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Released by: Shout! Factory
Released on: 4/17/2012
Director: Ernie Kovacs
Cast: Ernie Kovacs
Year: 1961
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The Movie:
With his career cut short at the age of 42 in an auto accident, Ernie Kovacs' name is synonymous with the phrase “television pioneerâ€. Kovacs was doing sketch comedy right at the beginning of the boob tube's invasion into every home in America and his stuff was pretty cutting edge for the time. Shout! Factory has released a collection of his final television specials, aired once per month, right up to his untimely demise. The final episode has a little farewell to him, which aired shortly after he died. This bunch of specials can also be found on their 6-disc The Ernie Kovacs Collection, but if you haven't picked that up, or you are not familiar with his work, this may be a good jumping on point.
The set is split into five half-hour shows and each is full of quick sight gags, off-the-wall humor, and features a man who obviously loved doing what he did. His humor may not appeal to everyone, especially younger viewers, but there is no denying his place in comic history and the countless comedians and tv shows his work has inspired. One comic in particular whose success certainly owes something to Kovacs is Benny Hill. Where Ernie left off, Benny picked up. He of course added his own zing to things, bringing a big audience with his dancing girls and sexist jokes, but at its base, he's just doing what Ernie did. Sometimes pushing the envelope, other times being pretty corny, but always mixing it up a bit to appeal to a broader audience. And if the joke isn't working for you, just wait a minute for another one.
There were eight total ABC specials Kovacs made in 1961, and this disc shows #s 3 through 8. This is pretty tame stuff by today's standards, and for some people it may seem a but dull and not really funny. To others, probably the ones who got to stay up late with mom and dad to watch Kovacs in action, they might get more out of it than a new comer. And to anyone interested in old-time television, this is good stuff. It's pretty neat to see how Kovacs really used the medium to his fullest advantage with the technology he had available to him, using extreme close-ups and some trick photography (like making someone invisible). And its cool to watch him smoking cigars on the air too, like when he's behind the control panel talking to the camera. He used sex a bit as well, as much as he probably could on television in 1961. In particular watch for a gorgeous woman talking a bath in one episode, with her as the focal point for a few jokes. Could it be that's the first time a woman was seen on tv in a bathtub? Could be…
This collection may not hit you over the head with the intense urge to laugh, but there's certainly stuff to make you smile. His influence cannot be contested and his legacy deserves to be kept fresh in the minds of those who appreciate sketch comedy.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The ratio on this is 4:3 Full screen, black-and-white, and the quality varies. These are old tapes and there are spots that show age and wear, but its all completely watchable. The disc seems free of authoring issues. The audio is a mono track, that has some humming and pops here and there, all surely due to the source material, but there's nothing distracting. It just sounds like an old recording. The only extra on the disc is an eleven-minute reel of Ernie in Dutch Masters cigar commercials. They're pretty good and worth checking out.
The Final Word:
This would be awesome to watch with a grandparent who remembers the show fondly. Buy this and go visit your grandmother and watch it with her. Or your grandfather. Or maybe even a parent. Whomever. It will probably be most enjoyed in the company of someone who remembers him.
