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A SHORT HISTORY OF |
INTERVIEW WITH "KOVACSLAND" AUTHOR DIANA RICO |
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AN ERNIE KOVACS FAQ We get questions about Ernie Kovacs emailed to us all the time and are very appreciative that so many people care about his wonderful comedic legacy and take the time to write us. In many cases the questions we receive are very specific and there is absolutely no information on the web regarding them. We're more than happy to answer these. There are, however, a number of questions that we get asked repeatedly for which there are answers on the internet. It's for this reason I thought it would be a good idea to put up a FAQ page. It will save time for us here in Kovacsland and if your question is on the list you'll get the answer right away instead of having to wait for us to answer you via email. In some cases the entire question is a link to the answer and in others the question is answered directly on the page with some supporting links enclosed within the text. If you were looking for more specific answers regarding the subjects listed and the answers provided do not address those feel free to contact us. Please take a few minutes to read through the list before contacting us. If the question you send is answered here it will not be responded to via email. Thanks for understanding and thanks for your support. Al Quagliata, www.erniekovacs.net Webmaster, Sunday, February 14, 2010 (last update 07/09/2010: Added #25, Updated #22) 1. When and where was Ernie Kovacs born and when did he die? 3. When was Edie Adams born and when did she die? 4. What is the name of the song used in "The Nairobi Trio" and what does it mean? This pilot is available for viewing at The Paley Center For Media in NYC and Los Angeles. Clicking the link will give you a full synopsis and the catalog number. 8. I've heard there is a color version of "The Silent Show" (aka "Eugene"). Is it available for viewing on video or in some other way? As of this writing it is not out on video. It does exist, however, and you can see parts of it if not all of it. Read this post for more info; the answer is towards the bottom. In the comments section there is a link to a quick clip as well as links to some other segments which are available for viewing at The Paley Center For Media in New York and Los Angeles. 9. Why is it so hard to find a copy of "The Ernie Kovacs Record Collection"? Is this the same thing as "The Ernie Kovacs Album"? They are two different things. Click the question to learn more about "The Ernie Kovacs Record Collection". "The Ernie Kovacs Album" was released in 1976 on Columbia Records and is a collection of some of Ernie's comedy bits committed to vinyl, many taken from TV audio. It's not the greatest but you can usually find reasonably priced copies floating around on ebay or sites of a similar nature.
10. Is it true Ernie wrote for Mad Magazine? Why yes, it is!
11. Did Ernie have any children and is it true they were kidnapped? Are the children still alive?
Ernie had three children: daughters Elizabeth ("Bette") and Kip Raleigh ("Kippie") with his first wife Bette Wilcox and daughter Mia with Edie Adams. Bette and Kippie were abducted. The court awarded Ernie full custody upon determining that his former wife was mentally unstable. This decision was extremely unusual at the time, setting a legal precedent. Wilcox subsequently kidnapped the children, taking them to Florida. After a long and expensive search, Ernie regained custody and raised the children with Edie Adams. One movie was made about the life of Ernie Kovacs. It starred Jeff Goldblum and was called "Ernie Kovacs: Between The Laughter". It's main subject is the kidnapping of Ernie's daughters. Mia was an actress and was killed in a car accident eerily similar to the one that killed the father she hardly knew. Kippie passed away after a long illness. As far as we know, Elizabeth is still alive.
We get this question a great deal which is why an answer has been included. We don't have any personal contact with
the surviving Kovacs family or cast members so please don't ask us for any further information.
12. What books about Ernie Kovacs should I own? How about videos? (See Question 9 for Records & CDs)
Visit our links page. Listed there is everything relevant that is currently available. The most important are the books by Diana Rico, David Walley and Andrew Horton. We offer "The Vision Of Ernie Kovacs", a very hard to find book, through this webpage. We acquired all the remaining inventory and sell it for a better price than you will find elsewhere (auction sites, second-hand dealers) plus the copies aren't used. You should also read the books Ernie wrote himself: "Zoomar" and "How To Talk At Gin". These are usually available through rare book dealers or for very good deals on ebay and similar sites. Be careful on auction sites, however, as some sellers charge a very inflated price for books which are still available for regular market prices on sites such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble. I’ve noticed this recently with Andrew Horton's book which came out in April 2010; in some cases the price on auction sites was set to almost twice what it sells for on the sites of the two major book retailers and the publisher’s own site, and this within days of it's release. "The Best Of Ernie Kovacs" two DVD set is the most comprehensive collection of video available legally and it is fairly easy to find. On some auction sites you will see DVDs for sale that are homemade bootlegs of this item or of other legally released items such as biographies and documentaries that have been made about EK. Still there are other items that were not commercially released which somehow folks have been able to obtain; they then make copies and try to sell these items. All of the aforementioned are illegal and generally of very poor quality, especially since some of the source material isn't in the greatest shape to begin with on even the legally released versions. I suggest you avoid buying these items, the main reason being that the parties entitled to royalties receive no compensation for them. This in turn serves to discourage these same parties from releasing new material for fear of making only a small profit due to illegal duplication and/or file sharing. I'll admit this is just an educated guess on my part; if I owned the rights to something where I thought this would happen I'd want more money upfront and might not be able to find a distributor willing to provide it as it’s a bigger risk for them. Over the last few years some proposed new DVD collections of my favorite artists’ work (including EK) have been dropped and I'm convinced that this is at least partially to blame. The Museum Of Broadcast Communications in Chicago has some very interesting EK files available to watch and listen to online. Visit our The Ernie Kovacs Blog and read "Video And Audio Clips On This Site" in the left hand column. There are instructions there on how to go about doing this. Another wonderful resource is the Paley Center For Media, with locations in NYC and Los Angeles. There you can see some great Ernie Kovacs material that isn't available for purchase and which can't be seen anywhere else. If you live in or are visiting one of those areas we strongly suggest you stop by.
