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!"

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

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

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!"