Ernie Kovacs

Ernie Kovacs (January 23, 1919 - January 13, 1962) was a creative and innovative entertainer from the early days of television. His on-air antics would go on to inspire TV shows like the Uncle Floyd Show, Saturday Night Live and TV hosts like David Letterman.

Visual humor

Kovacs invented many camera tricks that are still common today. One of his most popular gags was a bit where Kovacs sat down at a table to eat his lunch. He took items out of his lunch box and one by one, each item mysteriously rolled down the table into a gentleman reading the newspaper at the other end. Kovacs then started to pour a glass of milk. The milk appeared to pour from the thermos in an unusual direction. The visual trick, which had not been seen on TV before, was created with a crooked table and an equally crooked camera.

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Kovacs was rarely seen without a cigar, which he often incorporated as a prop. In one memorable segment, he was seen sitting in an easy chair, calmly reading a newspaper. After a short interval, he took the cigar out of his mouth and exhaled smoke. The unique feature of this otherwise ordinary sequence was that it took place entirely under water.

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Other popular bits included; performing an all-gorilla version of Swan Lake; poet Percy Dovetonsils; The Nairobi Trio; the Silent show; and various musical segments with every day items moving in sync with classical music. Haydn's "String Quartet, Opus 3, Number 5" (the "Serenade," which was indeed written by Haydn, not Roman Hoffstetterhttp://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/notes/55002.html) was used in the Old West quick-draw bits in his memorable Dutch Masters commercials.

Related Topics:
Gorilla - Swan Lake - Percy Dovetonsils - The Nairobi Trio - Classical music - Haydn - Roman Hoffstetter - Dutch Masters

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