The Ernie Kovacs Show
| The Ernie Kovacs Show | |
|---|---|
 Kovacs as Mr. Question Man, left, and announcer Bill Wendell. |
|
| Also known as | Kovacs Unlimited[1] |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Written by | Louis M. Heyward Mike Marmer |
| Directed by | Barry Shear (Dumont)[2] |
| Starring | Boris Karloff Ernie Kovacs Bill Wendell Edie Adams[2][3] Jolene Brand |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC CBS Dumont[2] |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | December 30, 1952 (NBC) 1953 (CBS) April 12, 1954 – April 7, 1955 (Dumont)[2][4] |
The Ernie Kovacs Show is an American comedy show hosted by comedian Ernie Kovacs first shown in Philadelphia during the early 50s, then nationally.
In 1953, Kovacs had an evening show by the same name on CBS.[3] He also had a late-night talk show on the DuMont Television Network for one season (1954–1955) by this name.[2]
Contents |
[edit] ABC-TV specials
A series of monthly half-hour specials for ABC in 1961–62, also called The Ernie Kovacs Show, is often considered Kovacs' best television work. Shot on videotape using new editing and special effects techniques, it won a 1961 Emmy Award. Kovacs and co-director Joe Behar also won the Directors Guild of America award for a November 1961 installment, based on Kovacs' "Eugene" character. Kovacs' last ABC special was aired posthumously, on January 23, 1962. The weekly program included performances of The Nairobi Trio.
[edit] Production notes
The original studio location was on the 4th floor of the WPTZ-TV (now KYW-TV) studio location at 1619 Walnut Street in Philadelphia. That studio was very small and accommodated approximately 45 audience members. The basement studio of the same building is where The Mike Douglas Show was aired from June 1965 until July 1972. This studio was totally gutted and transformed into offices for an architectural firm in 2002.
[edit] References
- ^ Chorba, Frank J.. "Ernie Kovacs, U. S. Comedian". Museum of Broadcast Communications. http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/K/htmlK/kovaksernie/kovacsernie.htm. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Weinstein, David, ed. (2006). The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television. Temple University Press. pp. 240. ISBN 1592134998. http://books.google.com/books?id=tV7fXlQQdz4C&pg=PA175&dq=ernie+kovacs&hl=en&ei=HtdMTMSVHsPcnAettOXYCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCgQ6AEwATgK#v=onepage&q=ernie%20kovacs&f=false. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
- ^ a b Crosby, John (8 January 1953). "Latest TV Star, Kovacs, Needs To Rehearse". St. Petersburg Times. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bjkpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vk8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4957,3466495&dq=edie+adams&hl=en. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
- ^ Ernie Kovacs To Return. Billboard. 10 April 1954. http://books.google.com/books?id=TEUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA6&dq=ernie+kovacs&hl=en&ei=Yj3YTPm3FYPLnAei-6zDCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAzhQ#v=onepage&q=ernie%20kovacs&f=false. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
[edit] External links
- The Ernie Kovacs Show at the Internet Movie Database
- Ernie Kovacs Dot Net: A Tribute To Television's Original Genius
- The Ernie Kovacs Website
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- 1952 television series debuts
- 1955 television series endings
- 1950s television series debuts
- 1950s American television series
- American sketch comedy television shows
- Black-and-white television programs
- CBS network shows
- DuMont Television Network shows
- English-language television series
- NBC network shows
- Comedy stubs
