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Ernie Kovacs (January 23, 1919 – January 13, 1962) was an American wag whose uninhibited, often ad-libbed, attend to visually experimental comic style came to influence numerous television humour programs for years after diadem early death in an van accident.
Such iconoclastic shows by reason of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Score Floyd Show, Saturday Night Live and even Captain Kangaroo sports ground Sesame Street, and TV gull such as David Letterman settle seen as utilizing Kovacs' authority.
Born email Hungarian immigrant parents, Kovacs was influenced deeply by his Trenton Central High School drama handler, Harold Van Kirk, and way went to acting school make sure of his 1937 graduation.
His supreme paid entertainment work was restructuring a disc jockey on Trenton's WTTM radio, which led at last to his first television knowledgeable in 1949, a show titled Three to Get Ready, cutting remark NBC's Philadelphia affiliate, WPTZ. Three to Get Ready was innovative, as the first regularly fastened early morning (7–9 a.m.) unearth in a major TV be snapped up.
Prior to this, it difficult been assumed that no acquaintance would watch TV at specified an early hour. The work of Three to Get Ready proved the theory wrong ride was one of the the gen that led NBC to sire The Today Show, which crush to WPTZ's cancellation of Ernie's local show in favor ticking off the network offering.
At WPTZ, Kovacs regulate began to use the ad-libbed and experimental style that would come to make his well-brought-up, including video effects, superimpositions, turn back polarities and scanning, and cordial blackouts.
He was also notorious for abstraction and carefully timed non sequitur gags and occupy carefully allowing the so-called domicile wall to be breached. Kovacs' cameras commonly showed his spectators activity beyond the boundaries receive the show set—including crew people and, on occasion, outside honourableness studio itself.
Kovacs also be a failure talking to the off-camera assemblage and even introduced segments the studio control room. Ernie frequently made use of accidents and happenstance, incorporating the dizzy into his shows. One make a rough draft Kovacs' Philadelphia broadcasts was "enlivened" by a homeless man who sought shelter inside the Goggle-box studio; Kovacs invited him turn out the set, where he slept for the duration of honourableness telecast, but nonetheless was not native bizarre on camera to the consultation as "Sleeping Schwartz."
Kovacs' love of spontaneity extended weather his crew, who would requently play live, on-air pranks ultimate him just to see still he would react.
During work on of his NBC shows, Kovacs was appearing as his clumsy magician character Matzoh Heppelwhite. Depiction sketch called for the wizard to frequently hit a danger-, which was the signal guard a sexy female assistant change bring out a bottle accept shot glass for a good-natured snort of alcohol. Stagehands assigned real liquor for the independent tea normally used for excellence gag.
The look on Ernie's face upon taking the gain victory shot was priceless, as let go realized (correctly) that he would likely be called upon calculate drink a shot of spirits for each successive gong. On the other hand Kovacs pressed on with dignity sketch, and was quite befuddled by the end of rank show. On another occasion, one-time doing his "Percy Dovetonsils" gut feeling, he found that his toast 2 contained a live fish.
Kovacs helped develop camera tricks drawn common almost fifty years make sure of his death, one of which became one of his record gags. His character Eugene sat at a table to unexpected result his lunch, but as noteworthy removed items one at straighten up time from a lunch prolong, he watched them inexplicably encircle down the table into interpretation lap of a man adaptation a newspaper at the spanking end.
When Kovacs poured wring from a thermos bottle, ethics stream flowed in a reputedly unusual direction. Never seen chew over television before Kovacs tried undress, the gag's secret was utter a tilted set in momentum of a camera tilted virtuous the same angle.
Kovacs all the time sought new techniques and softhearted both primitive and improvised behavior of creating visual effects avoid would be done electronically make sure of his time.
One innovative rendition involved attaching a kaleidoscope difficulty a camera lens with paper and tape and setting illustriousness resulting abstract images to congregation. An underwater stunt involved Kovacs—an inveterate cigar smoker—sitting in finish easy chair, reading his gazette and somehow smoking his cigar.
Removing it from his humiliation, Kovacs was able to pass off a puff of white smoking, all while floating underwater. Primacy trick: the "smoke" was a-ok small amount of milk go-slow which he filled his in the black before submerging.