Be sure to check out our "Kovacs Christmas List" for some more great EK items you can look for when surfing the web.
13. What films did Ernie appear in? Are any available on video?
Visit our "Kovacs Christmas List". There is a full list of Ernie's films there.
14. I seem to remember that Ernie and Edie did commercials for a specific company. What was the name of it?
It was the Consolidated Cigar Corporation, makers of "Dutch Masters" and "Muriel" cigars. Ernie, an avid cigar smoker did the commercials for "Dutch Masters" which he created himself and are quite wonderful even if you're anti-smoking. Edie did some great spots for "Muriel". The company still makes these products but now operates under a different name. An interesting side note is that the law which went into effect in 1971 banning tobacco ads on TV in the U.S. actually does NOT cover cigars. You don't see ads however. Sort of a self policing thing we suppose, since no other type of tobacco can advertise. So, if EK were still with us he could still make these spots.
Even though EK smoked up to 20 cigars a day, he would rarely smoke the "Dutch Masters", preferring his own Cuban
Cigars. At least until the ban on trade with Cuba.
15. Is it true Ernie and Jack Lemmon were close?
They were best friends and made several films together. Visit our "Kovacs Christmas List" to see a list of films. Jack Lemmon is also the narrator for "The Best Of Ernie Kovacs" two DVD set. This can be found on the Amazon, Barnes and Noble and eBay sites for very reasonable prices. Check out our links page for a direct link to Amazon's page with the set.
16. I have a link to some Ernie video clips, I've uploaded some clips, I've uploaded some recordings, I want to send you videos, CDs, etc. Can I do this? Will you post them?
This is answered clearly on our contact page yet amazingly people still send the emails.
Since you seem to need further explanation, go to the The Ernie Kovacs Blog and read "Video And Audio Clips On This Site" in the left hand column. That is your answer.
17. I work for a web design company, search engine company, etc. I sent you a sales email. When will you respond to my great offer?
WE WON'T. Please take us off your list. We have no interest. We delete anything and everything that falls into this category. Just like we told the folks who asked question 16: this is answered on our contact page but you felt the need to ask again. Shame on you.
18. I need the rights to some Ernie Kovacs video clips for a project. Can you put me in touch with the right people?
We get this question several times a year and respect the fact that you want to legitimately acquire the rights to Ernie's material for use in your project. Unfortunately we can't help you; our sites are run by and for Ernie Kovacs fans and we have no authority in these matters nor do we know who does. If you've sent us one of these emails this is your answer and the question will not be responded to further. Best of luck. If your project comes to fruition please contact us and let us know. We can run a story on it, that's for sure.
19. I'd like to contribute material to the site, suggest a blog post, share a reminisence, etc. How do I go about doing this?
This question is answered on our contact page.
20. I own some Ernie Kovacs memorabilia and want to know how much it's worth. Can you tell me?
While we always like to hear about these items and hope you'll share pics with us we're not going to assign a monetary value to them for you. People who appraise memorabilia get a percentage on the final sale because they're taking on the responsibility of assigning a price that may or may not be obtained; even if you're not selling the item you still get charged for an appraisal. Since we're not in the business of selling/appraising memorabilia and since this is a volunteer effort, we don't wish to take on that responsibility for free nor do we feel qualified to do it for pay. Here is a link to some auction posts on the blog. Here is another very informative post. This should give you a general idea of what some past EK and Edie items have sold for at auction and also lead you to some avenues where you can have your items appraised.
21. Is it true that Ernie hosted "The Tonight Show" for a while in the 1950s? Yes, and this post gives a further explanation. Look in the comments section for some links to catalog info for segments which you can view when visiting The Paley Center For Media in New York and Los Angeles.
22. I'd like the contact information ⁄ address of an EK relative, former cast member, former crew member, etc.
This question is answered on our contact page.
23. There's another Ernie Kovacs site besides this one, an "Ernie Kovacs Blog", a fan page on "MySpace" and (perish the thought) a "Twitter" account for EK. Who runs these?
This question is answered on our home page under the heading "ABOUT THIS SITE".
24. What can you tell me out Ernie’s first TV show, "3 To Get Ready"?
This page on The Broadcast Pioneers Of Philadelphia Website talks about Ernie’s early days on WPTZ in Philadelphia, particularly the legendary and first ever morning show on television, "3 To Get Ready". No copies of this program exist; in fact it’s listed on The Paley Center For Media’s "Television Programs We’re Looking For" list.
25. I'd like you to place a link to my site on www.erniekovacs.net , The Ernie Kovacs Blog (http://erniekovacs.blogspot.com) or both. What are the requirements?
Almost all the links we have on our sites have to do directly with EK; some link back to us and some do not. In most cases we added them due to their relevance and not because we were asked to. If you request us to link to your site, however, you must provide a reciprocal link to us and we'd prefer that the site is somehow related to EK, classic television, film or that general era. As a rule we are not going to link to sites that are not of the same genre that we are. If you've already linked us without asking and you then ask for a reciprocal link we reserve the right to refuse if you don't meet the guidelines. If you feel we'd be a good match, send us an email by visiting our contact page. We will take a look at your site and get back to you.
I figure this just about covers it folks. This list is by no means comprehensive so when other FAQs about EK come to me I will add them in numerical order and post the date of the additions at the top right after the introduction. Thanks for stopping by and as Ernie might have said "It's Been Real!"
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