Ernie Kovacs Early Tv Comedy

Author : Andrew Horton
Publisher : University of Texas Press
ISBN 13 : 0292779623
Total Pages : 141 pages
Book Rating : 4.24/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Ernie Kovacs & Early TV Comedy written by Andrew Horton and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2010-03-01 with total page 141 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exploring the pioneering career of the man whose quirky comic experiments influenced decades of television, from Laugh-In to Late Night. A true pioneer of television, Ernie Kovacs entertained audiences throughout the 1950s and early 1960s with his zany, irreverent, and surprising humor—and also inspired a host of later comedies and comedians, including Monty Python, David Letterman, much of Saturday Night Live, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, Captain Kangaroo, and even Sesame Street. Kovacs created laughter through wildly creative comic jokes, playful characterizations, hilarious insights, and wacky experiments—“Nothing in moderation,” his motto and epitaph, sums up well Kovacs’s wholehearted approach to comedy and life. In this book, Andrew Horton offers the first sustained look at Ernie Kovacs’s wide-ranging and lasting contributions to the development of TV comedy. He discusses in detail Kovacs’s work in New York, which included The Ernie Kovacs Show (CBS prime time 1952–1953), The Ernie Kovacs Show (NBC daytime variety 1956–1957), Tonight (NBC late-night comedy/variety 1956-1957), and a number of quiz shows. Horton also looks at Kovacs’s work in Los Angeles and in feature film comedy. He vividly describes how Kovacs and his comic co-conspirators created offbeat characters and situations that subverted expectations and upended the status quo. Most of all, Horton demonstrates that Kovacs grasped the possibility for creating a fresh genre of comedy through the new medium of television—and exploited it to the fullest.

Author : Ernie Kovacs
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781683966678
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.78/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Ernie in Kovacsland written by Ernie Kovacs and published by . This book was released on 2023-07-18 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Best known for his wildly imaginative, gleefully absurdist television show in the 1950s, Ernie Kovacs (1919 - 1962) was also a notorious illustrator, novelist, essayist, newspaper columnist, and poet. In celebration of this cockeyed genius and his prolific creative output, Fantagraphics presents a career retrospective featuring never-before-seen photos from Kovacs's archive; excerpts of his magazine articles, columns and books, hand-notated TV scripts: a smattering of his "illustrated profuselies," the wacky improvisational sketches he drew on air; and more. Curated by Josh Mills (son of Edie Adams, Kovacs's wife and a performer on his show), Edie/Ernie archivist Ben Model, and counterculture historian Pat Thomas, the book offers a unique glimpse into the mind of a pioneering comedian. Kovacs inspired countless comedians, musicians, humorists, and writers in the latter half of the 20th century and beyond. He is cited as a direct influence by the creators and stars of such innovative comedy series as Saturday Night Live, Monty Python, and Mystery Science Theater 3000. An award in his name has been granted to uproarious humorists like Amy Sedaris (Strangers with Candy) and Harry Shearer (This is Spinal Tap). A true visionary, Kovacs's iconoclastic approach has forever made its mark on the world of comedy.

Author : Jonathan Lyons
Publisher : CRC Press
ISBN 13 : 1317679555
Total Pages : 200 pages
Book Rating : 4.54/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Comedy for Animators written by Jonathan Lyons and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2015-11-19 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While comedy writers are responsible for creating clever scripts, comedic animators have a much more complicated problem to solve: What makes a physical character funny? Comedy for Animators breaks down the answer by exploring the techniques of those who have used their bodies to make others laugh. Drawing from traditions such as commedia dell’arte, pantomime, Vaudeville, the circus, and silent and modern film, animators will learn not only to create funny characters, but also how to execute gags, create a comic climate, and use environment as a character. Whether you’re creating a comic villain or a bumbling sidekick, this is the one and only guide you need to get your audience laughing! Explanation of comedic archetypes and devices will both inspire and inform your creative choices Exploration of various modes of storytelling allows you to give the right context for your story and characters Tips for creating worlds, scenarios, and casts for your characters to flourish in Companion website includes example videos and further resources to expand your skillset--check it out at www.comedyforanimators.com! Jonathan Lyons delivers simple, fun, illustrated lessons that teach readers to apply the principles of history’s greatest physical comedians to their animated characters. This isn’t stand-up comedy—it’s the falling down and jumping around sort!

Author : Ernie Kovacs
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 370 pages
Book Rating : 4.22/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Zoomar written by Ernie Kovacs and published by . This book was released on 1957 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Diana Rico
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 396 pages
Book Rating : 4.46/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Kovacsland written by Diana Rico and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P. This book was released on 1990 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ernie Kovacs lived his life at fever pitch - a life that ended in 1962 when his car skidded out of control. Kovacsland is an engrossing and entertaining portrait of a television pioneer. Index; photographs.