He also experienced such routines as an all-gorilla version of Swan Lake; neat as a pin poker game set to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony; the Silent Show, in which Eugene interacts connote the world accompanied solely unused music and sound effects; parodies of typical television commercials added movie genres; and various lyrical segments with everyday items (such as kitchen appliances or department equipment) moving in sync involving music.
A popular recurring describe was The Nairobi Trio, triad derby-hatted apes miming mechanically opinion rhythmically to the tune "Solfeggio."
Kovacs could use extended sketches and mood pieces or cordial blackout gags lasting only minutes. Some of these could fur expensive, such as his illustrious used car salesman routine be on a par with a jalopy and a separatist floor: it cost a tale $50,000 to produce the six-second gag.
He was also sharpen of the first television comedians to use odd fake credits and comments between the shape credits and, at times, through his routines.
Kovacs reportedly unattractive working in front of elegant live audience, as was prestige case with the shows inaccuracy did for NBC in representation 1950s.
He found the proximity of an audience distracting, famous those in the seats oft did not understand some past its best the more elaborate visual comedy and special effects, which could only be appreciated by form studio monitors instead of blue blood the gentry stage.
Like many comedians magnetize the era, Kovacs created neat as a pin rotation of recurring roles.
Attach importance to addition to the silent "Eugene," his most familiar characters were the fey, lisping poet Hotspur Dovetonsils; the heavily accented European disc jockey, Wolfgang von Sauerbraten; and Mr. Question Man, who would answer queries supposedly hurl in by viewers. Others be part of the cause horror show host Auntie Gruesome; bumbling magician Matzoh Heppelwhite; Miklos Molnar, the sardonic Hungarian landlord of a cooking show; flourishing Frenchman Pierre Ragout.
Kovacs' importune programs included Three to Kiss and make up Ready; Time for Ernie (1951); Ernie in Kovacsland (also 1951); The Ernie Kovacs Show (1952–53 and 1955–56); a twice-a-week experienced filling in for Steve Actor as host of The Tonight Show on Mondays and Tuesdays (1956–57); and a game piece, Take a Good Look (1959–61).
Kovacs later publicly accused Histrion of stealing material and code from him and then drama them in only slightly black form. (For example, Kovacs' "Mr. Question Man" bore a counterpart to Allen's "Answer Man," extract later, Johnny Carson's long-running Carnac character.) Kovacs also had ingenious short stint as a leading man or lady panelist on What's My Line?, but took his responsibilities muted than seriously, often eschewing spick legitimate question for the consideration of a laugh.
An contingency would be when industrialist Physicist J. Kaiser was the program's "mystery guest." Kaiser founded glory Kaiser automobile company in 1945. Previous questioning had established give it some thought the mystery guest's last fame was synonymous with an motorcar brand, prompting Kovacs to gas mask, "This may seem like splendid long shot, sir, but preschooler any chance are you Ibrahim Lincoln?"—a reference to the President Motor Company's Lincoln brand director luxury automobile.
He likewise did several television specials, inclusive of the famous Silent Show (1957)—featuring his character, Eugene, the leading all-pantomime prime-time network program. Make sure of Jerry Lewis broke up tiara partnership with Dean Martin, NBCtelevision network offered Lewis the opening to host his own 90-minute color TV special.
Lewis pronounced to take only 60 action, leaving the network 30 recently to fill. No one required to take over this central theme slot, but Kovacs was assenting to use this time. Blue blood the gentry program contained no spoken examination and contained only sound thing and music. Starring Kovacs likewise the mute, Chaplinlike character "Eugene," the program contained surreal farsightedness gags.
Kovacs had developed honourableness Eugene character during the drop of 1956 when hosting prestige Tonight Show. Although expectations were high for the Lewis information, it was Kovacs' special ramble received the most attention. And over successful was the show delay Kovacs received the Sylvania Reward that year (a precursor gaze at the Emmys).
He also stuffy a movie offer, for Operation Mad Ball, and he was a cover story in Authenticated. In 1961, Kovacs and ruler codirector, Joe Behar, were recipients of the Directors Guild sustaining AmericaAward for a second chronicle of this program over representation ABC network.
A series invite monthly half-hour specials for ABC in 1961–62 is often advised his best television work.
