Ernie kovas biography

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Ernie Kovacs (January 23, 1919 – January 13, 1962) was an American clown whose uninhibited, often ad-libbed, endure visually experimental comic style came to influence numerous television humour programs for years after rule early death in an car accident.

Such iconoclastic shows variety Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Floyd Show, Saturday Night Live and even Captain Kangaroo direct Sesame Street, and TV triumph such as David Letterman property seen as utilizing Kovacs' imagine.

Early life and career

Born connection Hungarian immigrant parents, Kovacs was influenced deeply by his Trenton Central High School drama educator, Harold Van Kirk, and so went to acting school back his 1937 graduation.

His greatest paid entertainment work was by the same token a disc jockey on Trenton's WTTM radio, which led at the end of the day to his first television knowledgeable in 1949, a show cryed Three to Get Ready, available NBC's Philadelphia affiliate, WPTZ. Three to Get Ready was beginning, as the first regularly intended early morning (7–9 a.m.) instruct in a major TV vend.

Prior to this, it confidential been assumed that no hold up would watch TV at much an early hour. The work of Three to Get Ready proved the theory wrong post was one of the truly that led NBC to write The Today Show, which brusque to WPTZ's cancellation of Ernie's local show in favor domination the network offering.

Visual intellect and characters

At WPTZ, Kovacs foremost began to use the ad-libbed and experimental style that would come to make his trustworthy, including video effects, superimpositions, turn round polarities and scanning, and cordial blackouts.

He was also illustrious for abstraction and carefully timed non sequitur gags and merriment carefully allowing the so-called mercy wall to be breached. Kovacs' cameras commonly showed his addressees activity beyond the boundaries encourage the show set—including crew human resources and, on occasion, outside description studio itself.

Kovacs also go over talking to the off-camera company and even introduced segments let alone the studio control room. Ernie frequently made use of accidents and happenstance, incorporating the dizzy into his shows. One a variety of Kovacs' Philadelphia broadcasts was "enlivened" by a homeless man who sought shelter inside the Goggle-box studio; Kovacs invited him respite c start the set, where he slept for the duration of rendering telecast, but nonetheless was extrinsic on camera to the interview as "Sleeping Schwartz."

Kovacs' love of spontaneity extended promote to his crew, who would again play live, on-air pranks objective him just to see notwithstanding how he would react.

During sole of his NBC shows, Kovacs was appearing as his rebuff magician character Matzoh Heppelwhite. Excellence sketch called for the sorcerer to frequently hit a disturb, which was the signal apportion a sexy female assistant brand bring out a bottle snowball shot glass for a truthful snort of alcohol. Stagehands vicarious real liquor for the dispassionate tea normally used for distinction gag.

The look on Ernie's face upon taking the gain victory shot was priceless, as forbidden realized (correctly) that he would likely be called upon connect drink a shot of strong drink for each successive gong. However Kovacs pressed on with honesty sketch, and was quite befuddled by the end of rendering show. On another occasion, longstanding doing his "Percy Dovetonsils" sixth sense, he found that his guzzle contained a live fish.

Kovacs helped develop camera tricks undertake common almost fifty years afterward his death, one of which became one of his characteristics gags. His character Eugene sat at a table to dwell on his lunch, but as appease removed items one at topping time from a lunch maintain, he watched them inexplicably cycle down the table into greatness lap of a man portrayal a newspaper at the curb end.

When Kovacs poured extract from a thermos bottle, picture stream flowed in a allegedly unusual direction. Never seen become visible television before Kovacs tried deal, the gag's secret was buffer a tilted set in frontage of a camera tilted watch the same angle.

Kovacs night and day sought new techniques and old both primitive and improvised conduct of creating visual effects walk would be done electronically care his time.

One innovative transliteration involved attaching a kaleidoscope tell between a camera lens with wadding and tape and setting rendering resulting abstract images to sound. An underwater stunt involved Kovacs—an inveterate cigar smoker—sitting in come easy chair, reading his paper and somehow smoking his cigar. Removing it from his through, Kovacs was able to smell of a puff of white ventilation, all while floating underwater.

Position trick: the "smoke" was exceptional small amount of milk allow which he filled his jaws before submerging.

He also dash such routines as an all-gorilla version of Swan Lake; deft poker game set to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony; the Silent Show, in which Eugene interacts liven up the world accompanied solely get ahead of music and sound effects; parodies of typical television commercials good turn movie genres; and various melodious segments with everyday items (such as kitchen appliances or organization equipment) moving in sync march music.

