edie's performance on the 1950 Miss U.S. Television program. She had won that title and this was her first major television exposure:

Ben Model

It's the end of an era my fellow Kovacsians.

Rest in peace Edie and say hi to Ernie for us. It's been real.

Al Quagliata

Hanging Out On The Corner With Kovacs

Good evening my fellow Kovacsians. Its been a while since last we spoke.

The very fact that I create these posts devoted to my favorite television comedian affords me the opportunity to connect with people who themselves had a connection with Ernie Kovacs in the past. One of these people, a gentleman in the truest sense of the word, is 71 year old lifelong Pennsylvania resident Jack Phillippe.

Jack sent me an email recently stating that back in 1949 at the ripe old age of thirteen he appeared on an episode of Ernie's very first show for WPTZ Channel Three, NBC in Philadelphia, the famous "3 To Get Ready," for which no known kinescopes exist. He appeared in a "trading post" segment in which Ernie would exchange some useless item an audience member gave him for some equally useless item from the prop box or backstage.

What struck me immediately when I read Jack's email was that I had seen his segment and it wasn't on "3 To Get Ready." It was on Ernie's program "Kovacs On The Corner," the final Kovacs series to originate from WPTZ before Ernie made the big jump to New York. The show had a very short run from Thursday January 4, 1952 until Friday March 28 of the same year and was broadcast nationally Monday-Friday in the 11am-11:30am time slot. The show would open with the announcer saying "NBC holds the key to WPTZ's very own television town where everyday around this time you'll find Kovacs On The Corner!" Then, as on all his shows no matter the title, Ernie's famous theme music would start.

"KOTC" featured Ernie against a corny "neighborhood" type set (think a low rent Sesame Street) interacting with the lovely Edie Adams, The Dave Appell Trio dressed as sanitation workers, a couple of actors dressed as a large dog (Al) and a large cat (Tondelaya) and Officer Pete Boyle, played by that icon of Philadelphia Kids' TV Peter Boyle Sr.. Pete Sr. was the father of the late actor Peter Boyle Jr. most recently of "Everybody Loves Raymond" fame.

I was in one of the massive chain bookstores about ten years ago looking for jazz CDs when I spotted a video tape from the now defunct "Video Yesteryear" of a "KOTC" episode. The tape jumped out at me when I saw Ernie's mug on the box and I bought it right away. When I got home and put it on I was fascinated by it; the show is early TV kitsch at its best delivered in that inimitable Kovacs style. I've read that Ernie was never a big fan of doing the show; the network kind of forced it on him and interacting with costumed characters wasn't really a format he enjoyed. Still its funny, its Kovacs, and luckily for Jack Phillippe the one episode he appeared on is the one episode that you can still get a hold of.

Jack was right that he appeared on camera to trade something with Ernie; I remember Ernie trying several times in the segment to pronounce his last name correctly and when I saw the name in his first email to me I thought, "No, that's 'Kovacs On The Corner' you were on!"

I asked Jack to answer some questions for us about the experience. Here's what he had to say:

Q: Welcome to "The Ernie Kovacs Blog" Jack. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

A: I grew up in Philadelphia in the forties. After graduating high school and college prep I moved on to several jobs, until I landed a job with the Philadelphia Inquirer and stayed there for thirty one years until my retirement.

Q: Tell us how you first become aware of Ernie Kovacs.

A: The first family television was purchased in 1948 and at that time Philadelphia had three television stations, one of them being WPTZ. Ernie Kovacs first television show was on WPTZ in the morning called "Three To Get Ready". At that time, I became an Ernie Kovacs fan and I also loved "Howdy Doody". Ernie had a club on "Three To Get Ready" that included a membership card, I still have mine some fifty eight years later. It is called an EEFMS (Early Eyeball Fraternal And Marching Society) card.

EDITOR'S NOTE: CLICK THE LINK TO SEE A PICTURE OF AN "EEFMS."

Q: What did you think the first time you saw one of Ernie's shows?

A: I was enamored with Ernie and his show, so much so that I wanted to join his show very much like a child wants to run away to the circus. I wrote to him telling him so; of course he never responded and in a way I did not expect him to.

Q: How did you end up in the audience of "Kovacs On The Corner?" I believe you were sick at the time and being home schooled?

A: I was out of school at that time with rheumatic fever and was being taught at home. One day I asked my mother if I could go down to the show; she said yes. Believe it or not you did not need tickets then. Back then mothers were homemakers and fathers worked so television stations were hoping someone would show up to be a part of their audience.

Q: What did you think of Ernie when you met him? How about Edie and the rest of the cast members?

A: Ernie stays in my memory more than anything or anyone else but I do remember Edie Adams eyes and were taken aback by their beauty. Ernie was what he was, that is he was Ernie Kovacs on television as well as in person; likable and lovable.

Q: Tell us about the bit you did with Ernie. I know you guys exchanged some really "valuable" gifts with each other!

A: At that time Ernie had what I remember as what was called a "trading corner" as a part of his show and asked his viewing audience to bring something to the show for a trade.

One morning at home I got out of bed and went to the hall closet where the family's coats were kept and I spotted a "derby hat". It seems that the night before my parents had some of my relatives in for a party and the drinking got heavy and so it seems someone forgot their derby hat. When my mother got up that morning I asked if she knew who owned the derby hat? She stated that she did not.

That's when I decided to go to Ernie's show and trade the derby hat. I might add two weeks later my uncle Sam called and asked my mother if he had left his derby hat there. My mother responded that she did not see it and of course she was not lying; she didn't because it was now in Ernie Kovacs' possession. I might add I half remember Ernie cutting the top off of the derby hat and gluing a piece of paper on its inside that said "Hi ya doll!" It was, he said, "an easy way to pick a up a girl."