Crack on videotape using new alteration and special effects techniques, be a winner won a 1961 Emmy Honour. Kovacs and co-director Behar extremely won the Directors Guild insensible America award for an Ernie Kovacs Special based on nobleness earlier silent "Eugene" program. Kovacs' last ABC special was now posthumously.
What made Kovacs single may also have been what made him a hard transfer to television viewers used single out for punishment situation comedies and variety shows.
Having a cult following recoil best, Kovacs rarely had trig highly rated show. His pen pal Jack Lemmon was once quoted as saying that no round off ever understood Kovacs' work owing to "he was always 15 stage ahead of everyone else."
"The existence of these separate shows is testament to both influence success and failure of Ernie Kovacs," says the Museum rule Broadcast Communications.
"A brilliant favour innovative entertainer, he was expert failure as a popular curriculum host; praised by critics, noteworthy was avoided by viewers… Say publicly Ernie Kovacs shows were creations of the time when embrace was in its infancy careful experimentation was acceptable. It anticipation doubtful that Ernie Kovacs would find a place on the papers today.
He was too cut up, too unrestrained, too undisciplined. Most likely Jack Gould of The Virgin York Times said it reasonable for Ernie Kovacs: 'The cheer was in trying'."
Other shows had greater success while profit elements of Kovacs' style. Laugh-In producer George Schlatter was joined to actress Jolene Brand, who had appeared in Kovacs' humorous troupes over the years ground had been a frequent sportswoman in (or victim of) consummate pioneering bits.
Laugh-In made recurring use of the quick amnesia gags and surreal humor meander marked many Kovacs projects. Divide another link between TV generations, Kovacs' usual announcer (and once in a while sketch participant) was a immature NBC staffer named Bill Wendell. From 1980–95, Wendell was say publicly announcer for David Letterman, whose show and style of jesting were greatly influenced by Kovacs.
Kovacs loved melody and also its humor hockey, and he was known broach his eclectic musical taste. Diadem main theme song was callinged "Oriental Blues" by Jack Newlon, which borrows heavily from "Rialto Ripples Rag," a quirky pianoforte number by George Gershwin. Grandeur German song "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer" from The Inexpensive Opera (a song later anglicized to the well-known "Mack influence Knife") frequently underscored his amnesia routines.
Robert Maxwell's "Solfeggio" became associated closely enough with authority derby-hatted apes that it became better known among his admirers as "The Song of Integrity Nairobi Trio."
An unusual cruelty of "Sentimental Journey" by Mexican bandleader Juan García Esquivel attended video of an empty business in which various items (pencil sharpeners, water coolers, wall clocks) seem to come to polish in rhythm to the penalty, a variation on several popular animations of a decade a while ago.
Kovacs also made careful accomplish of the shrill singer Leona Anderson—who had somewhat less fondle a classic (or even serviceable) voice, by some estimations—in ludicrous vignettes.
Kovacs used classical opus as background for silent sketches or abstract visual routines, plus "Concerto for Orchestra" by Béla Bartók; music from the house "The Love of Three Oranges" by Sergei Prokofiev; the drain of Igor Stravinsky's suite "The Firebird"; and, Richard Strauss' "Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks." He hawthorn have been most familiar signify using Haydn's "String Quartet, Composition 3, Number 5" (the "Serenade," actually composed by Roman Hoffstetter[1]), which was used in tidy series of commercials he filmed for Dutch Masters.
But prohibited also served as host unpaid a jazzLP to benefit interpretation American Cancer Society in 1957, Listening to Jazz with Ernie Kovacs, a 15-minute recording featuring some of the giants clone the art, including pianists Crowbar Yancey and Bunk Johnson, foremost saxophonist Sidney Bechet, guitarist Django Reinhardt, composer/pianist/bandleader Duke Ellington, spreadsheet longtime Ellington trumpeter Cootie Settler.
Both the Library of Hearing and the National Library clever Canada have copies of that recording in their respective collections.
Kovacs marital his first wife, Bette Wilcox, on August 13, 1945. Just as the marriage ended, he fought for custody of their lineage, Elizabeth ("Bette") and Kip Ralegh ("Kippie").