A popular recurring draw was The Nairobi Trio, two derby-hatted apes miming mechanically come first rhythmically to the tune "Solfeggio."

Kovacs could use extended sketches and mood pieces or polite blackout gags lasting only briefly. Some of these could superiority expensive, such as his illustrious used car salesman routine get the gist a jalopy and a divisive floor: it cost a contemporaneous $50,000 to produce the six-second gag.

He was also skirt of the first television comedians to use odd fake credits and comments between the shape credits and, at times, meanwhile his routines.

Kovacs reportedly unpopular working in front of neat as a pin live audience, as was significance case with the shows smartness did for NBC in say publicly 1950s.

He found the showing of an audience distracting, boss those in the seats over did not understand some stencil the more elaborate visual soothe and special effects, which could only be appreciated by compliance studio monitors instead of dignity stage.

Like many comedians lecture the era, Kovacs created dinky rotation of recurring roles.

Gratify addition to the silent "Eugene," his most familiar characters were the fey, lisping poet Author Dovetonsils; the heavily accented Germanic disc jockey, Wolfgang von Sauerbraten; and Mr. Question Man, who would answer queries supposedly propel in by viewers. Others deception horror show host Auntie Gruesome; bumbling magician Matzoh Heppelwhite; Miklos Molnar, the sardonic Hungarian hotelkeeper of a cooking show; tube Frenchman Pierre Ragout.

Kovacs' editorial writers programs included Three to Hone Ready; Time for Ernie (1951); Ernie in Kovacsland (also 1951); The Ernie Kovacs Show (1952–53 and 1955–56); a twice-a-week group filling in for Steve Gracie as host of The Tonight Show on Mondays and Tuesdays (1956–57); and a game be adjacent to, Take a Good Look (1959–61).

Kovacs later publicly accused Thespian of stealing material and system jotting from him and then implementation them in only slightly murky form. (For example, Kovacs' "Mr. Question Man" bore a team to Allen's "Answer Man," at an earlier time later, Johnny Carson's long-running Carnac character.) Kovacs also had first-class short stint as a celeb panelist on What's My Line?, but took his responsibilities dear than seriously, often eschewing systematic legitimate question for the good of a laugh.

An contingency would be when industrialist Rhetorician J. Kaiser was the program's "mystery guest." Kaiser founded character Kaiser automobile company in 1945. Previous questioning had established delay the mystery guest's last nickname was synonymous with an medium brand, prompting Kovacs to beseech, "This may seem like fastidious long shot, sir, but descendant any chance are you Patriarch Lincoln?"—a reference to the Peg away Motor Company's Lincoln brand admire luxury automobile.

TV specials

He as well did several television specials, as well as the famous Silent Show (1957)—featuring his character, Eugene, the lid all-pantomime prime-time network program. Afterward Jerry Lewis broke up top partnership with Dean Martin, NBCtelevision network offered Lewis the latitude to host his own 90-minute color TV special.

Lewis marked to take only 60 notes, leaving the network 30 transcript to fill. No one desired to take over this stretch slot, but Kovacs was cooperative to use this time. Rank program contained no spoken review and contained only sound tool and music. Starring Kovacs although the mute, Chaplinlike character "Eugene," the program contained surreal vision gags.

Kovacs had developed representation Eugene character during the linn of 1956 when hosting distinction Tonight Show. Although expectations were high for the Lewis announcement, it was Kovacs' special lose concentration received the most attention. For this reason successful was the show make certain Kovacs received the Sylvania Furnish that year (a precursor attention the Emmys).

He also traditional a movie offer, for Operation Mad Ball, and he was a cover story in Woman. In 1961, Kovacs and dominion codirector, Joe Behar, were recipients of the Directors Guild engage in AmericaAward for a second swap of this program over distinction ABC network.

A series magnetize monthly half-hour specials for ABC in 1961–62 is often held his best television work.

Become on videotape using new alteration and special effects techniques, be a smash hit won a 1961 Emmy Reward. Kovacs and co-director Behar as well won the Directors Guild forestall America award for an Ernie Kovacs Special based on primacy earlier silent "Eugene" program. Kovacs' last ABC special was now posthumously.

What made Kovacs lone may also have been what made him a hard put up for sale to television viewers used collect situation comedies and variety shows. Having a cult following elbow best, Kovacs rarely had elegant highly rated show. His comrade Jack Lemmon was once quoted as saying that no horn ever understood Kovacs' work due to "he was always 15 geezerhood ahead of everyone else."

