The Ernie Kovacs Collection, Vol. 2

Product Description This second volume of The Ernie Kovacs Collection digs deeper into a gold mine of comedy from television?s original genius. Kovacs fans, both longtime and new, will marvel at the sheer invention, wit and goofy charm of these landmark programs, all presented on home video for the first time. Ernie Kovacs was a creative force of nature, and this new collection of his riches (historic, unique and endlessly entertaining) will seal his legacy. Including: 8 More Episodes From Kovacs? National Morning Show 18 Bonus Sketches Featuring Many Of His Most Beloved Characters 3 Complete Episodes Of His Offbeat Game Show Take A Good Look A Pony For Chris: His Rare TV Pilot For Medicine Man Costarring Buster Keaton The Lively Arts Featuring The Only Existing Filmed Solo Interview With Ernie Kovacs 2011 American Cinematheque Panel Amazon.com The second volume of Shout! Factory's Ernie Kovacs Collection confirms what its predecessor from 2011 proved in spades: that the praise heaped upon television comic Ernie Kovacs over the last half-century was not just a case of nostalgic "pining for the old days" of TV, but genuine respect for one of the medium's true visionary figures. Though slimmer by half than the previous volume, the material contained on volume two's three discs stands up to the better-known sketches and shows on volume one by presenting Kovacs in one of his best showcases: his live morning show on NBC, which ran from 1955 to 1956. Here, he positively revels in the anarchy inherent to live entertainment, ad-libbing with abandon while gleefully flaunting the rules and regulations of how a TV program should be conducted. He gently mocks the artificiality of a variety format as well as the network powers that be (NBC's then-head of programming Pat Weaver and president Robert Sarnoff) and even his own failed gags. Recurring characters like besotted poet Percy Dovetonsils, Teutonic DJ Wolfgang von Sauerbraten, and the ill-tempered Miklos Molnar are also given the spotlight, as is the talented Edie Adams, whose triple-threat status as singer, comedian, and sounding board for Kovacs (in addition to being his spouse and tireless preservationist of his television output) is confirmed with several lovely musical numbers and a terrific Marilyn Monroe impersonation. A third disc is given over to Kovacs's intentionally baffling game show Take