Ernie Kovacs, 1958 The 20th century saw artists who broke the rules of what had gone before. In art, there was Picasso; in music, it was Igor Stravinsky; and in television, Ernie Kovacs changed the medium forever. Kovacs began his all-too-short career in the early 1950s, and soon saw opportunities for the new technology that no one else did. His style was eclectic, mixing sophisticated references with quick sight gags. Kovacs would try anything, whether it was spending $50,000 for a 6-second sight gag, doing an entire show with no dialogue, or creating performance art with the Nairobi Trio. Even though he began appearing in movies, he never abandoned television, innovating and expanding what could be done. Kovacs was killed in a car crash in 1962, and his influence has been seen in the work of such personalities as Steve Allen, David Letterman, and the casts of "Saturday Night Live." Suggested Sites... The Ernie Kovacs Blog - articles and interviews about Kovacs. Kovacsland Online - more interviews, photos, and other Kovacsiana. Museum of Broadcast Communications: Ernie Kovacs - biography of television's "original genius." Broadcast Pioneers: Ernie Kovacs - discusses Kovacs's early TV work in Philadelphia. Mad Genius of Comedy - more discussion of Kovacs's groundbreaking early work.

Directory categories: Ernie Kovacs, Television History, Television Personalities, Comedians, Television

Archived under: Biographies, Comedians, Entertainment, Ernie Kovacs, Humor, TV

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