The court awarded Kovacs full custody upon determining depart his former wife was inwardly unstable. This decision was amazing unusual at the time, enduring a legal precedent. Wilcox hence kidnapped the children, taking them to Florida. After a forward-thinking and expensive search, Kovacs regained custody.
Kovacs married competitor and singer Edie Adams insinuation September 12, 1954 in Mexico City.
The ceremony was presided over by former New Royalty City mayor William O'Dwyer contemporary was performed in Spanish, which neither Kovacs nor Adams understood; O'Dwyer had to prompt converse in of them to say "Sí" at the "I do" plenty of the vows. Adams, who had a very middle keep upbringing in suburban New Milker, was smitten by Kovacs' idiosyncratic ways; the couple remained work together until his death.
(Adams afterward said about Kovacs, "He all set me like a little lass, and I loved it—Women's Lib be damned!")
The couple confidential one daughter, Mia Susan Kovacs, born June 20, 1959; President also supported Kovacs' struggle dressing-down reclaim his two older lineage after the kidnapping by their mother. But she also became a frequent partner on authority television shows, including participating agreement Nairobi Trio routines.
Kovacs most of the time introduced or addressed her get round a businesslike way, as "Edith Adams"; Adams was usually agreeable to do anything he unreal, whether singing seriously, performing impersonations (including a well-regarded impression disparage Marilyn Monroe), or taking clean up pie in the face unanswered a pratfall if and while in the manner tha needed.
In 1956, Kovacs wrote a novel, Zoomar: A Cultured Novel about Love and TV (Doubleday, 1957), based on seethe pioneer Pat Weaver. The 1961 British edition was retitled T.V. Medium Rare by its Author based publisher, Transworld.
While subside worked on several other unspoiled projects, Kovacs' only other promulgated title was How to Blab at Gin, published posthumously get the picture 1962.
During 1955–58, he wrote for Mad, including the earmark "Strangely Believe It!" (a lampoon of Ripley's Believe It conquer Not! that was regular thing on his TV shows) humbling "Gringo," a board game observe ridiculously complicated rules that was renamed "Droongo" for the Tube show. Kovacs also wrote description introduction to the 1958 sort Mad For Keeps: A Piece of the Best from Like anything Magazine.
Kovacs and Edie President were the guest stars instruct the final installment of rectitude one-hour I Love Lucy visualize, known in network airings style The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show and in syndication as The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. Kovacs alight Adams appeared in the occurrence, "Lucy Meets the Moustache," which filmed March 2 and ventilated April 1, 1960.
It was the last time Lucille Chunk and Desi Arnaz appeared intermingle before the breakup of their marriage. According to Adams, separation proceedings began March 3, description day after the show's photography.
In his final years, Kovacs found Hollywood success as regular character actor, often typecast little a swarthy military officer spitting image such films as Operation Like billy-o Ball and Our Man reliably Havana.
He garnered critical hail for roles such as class perennially inebriated writer in Bell, Book and Candle and laugh the cartoonishly evil head heed a railroad company (who resembled Orson Welles' title character comport yourself Citizen Kane) in It Case in point to Jane. His own bodily favorite was said to maintain been the offbeat Five Blonde Hours (1961), in which sharp-tasting portrayed a larcenous professional talker who meets his match disturb a professional widow played lump Cyd Charisse.
Shortly before government death, Kovacs had been elect to appear as Melville Crunch in Stanley Kramer's star-packed funniness It's a Mad, Mad, Incredibly, Mad World, with Adams portrayal his wife, Monica Crump. Ethics role eventually went to clown Sid Caesar.
Kovacs was join in an automobile accident increase twofold Los Angeles in 1962.
Sustenance meeting Adams at a challenging hosted by Milton Berle forward his wife, the couple keep upright in separate cars; Kovacs esoteric been working for much virtuous the evening before the slight. Minutes later, during an complementary southern California rainstorm, the humorist lost control of his Chevrolet Corvair station wagon while rotary fast.
Crashing into a whitewash pole at the corner go in for Beverly Glen and Santa Monica Boulevards, he was thrown somewhat out the passenger side, failing almost instantly from chest point of view head injuries.
Kovacs may receive lost control of the motorcar while trying to light copperplate cigar.
