Explain Ernie Kovacs and his really weird show..... - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Yong Fang · 10-07-2017, 05:02 AM

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lWdEr1XaLrw

I am a fan via YouTube of a show called "What's My Line?" I love this show and if I were alive in the 1950's and 1960's I would have watched the show every week. I will start a thread about What's My Line soon.

But this is about someone who was a panelist and a mystery celebrity guest named Ernie Kovacs. I knew his name, and read about his history and he was a successful entertainer and TV show personality with a beautiful wife named Edie Adams. He seemed like a really cool, fun guy, a cross between Groucho Marx and Cosmo Kramer. I am saddened he died at such a young age of 42 (I am 50) of a car accident in 1962 in Los Angeles, after a party attended by A listers like Jack Lemmon (who was also awesome) His post script is also intend resting because he was married before Adams as his first wife was supposedly mentally ill and quite nutty, and there was a custody battle with his two biological children with the first wife who actually chose to live with Adams over the mother and the court agreed. For an early 1960's court to award stepchildren to a second wife over a living biological parent showed the first wife was nuts.

Anyway, I went to the magic of YouTube to watch his show, which was on the early 1960's to see what it was all about. I have tried to watch his stuff several times and came away with a "Huh? What is the world is this?" To me, it was a very weird, even a bizarre show. Bizarre is probably the best word for it. It wasn't funny , and very strange. I came away wondering if Kovacs did drugs, at least smoked pot. Even with the link above, I would fast forward trying to find a funny bit, but was hit with more bizarreness. If I were alive then, I wouldn't watch his show, but would love to smoke a cigar and have a scotch with the dude and ask, "Ok, Ernie, I give up, what the hell is this?"

Many people lament he did not live longer and that his show was way ahead of his time. I definitely agree. Kovacs more than likely did not use drugs, but this was really something best enjoyed by drugs. Lastly and one more time, bizarre is what I best describe it as. Remember, this was the late 1950's, early 1960's when this was on. America was much more conservative and less likely to embrace stuff like this. I never found it to be humorous or entertaining. Didn't insult me or hated it, and I do appreciate what he was trying to do. I think if Kovacs lived, his stuff would have caught on. But it apparently did back in the day because he is relatively famous.

What have I missed here? As an aside, I use marijuana and even high, I sort of go "WTF is this?" I can't imagine people in 1960 America, a Leave it To Beaver, I Love Lucy, Andy Griffith Show generation getting his stuff. So what am I missing.

But Ernie was a cool cat, and it is a tragedy he died so young, because I think him and the times would have caught up with each other.

Edison · 10-07-2017, 12:11 PM

I love what he did. As to why, I'll let that be fielded by this guy -
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." Henry David Thoreau

RetroGuy2000 · 10-07-2017, 01:06 PM

Ernie Kovacs was an early innovator and experimenter. He tried to push the boundaries of the television medium, with some interesting visual effects for the time.

The Ernie Kovacs Show aired at different times on ABC, CBS, DuMont, and NBC. The NBC version of his show was more traditional comedy. An episode from the NBC run has been posted to YouTube here, and it's got several funny bits.

10-07-2017, 05:02 AM	#1
Yong Fang Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 04, 2009 Location: Memphis Tennessee Posts: 3,072	Explain Ernie Kovacs and his really weird show..... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lWdEr1XaLrw I am a fan via YouTube of a show called "What's My Line?" I love this show and if I were alive in the 1950's and 1960's I would have watched the show every week. I will start a thread about What's My Line soon. But this is about someone who was a panelist and a mystery celebrity guest named Ernie Kovacs. I knew his name, and read about his history and he was a successful entertainer and TV show personality with a beautiful wife named Edie Adams. He seemed like a really cool, fun guy, a cross between Groucho Marx and Cosmo Kramer. I am saddened he died at such a young age of 42 (I am 50) of a car accident in 1962 in Los Angeles, after a party attended by A listers like Jack Lemmon (who was also awesome) His post script is also intend resting because he was married before Adams as his first wife was supposedly mentally ill and quite nutty, and there was a custody battle with his two biological children with the first wife who actually chose to live with Adams over the mother and the court agreed. For an early 1960's court to award stepchildren to a second wife over a living biological parent showed the first wife was nuts. Anyway, I went to the magic of YouTube to watch his show, which was on the early 1960's to see what it was all about. I have tried to watch his stuff several times and came away with a "Huh? What is the world is this?" To me, it was a very weird, even a bizarre show. Bizarre is probably the best word for it. It wasn't funny , and very strange. I came away wondering if Kovacs did drugs, at least smoked pot. Even with the link above, I would fast forward trying to find a funny bit, but was hit with more bizarreness. If I were alive then, I wouldn't watch his show, but would love to smoke a cigar and have a scotch with the dude and ask, "Ok, Ernie, I give up, what the hell is this?" Many people lament he did not live longer and that his show was way ahead of his time. I definitely agree. Kovacs more than likely did not use drugs, but this was really something best enjoyed by drugs. Lastly and one more time, bizarre is what I best describe it as. Remember, this was the late 1950's, early 1960's when this was on. America was much more conservative and less likely to embrace stuff like this. I never found it to be humorous or entertaining. Didn't insult me or hated it, and I do appreciate what he was trying to do. I think if Kovacs lived, his stuff would have caught on. But it apparently did back in the day because he is relatively famous. What have I missed here? As an aside, I use marijuana and even high, I sort of go "WTF is this?" I can't imagine people in 1960 America, a Leave it To Beaver, I Love Lucy, Andy Griffith Show generation getting his stuff. So what am I missing. But Ernie was a cool cat, and it is a tragedy he died so young, because I think him and the times would have caught up with each other.

10-07-2017, 12:11 PM	#2
Edison Member Senior Member Join Date: Oct 01, 2006 Posts: 2,430	I love what he did. As to why, I'll let that be fielded by this guy - "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." Henry David Thoreau Attached Images

10-07-2017, 01:06 PM	#3
RetroGuy2000 Julie,Julie Anne,&Felice 4Ever Forum Star Join Date: Dec 27, 2013 Posts: 16,914	Ernie Kovacs was an early innovator and experimenter. He tried to push the boundaries of the television medium, with some interesting visual effects for the time. The Ernie Kovacs Show aired at different times on ABC, CBS, DuMont, and NBC. The NBC version of his show was more traditional comedy. An episode from the NBC run has been posted to YouTube here, and it's got several funny bits.
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