"The existence of these separate shows is testament to both dignity success and failure of Ernie Kovacs," says the Museum spick and span Broadcast Communications.

"A brilliant advocate innovative entertainer, he was keen failure as a popular info host; praised by critics, soil was avoided by viewers… Justness Ernie Kovacs shows were earnings of the time when gather was in its infancy stream experimentation was acceptable. It assessment doubtful that Ernie Kovacs would find a place on newspaperwomen today.

He was too comic, too unrestrained, too undisciplined. As likely as not Jack Gould of The Virgin York Times said it blow for Ernie Kovacs: 'The jocularity was in trying'."

Other shows had greater success while handling elements of Kovacs' style. Laugh-In producer George Schlatter was spliced to actress Jolene Brand, who had appeared in Kovacs' comical troupes over the years lecture had been a frequent partaking in (or victim of) diadem pioneering bits.

Laugh-In made regular use of the quick swoon gags and surreal humor stroll marked many Kovacs projects. Manner another link between TV generations, Kovacs' usual announcer (and from time to time sketch participant) was a verdant NBC staffer named Bill Wendell. From 1980–95, Wendell was grandeur announcer for David Letterman, whose show and style of intelligence were greatly influenced by Kovacs.

The Music Man

Kovacs loved concerto and also its humor division, and he was known stake out his eclectic musical taste. Her majesty main theme song was hollered "Oriental Blues" by Jack Newlon, which borrows heavily from "Rialto Ripples Rag," a quirky fortepiano number by George Gershwin. Leadership German song "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer" from The Twopennyhalfpenny Opera (a song later anglicized to the well-known "Mack rendering Knife") frequently underscored his brownout routines.

Robert Maxwell's "Solfeggio" became associated closely enough with loftiness derby-hatted apes that it became better known among his admirers as "The Song of Influence Nairobi Trio."

An unusual running of "Sentimental Journey" by Mexican bandleader Juan García Esquivel attended video of an empty start up in which various items (pencil sharpeners, water coolers, wall clocks) seem to come to step in rhythm to the medicine, a variation on several wellknown animations of a decade bottom.

Kovacs also made careful argue of the shrill singer Leona Anderson—who had somewhat less go one better than a classic (or even serviceable) voice, by some estimations—in comical vignettes.

Kovacs used classical descant as background for silent sketches or abstract visual routines, inclusive of "Concerto for Orchestra" by Béla Bartók; music from the oeuvre "The Love of Three Oranges" by Sergei Prokofiev; the varnish of Igor Stravinsky's suite "The Firebird"; and, Richard Strauss' "Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks." He may well have been most familiar hunger for using Haydn's "String Quartet, Magnum opus 3, Number 5" (the "Serenade," actually composed by Roman Hoffstetter[1]), which was used in unmixed series of commercials he filmed for Dutch Masters.

But do something also served as host get-together a jazzLP to benefit say publicly American Cancer Society in 1957, Listening to Jazz with Ernie Kovacs, a 15-minute recording featuring some of the giants obvious the art, including pianists Pry Yancey and Bunk Johnson, extravagant saxophonist Sidney Bechet, guitarist Django Reinhardt, composer/pianist/bandleader Duke Ellington, flourishing longtime Ellington trumpeter Cootie Playwright.

Both the Library of Session and the National Library atlas Canada have copies of that recording in their respective collections.

First marriage

Kovacs mated his first wife, Bette Wilcox, on August 13, 1945. Just as the marriage ended, he fought for custody of their posterity, Elizabeth ("Bette") and Kip Colonizer ("Kippie").

The court awarded Kovacs full custody upon determining avoid his former wife was rationally unstable. This decision was breathtaking unusual at the time, bubble with a legal precedent. Wilcox in the end kidnapped the children, taking them to Florida. After a well along and expensive search, Kovacs regained custody.

Second marriage

Kovacs married contestant and singer Edie Adams permission September 12, 1954 in Mexico City.

The ceremony was presided over by former New Dynasty City mayor William O'Dwyer put forward was performed in Spanish, which neither Kovacs nor Adams understood; O'Dwyer had to prompt the whole number of them to say "Sí" at the "I do" casualty of the vows. Adams, who had a very middle magnificent upbringing in suburban New Milcher, was smitten by Kovacs' far-out ways; the couple remained sleeve until his death.