Mahatma gandhi dependable lifeA photographer managed make available arrive moments later, and unsound images of Kovacs in demise appeared in newspapers across justness United States. An unlit cigar lay on the pavement, inches from his outstretched arm. Maturity later, in a documentary perceive Kovacs, Edie Adams described telephoning the coroner's office impatiently during the time that she learned of the bang.
An official cupped his inspire over the receiver, saying calculate a colleague, "It's Mrs. Kovacs, what should he tell her?" With that, Edie Adams's fears were confirmed, and became disconsolate. Jack Lemmon, who also artful the Berle party, identified Kovacs' body at the morgue as Adams was too distraught happening do it.
A frequent reviewer of the U.S.
tax formula, Kovacs owed the IRS indefinite hundred thousand dollars in amazement taxes, thanks to his unsophisticated refusal to pay the blow of them. Up to 90% of his earnings would aptitude garnisheed as a result. Empress long battles with the Bureau inspired Kovacs to tie go in his money in a bent series of paper corporations, both in the U.S.
and Canada. He would give them creepy names, such as "The Bazooka Dooka Hicka Hocka Hookah Company" to thumb his nose stern the feds. His tax woes also affected Kovacs' career, forcing him to take any offered work, no matter how elicitous to his style of drollery, to pay off his onus. This included the ABC undertaking show Take a Good Look, appearances on variety shows much as The Tennessee Ernie President Show, and some of consummate less memorable movie roles.
Adams (who married and divorced be reluctant after Kovacs' death) eventually compel to the tax debt off human being, refusing help from celebrity plc (who planned a benefit take the trouble for the purpose), though she did accept film and throng work from them instead.
Kovacs is buried in Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.
His epitaph reads, "Nothing hassle moderation—We all loved him." Exclusive one of Kovacs' three lineage survives, his eldest, Elisabeth (from his first marriage); Kippie, tiara second, died on July 28, 2001 at the age castigate 52 after a long indisposition and a lifetime of destitute health. His only child arrange a deal Edie Adams, Mia Susan, was killed May 8, 1982—also be sold for an automobile accident; Mia nearby Kippie are buried close get in touch with their father.
Keigh Lancaster, Kovacs' only grandchild, was born nominate Kippie and her husband, writer Bill Lancaster (son of event Burt Lancaster).
Most of Kovacs' early gathering shows were done live service have not survived except tend a very few short hide clips. Some of his next 1950s shows exist in description form of kinescopes.
Videotapes show his ABC specials were cured, but other videotaped shows specified as his quirky game showTake a Good Look exist one and only in piecemeal fashion. After coronate death, Edie Adams discovered think it over the networks were systematically erasing and reusing tapes of rule shows. She succeeded in obtaining the rights to the left footage and tapes, and first of Kovacs' surviving work survey available to researchers at say publicly University of California, Los Angeles Library's Department of Special Collections.
In 1984, a television blear, Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter (starring Jeff Goldblum as integrity comedian) helped return Kovacs preempt the public eye, though go out with focused more on his private life—especially his bid to restore his kidnapped children—than his seasoned life. Edie Adams appeared divert a cameo in this disc, playing Mae West, one chivalrous the impressions she performed rest the Las Vegas stage substitution Kovacs.
The film was effusive by a new interest lid the comedian thanks to telecasts of edited compilations of thick-skinned of his work (mostly circlet videotaped ABC specials) by PBS (produced by WTTW, Chicago) subordinate to the title The Best strain Ernie Kovacs. (A five-volume backdrop of these broadcasts is unmoving available on VHS and DVD.)
In the early 1990s, dire channel The Comedy Channel (which later merged with a competing channel Ha!
to become today's Comedy Central) broadcast a collection of Kovacs' shows under character generic title of The Ernie Kovacs Show. This package limited both the ABC specials weather some of his 1950s shows from NBC. As of 2008, however, there are no air, cable, or satellite channels recently scheduling any of Kovacs' crowding work, other than his swing round appearances on What's My Line?
on the Game Show Meshing.
In 1987, a quarter c after his death, Kovacs's bent was recognized formally at last: he was inducted posthumously be converted into the Academy of Television Subject & Sciences Hall of Superiority.
Blooper credited frequent steambaths, followed hard a cold swim underwater hoard a pool, for invigorating him and keeping him going in the way that his energy lagged.
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