The Ernie Kovacs Collection – DVD Review

DVD Reviews, Reviews

Ernie Kovacs’ TV career lasted barely a decade, but his attitude and innovations are still fresh a half a century later. Unlike his peers, Kovacs didn’t come from a background of stage, radio shows or movies. He was a DJ in Trenton, New Jersey that wrote a newspaper column. He took a simple morning show on a local Philly TV station to become a network superstar and big time movie actor. He’s not as famous as Lucy, Milton Berle or Jackie Gleason since he never had a long running series. His most enduring show lasted a mere eight episodes. He created shows that aired on ABC, CBS, NBC and DuMont. The Ernie Kovacs Collection is a career spanning retrospective that showcases how every great comedy show ought to thank him in the end credits. He is the man who can be linked to Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, Saturday Night Live, SCTV, Late Night with David Letterman and Mr. Show.

The first disc covers the early shows, but lacks anything from his first revolutionary show Three to Get Ready. During the early years of TV, stations didn’t turn on the power until later in the day. They didn’t think there was an audience. Ernie’s morning show quickly became popular to the point where NBC decided to create the Today Show. Why not videotape of this show? Basically they broadcast shows live at that time and didn’t have videotape for recording shows to rerun later. Ernie was shifted back to mid-morning which is where the boxset finds him on It’s Time for Ernie with two episodes from 1951. He’s having fun with the crew. He has a routine about how to adjust your TV to see him better. Ernie in Kovacsland was his network show that had him being the summer replacement for the Kukla, Fran and Ollie puppet show. This must have been a shock for a kid to tune in to see a strange man with a mustache and cigar strangling a hot dog vendor. Kovacs on the Corner is his version of a kid show that seems more like what the Addams Family would watch. There’s two episodes so you can to enjoy the weirdness from what we’d be told was a sane era of TV. Kovacs Unlimited gives him a longer show from New York with a studio audience. Imagine Saturday Night Live done every weekday afternoon.

His mid-afternoon The Ernie Kovacs Show takes up disc two. He keeps up the weirdness. He gives us the strange bon vivant Percy Dovetonsils in a tiger striped jacket. If you wonder why Percy doesn’t blink, his eyes are glued on the other side of the Coke bottle glasses. Disc three contains his prime time version of The Ernie Kovacs Show. It was a summer replacement series, but Ernie seems right at home without a fear of sucking up to the audience. He has a great routine involving a sexually dressed weather girl who seduces with chatter about high pressure fronts. His “Whip the Wristwatch” gives us a game show that involves gunplay between the host and contestants.

The fourth disc contains the special that made Ernie a genius in early television. Saturday Color Carnival: The Ernie Kovacs Show introduced America to Eugene. This was a dialogue free piece of weirdness where Kovacs used numerous gags to keep the audience glued. While it’s called “The Silent Show,” there’s music and sound effects. Kovacs on Music keeps up playing with sound and action. He gives us Swan Lake with gorillas in tutus. Take a Good Look appears to be just another guess what our guest does series with Ernie as the host and a trio of stars guessing the secret. Except there’s the angle of a surreal sketch that supposedly has clues. The episode here has Caesar Romero (Batman‘s The Joker) and Ernie’s wife Edie Adams. There should be more of these episodes since they go great with Match Game ‘75. The legendary ABC Kovacs Specials fill disc 5. While Ernie made eight specials, only the last five are here. This was Kovacs at his most refined. He brought back Eugene for a complete episode that was without words including the Dutch Masters cigar commercials. Ernie died before the eighth episode aired. The sixth discs includes isolated sketches from his NBC shows.

The Ernie Kovacs Collection is essential viewing for anyone who adores Letterman, Conan, Monty Python, Craig Ferguson or any comic that didn’t want to get a laugh doing the normal routines. Ernie didn’t play by the rules when it came to his shows. He didn’t mind mocking his network bosses on the air. He had no problem poking fun at the conventions of the still young TV business. This boxset is such a thrill to anyone who has only seen bits and pieces of Ernie’s classic moments. The only thing missing from these six discs is a second volume. Ernie’s tombstone reads, “Nothing in Moderation.” His work doesn’t hold anything back even during a timid time. He was a revolutionary who did so much in a scant dozen years on TV.

The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers vary in quality depending on their source. A lot of the shows are from kinescopes. This basically was done with a 16mm camera filming a TV monitor. There’s also some video. While there are rough moments, the genius shines through. The audio is mono and varies.

Booklet features  44 pages of photos,and essays by Joshua Mills, Jonathan Lethem and David Kronke. 

1987 Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall Of Fame Induction (11:00) has Kovacs being honored 25 years after his death. Carl Reiner shares his tales of Ernie introducing Jack Lemmon to wasabi. This is a perfect background for

Remembering Ernie (20:57) gives more details about the way he worked with memories of George Schlatter (Laugh-In) and Jolene Brand (performer –ABC Specials). Brand posed on the cover of Robert Mitchum’s calypso cover.

Baseball Film (4:09) is Ernie playing every position on and off the field. His brawl with the umpire is arguing with himself. You can watch the film from when it ran on Ernie in Kovacsland in 1951 or The Ernie Kovacs Show in 1956.  
                                           
Making Of “Baseball Film (3:14) exposes color 8mm film of Ernie shooting the short. Ben Model narrates.
              
The Mysterious Knockwurst (8:04) is a silent movie tribute to the silent movies including title cards.      
           
Performer Andy McKay’s 8mm Home Movies  (6:50) gives us odd views of Kovacs making his show in Philly.    

Superclod Test (2:39) is the footage of Kovacs flying with green screen help.

Take A Good Look Clues (4:12) are more of the surreal hints from the gameshow. I dare anyone to solve them.                                         

Take A Good Look Sales Film (3:36) lets Kovacs explain the show. He claims the original idea involved three sets of identical twin girls that the celebrities would have to match. He mentions the girls would be naked. Ernie was made for Showtime.                     

Silents Please (8:34) are his host segments for a series featuring silent movies.

Our Man In Havana Behind-The-Scenes Footage (3:20) was bought by the estate off eBay. Kovacs hangs out at the pool with a few starlets from the film.

Dutch Masters Cigars commercials (11:54) makes you wish they still them sell cigars on TV. Such creativity and weirdness from a man who was passionate about his smokes. Kovacs was the original Mad Men.

Ernie’s Trailer for Operation Mad Ball (4:27) is hosted by Kovacs. He wrecks the set.

It Happened To Ernie (5:07) features Jack Lemmon and Kovacs for the film It Happened to Jane. Ernie gets a severe haircut for his role. Lemmon contributes to the scalp job.                 

Muriel Cigars commercials featuring Edie Adams (7:06) has Kovacs’ wife sing about smokes. Both Muriel and Dutch Masters are from the same company so it wasn’t a house divided for the couple.

The Ernie Kovacs Collection is the must buy DVD set of the season. The six discs are filled with wild moments from Ernie. He wasn’t the normal funny guy on TV. He stretched what he could do on TV both from the aspect of technology and taste. The numerous bonus features adds more to his legacy. The comic genius is still funny and cutting edge after half a century.


Shout! Factory presents The Ernie Kovacs Collection Starring: Ernie Kovacs, Edie Adams and Caesar Romero. Boxset Contents: 6 DVDs. Released on DVD: April 19, 2011.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.