I received block of ice as a trade for the derby. Who else but Ernie could come up with that? I do not know if it shows on my face but when I received the block of ice I was disappointed. I wanted something that I could keep for years such as an old fashioned 1890's shoe that was on the set to be traded; in it was a single flower. I couldn't keep the ice but I was able to keep the plastic apron it was wrapped in and I was happy to be a part of TV history!

Q: Peter Boyle Sr. was an icon of Philly TV in the 1950s and played Officer Pete Boyle on "KOTC". He was the father of the late actor Peter Boyle Jr., most recently famous for his portrayal of Frank Barone on the CBS sitcom ""Everybody Loves Raymond." You got to watch the shows of both Ernie and Pete growing up at that time and I know you attended high school with Pete Jr. Tell us a bit about those two Philly icons.

A: Pete Sr. was the weatherman at WPTZ and also had a show where he was called "Chuck Wagon Pete" it was a kids show. Pete Sr. was an artist and used that talent for his kids show.

Peter Boyle Jr. was in high school at the time I was given the OK to return to high school. Both Peter Boyle and I attended the same high school; at that time Peter was a senior and I a freshman. Peter Boyle was in the school plays but not top billing. I still have the play bill that has a picture of Peter Boyle with hair when he was just another senior. Sadly both Pete Sr. and Peter died suddenly.

Q: Did you continue watching Ernie's shows after he left Philly and as you matured into adulthood?

A: Yes, I followed his career until he entered films. Movies just were not Ernie's vehicle.

Q: How did you feel when Ernie died? I believe you were about 25 years old at the time.

A: I was outside doing something to the car then and had the car radio on when they announced his death. I was stunned; it was like losing a friend. I often think about him and the pleasure he brought to those who watched his style of comedy. Yes, I was twenty five then and if I remember right he was killed in January, the same month as my birthday.

EDITOR'S NOTE: ERNIE WAS KILLED ON JANUARY 13, 1962.

When Jack answered these questions he had not had a chance to see the episode he appeared on; he answered completely from his own memories of that time. I can tell you this Kovacsians; he did a great job!

Since that time he's had a chance to see the episode on which he appeared:

I never did see it because I was on the program at the time and these shows weren't re-run as in those days programs of this type were broadcast live. I was surprised that it was on national television and that a kinescope copy was made but the more I think about it, I believe that the kinescope copy was probably made just for the west coast.

It is hard to describe seeing yourself 56 years later as a kid. I often have wondered how the likes of Shirley Temple felt, when she watched her self grow up on the screen? I do wish my parents were here to see it. I just want to thank you for your knowledge and assistance in providing me with ability to obtain this little piece of personal history about myself.

Thank you Jack for answering my questions and for being a part of Kovacsian history!

I will leave you with a quick link to an interesting article from September 1955 about Ernie's genius for special effects.

Until next time, my friends, "Its Been Real!!"

June 20: Edie Adams Flicks On TCM

Just a head zup -- movies with Edie Adams are the Prime Time Feature on Turner Classic Movies on June 20th in the evening. Wind up your TiVo, clean your VCR heads and blow the dust off your wire recorder for:

• 8pm - The Best Man (1964), with Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson
• 10pm - Lover Come Back (1961), with Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall
• 12pm - Love With the Proper Stranger (1964), with Steve McQueen, Natalie Wood and Tom Bosley.

Click here for schedule details on TCM's site, with links to film info (cast, synopsis etc).

A New Film About The Life Of Ernie Kovacs?

Good afternoon my fellow Kovacsians.

I just found a very interesting article I wanted to share with you entitled "Edie Adams' Memories Of 'The Apartment'." It was written by Ruthe Stein for the San Francisco Chronicle's Sunday, April 6, 2008 edition.

The writer interviews Edie about the making of the Billy Wilder film in which she played the vindictive Miss Olsen, nosy secretary to a high-level boss at a large Manhattan insurance company. The boss was played by Fred MacMurray.

I enjoyed this interview and know my fellow Kovacs Fans will too. But this is the question and answer I found the most intriguing and it has to do with another film entirely:

Q: I understand you are hoping to get another movie made about your late husband. (There was a 1984 TV movie, "Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter," starring Jeff Goldblum.)

A: That's true, but I'm not supposed to talk about it. We're trying to get George Clooney to play him.

Wow. Wouldn't that be something? I've seen the Goldblum film and have always admired his performance. My problem with that film, however, was that the storyline mainly dealt with the kidnapping of Ernie's daughters by their mother, Ernie's first wife Bette Wilcox. It did not spend nearly enough time on all the great things Ernie pioneered in television which were treated almost as a side note. That's what happens when something is "made for TV"; you get all the sensationalism and none of the substance. Its not that the kidnappings weren't a major or important part of Ernie's story; its just that they're not the only part and audiences learned very little of the man from watching this film.

Therefore its high time that a movie be made about Ernie that really explores his life and legacy and of course it ought to be a major theatrical release and not just TV fare. And who better than George Clooney to play the lead? That would be a great box office draw and would introduce Ernie and his work to an entirely new generation that might not be familiar with him.

I think Clooney would make a great Kovacs; he's an excellent actor and has already proven he can do a great job with these projects about TV's bygone days as both director and actor; just take a look at "Good Night, And Good Luck" and "Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind".

So let's keep our fingers crossed my fellow Kovacsians. And while we're doing that let's all wish a happy belated birthday to Edie who was born on April 16th.

The Ernie Kovacs My Space Fan Page is up to 715 friends, an increase of 35 since our last post. As always we thank everyone who requested an add or accepted a request from us.

Until next time my fellow Kovacsians, "Its Been Real!"