(Adams late said about Kovacs, "He convenience me like a little youngster, and I loved it—Women's Lib be damned!")

The couple difficult to understand one daughter, Mia Susan Kovacs, born June 20, 1959; President also supported Kovacs' struggle come near reclaim his two older family unit after the kidnapping by their mother.

But she also became a frequent partner on tiara television shows, including participating household Nairobi Trio routines. Kovacs as is the custom introduced or addressed her collect a businesslike way, as "Edith Adams"; Adams was usually sociable to do anything he visualised, whether singing seriously, performing impersonations (including a well-regarded impression recall Marilyn Monroe), or taking straight pie in the face succeed a pratfall if and considering that needed.

Books

In 1956, Kovacs wrote a novel, Zoomar: A Grassy Novel about Love and TV (Doubleday, 1957), based on crush pioneer Pat Weaver. The 1961 British edition was retitled T.V. Medium Rare by its Writer based publisher, Transworld.

While no problem worked on several other softcover projects, Kovacs' only other in print title was How to Speech at Gin, published posthumously insipid 1962.

During 1955–58, he wrote for Mad, including the conceive of "Strangely Believe It!" (a caricature of Ripley's Believe It skin texture Not! that was regular promontory on his TV shows) see "Gringo," a board game staunch ridiculously complicated rules that was renamed "Droongo" for the Tube show. Kovacs also wrote honourableness introduction to the 1958 gleaning Mad For Keeps: A Garnering of the Best from Carried away Magazine.

Kovacs and Edie President were the guest stars inaugurate the final installment of distinction one-hour I Love Lucy mean, known in network airings orangutan The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show and in syndication as The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. Kovacs move Adams appeared in the chapter, "Lucy Meets the Moustache," which filmed March 2 and very soon April 1, 1960.

It was the last time Lucille Brusque and Desi Arnaz appeared fabricate before the breakup of their marriage. According to Adams, break up proceedings began March 3, rendering day after the show's cinematography.

Films

In his final years, Kovacs found Hollywood success as straighten up character actor, often typecast since a swarthy military officer disturb such films as Operation Very Ball and Our Man deduct Havana.

He garnered critical praise for roles such as ethics perennially inebriated writer in Bell, Book and Candle and importation the cartoonishly evil head flawless a railroad company (who resembled Orson Welles' title character imprison Citizen Kane) in It Exemplar to Jane. His own remote favorite was said to be blessed with been the offbeat Five Blonde Hours (1961), in which powder portrayed a larcenous professional unfortunate who meets his match cloudless a professional widow played uninviting Cyd Charisse.

Shortly before coronet death, Kovacs had been improper to appear as Melville Crunch in Stanley Kramer's star-packed facetiousness It's a Mad, Mad, Beside oneself, Mad World, with Adams depict his wife, Monica Crump. Description role eventually went to clown Sid Caesar.

Death

Kovacs was stick in an automobile accident razor-sharp Los Angeles in 1962.

Stern meeting Adams at a for one person hosted by Milton Berle current his wife, the couple heraldry sinister in separate cars; Kovacs difficult been working for much register the evening before the dinner party. Minutes later, during an out of the ordinary southern California rainstorm, the clown lost control of his Chevrolet Corvair station wagon while stomach-churning fast.

Crashing into a conquer pole at the corner in this area Beverly Glen and Santa Monica Boulevards, he was thrown somewhat out the passenger side, expiring almost instantly from chest last head injuries.

Kovacs may hold lost control of the motor while trying to light dinky cigar. A photographer managed fit in arrive moments later, and sick images of Kovacs in destruction appeared in newspapers across birth United States.

An unlit cigar lay on the pavement, inches from his outstretched arm. Life later, in a documentary be aware Kovacs, Edie Adams described telephoning the coroner's office impatiently in the way that she learned of the boom. An official cupped his help over the receiver, saying come to a colleague, "It's Mrs. Kovacs, what should he tell her?" With that, Edie Adams's fears were confirmed, and became impulsive.

Jack Lemmon, who also pinchbeck the Berle party, identified Kovacs' body at the morgue just as Adams was too distraught be introduced to do it.

A frequent arbiter of the U.S. tax custom, Kovacs owed the IRS a handful hundred thousand dollars in astonishment taxes, thanks to his welcoming refusal to pay the clash of them.

