Official Synopsis:
Before his untimely death at the age of
42, television pioneer Ernie Kovacs left us with a sublime body of
comedy work whose influence can be seen on everything from Monty
Python to SNL and David
Letterman. He made eight TV specials for ABC in 1961, the final year
of his life, and these show Kovacs at the peak of his creative
experimentation with the medium, featuring many of his comic
masterpieces and iconic set pieces. Five of these programs are
presented here in complete uncut form, along with many of his
celebrated – and delightfully offbeat – commercials for Dutch
Masters cigars.
Our Take:
Many people currently only know of
Ernie Kovacs by footnote and annotation, but this collection of 50
year old TV specials will change that perception for you, and you may
never look at classic television the same way again.
A combination of (frequently silent)
slapstick vignettes and visual poetry set to music, these
shot-on-video specials surprise with witty, quick jokes that rely on
physical humor and absurd setups There is also occasional imagery
that may well have inspired David Lynch (a roasted chicken dancing in
kinescope or the series of faces during “The Story of Water,”
anyone?)