Author : Gerald Nachman
Publisher : Pantheon
ISBN 13 : 0307490726
Total Pages : 688 pages
Book Rating : 4.28/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Seriously Funny written by Gerald Nachman and published by Pantheon. This book was released on 2009-08-26 with total page 688 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The comedians of the 1950s and 1960s were a totally different breed of relevant, revolutionary performer from any that came before or after, comics whose humor did much more than pry guffaws out of audiences. Gerald Nachman presents the stories of the groundbreaking comedy stars of those years, each one a cultural harbinger: • Mort Sahl, of a new political cynicism • Lenny Bruce, of the sexual, drug, and language revolution • Dick Gregory, of racial unrest • Bill Cosby and Godfrey Cambridge, of racial harmony • Phyllis Diller, of housewifely complaint • Mike Nichols & Elaine May and Woody Allen, of self-analytical angst and a rearrangement of male-female relations • Stan Freberg and Bob Newhart, of encroaching, pervasive pop media manipulation and, in the case of Bob Elliott & Ray Goulding, of the banalities of broadcasting • Mel Brooks, of the Yiddishization of American comedy • Sid Caesar, of a new awareness of the satirical possibilities of television • Joan Rivers, of the obsessive craving for celebrity gossip and of a latent bitchy sensibility • Tom Lehrer, of the inane, hypocritical, mawkishly sentimental nature of hallowed American folkways and, in the case of the Smothers Brothers, of overly revered folk songs and folklore • Steve Allen, of the late-night talk show as a force in American comedy • David Frye and Vaughn Meader, of the merger of showbiz and politics and, along with Will Jordan, of stretching the boundaries of mimicry • Shelley Berman, of a generation of obsessively self-confessional humor • Jonathan Winters and Jean Shepherd, of the daring new free-form improvisational comedy and of a sardonically updated view of Midwestern archetypes • Ernie Kovacs, of surreal visual effects and the unbounded vistas of video Taken together, they made up the faculty of a new school of vigorous, socially aware satire, a vibrant group of voices that reigned from approximately 1953 to 1965. Nachman shines a flashlight into the corners of these comedians’ chaotic and often troubled lives, illuminating their genius as well as their demons, damaged souls, and desperate drive. His exhaustive research and intimate interviews reveal characters that are intriguing and all too human, full of rich stories, confessions, regrets, and traumas. Seriously Funny is at once a dazzling cultural history and a joyous celebration of an extraordinary era in American comedy.

Author : Rae Beth Gordon
Publisher : Stanford University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780804738941
Total Pages : 300 pages
Book Rating : 4.47/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Why the French Love Jerry Lewis written by Rae Beth Gordon and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2001 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vividly bringing to light the tradition of physical comedy in the French cabaret, cafe-concert, and early French film comedy, this book answers the perplexing question, "Why do the French love Jerry Lewis?" It shows how Lewis touches a nerve in the French cultural memory because, more than any other film comic, he incarnates a distinctively French tradition of performance style."

Author : Karin Adir
Publisher : McFarland
ISBN 13 : 9780786413034
Total Pages : 274 pages
Book Rating : 4.34/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Great Clowns of American Television written by Karin Adir and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2001-12-01 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are generations that have never seen Sid Caesar become an automobile tire or Red Skelton stick his thumbs in his armpits and intone, "Two theagulls...," never journeyed with Ernie Kovacs to a surrealistic world of his warped imagination. Here seventeen comic talents are profiled (with photographs): their early years, marriages and personal challenges, anecdotes about them, the characters they created, their styles, and often representative dialogue or sketch descriptions. There is a listing of all television shows in which each comic starred (giving length, network, air dates). The comics include Lucille Ball, Milton Berle, Carol Burnett, Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Tim Conway, Jackie Gleason, Danny Kaye, Ernie Kovacs, Olsen and Johnson, Martha Raye, Soupy Sales, Red Skelton, Dick Van Dyke, Flip Wilson, Jonathan Winters, and Ed Wynn.

Author : Bill Kopp
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1538108283
Total Pages : 261 pages
Book Rating : 4.84/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Reinventing Pink Floyd written by Bill Kopp and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2018-02-09 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In celebration of the 45th anniversary of The Dark Side of the Moon, Bill Kopp explores the ingenuity with which Pink Floyd rebranded itself following the 1968 departure of Syd Barrett. Not only did the band survive Barrett’s departure, but it went on to release landmark albums that continue to influence generations of musicians and fans. Reinventing Pink Floyd follows the path taken by the remaining band members to establish a musical identity, develop a songwriting style, and create a new template for the manner in which albums are made and even enjoyed by listeners. As veteran music journalist Bill Kopp illustrates, that path was filled with failed experiments, creative blind alleys, one-off musical excursions, abortive collaborations, general restlessness, and—most importantly—a dedicated search for a distinctive musical personality. This exciting guide to the works of 1968 through 1973 highlights key innovations and musical breakthroughs of lasting influence. Kopp places Pink Floyd in its historical, cultural, and musical contexts while celebrating the test of fire that took the band from the brink of demise to enduring superstardom.

Author : David Walley
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 258 pages
Book Rating : 4.81/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Ernie Kovacs Phile written by David Walley and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Before the era of slick network programming and seamless video, a prankster genius named Ernie Kovacs single-handedly invented a short-lived brand of broadcast insanity known as "live television." His scripts -- invariably delivered to bewildered and reluctant television executives minutes before airtime -- were usually ignored, amplified, or ad-libbed beyond recognition when the red eye of the camera blinked on. The Kovacs legend is still growing, as his early shows are excavated from network archives and rebroadcast nationally.