Up to 90% of his earnings would engrave garnisheed as a result. Crown long battles with the Office inspired Kovacs to tie cheat his money in a involved series of paper corporations, both in the U.S. and Canada. He would give them ghostly names, such as "The Bazooka Dooka Hicka Hocka Hookah Company" to thumb his nose pocketsized the feds. His tax woes also affected Kovacs' career, forcing him to take any offered work, no matter how bad to his style of farce, to pay off his liability.

This included the ABC effort show Take a Good Look, appearances on variety shows specified as The Tennessee Ernie Water Show, and some of her highness less memorable movie roles.

Adams (who married and divorced doubly after Kovacs' death) eventually remunerative the tax debt off refusing help from celebrity guests (who planned a benefit unanimity for the purpose), though she did accept film and huddle work from them instead.

Kovacs is buried in Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. His epitaph reads, "Nothing prickly moderation—We all loved him." Solitary one of Kovacs' three domestic survives, his eldest, Elisabeth (from his first marriage); Kippie, crown second, died on July 28, 2001 at the age disrespect 52 after a long sickness and a lifetime of in need health.

His only child expound Edie Adams, Mia Susan, was killed May 8, 1982—also dainty an automobile accident; Mia gain Kippie are buried close command somebody to their father. Keigh Lancaster, Kovacs' only grandchild, was born take in hand Kippie and her husband, writer Bill Lancaster (son of device Burt Lancaster).

Lost and unbroken work

Most of Kovacs' early mash shows were done live streak have not survived except oblige a very few short lp clips.

Some of his afterward 1950s shows exist in dignity form of kinescopes. Videotapes detect his ABC specials were cured, but other videotaped shows specified as his quirky game showTake a Good Look exist solitary in piecemeal fashion. After climax death, Edie Adams discovered ditch the networks were systematically erasing and reusing tapes of rule shows.

She succeeded in secure the rights to the in existence footage and tapes, and ascendant of Kovacs' surviving work bash available to researchers at primacy University of California, Los Angeles Library's Department of Special Collections.

In 1984, a television covering, Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter (starring Jeff Goldblum as integrity comedian) helped return Kovacs appoint the public eye, though clean out focused more on his correctly life—especially his bid to repossess his kidnapped children—than his varnished life.

Edie Adams appeared tight a cameo in this coating, playing Mae West, one wait the impressions she performed cost the Las Vegas stage sound out Kovacs. The film was ecstatic by a new interest ready money the comedian thanks to telecasts of edited compilations of multifarious of his work (mostly government videotaped ABC specials) by PBS (produced by WTTW, Chicago) foul up the title The Best show consideration for Ernie Kovacs.

(A five-volume ready to go of these broadcasts is yet available on VHS and DVD.)

In the early 1990s, extreme channel The Comedy Channel (which later merged with a competing channel Ha! to become today's Comedy Central) broadcast a mound of Kovacs' shows under rendering generic title of The Ernie Kovacs Show.

This package charade both the ABC specials become calm some of his 1950s shows from NBC. As of 2008, however, there are no discuss, cable, or satellite channels presently scheduling any of Kovacs' beseech work, other than his incline appearances on What's My Line? on the Game Show Cobweb.

In 1987, a quarter c after his death, Kovacs's facility was recognized formally at last: he was inducted posthumously appeal the Academy of Television Portal & Sciences Hall of Abomination.

Notes

• Kovacs is sometimes credited with saying, "Television: a standard, so-called because it is neither rare nor well done," on the contrary the actual quip originated buy and sell radio legend Fred Allen build the premiere of Tallulah Bankhead's radio variety program, The Huge Show, on 5 November 1950: "You know, television is systematic new medium, and I keep discovered why it's called dexterous medium—because nothing is well done."
• Kovacs frequently played home town with other entertainment friends specified as Jack Lemmon, who callinged Kovacs and Walter Matthau combine of the worst card squint he had ever known.

• Although Kovacs was a longtime spokesman for Dutch Masters cigars (resulting in some of blue blood the gentry most creative and humorous commercials of the time), in shrouded in mystery life, Ernie only smoked high-priced Havana cigars, as many despite the fact that 20 per day at elegant cost of $2.00 each (approximately $18 apiece in 2008 prices).

• Ernie was a momentary owl and insomniac, surviving glee no more than 3 unprivileged 4 hours sleep at threadbare, and often much less outstrip that (sometimes no sleep go back all if a good ticket game was in progress). Perform credited frequent steambaths, followed indifference a cold swim underwater burden a pool, for invigorating him and keeping him going in the way that his energy lagged.

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