Ernie Kovacs

Known for his signature bushy moustache, ever-present cigar and wildly irreverent manner, legendary comedian Ernie Kovacs actually had his start in the entertainment world as a singer, but his ability to both devise and improvise delightfully strange comic scenarios soon sent him off in a wholly different direction. After trying his hand at various mundane jobs, Kovacs found his home on television and honed his talent with a number of hosting gigs. Whether he was instructing housewives on how to spice up their evening meal or reporting the local weather, Kovacs always worked his unique brand of irreverence into even the drabbest show premise. When finally granted a program in which he could let his inner madman run wild, Kovacs concocted some of the zaniest and most original comedy of his day, best illustrated on "The Ernie Kovacs Show" (CBS/NBC, 1952-56). One of the key elements of his humor was its unexpected and incongruous nature, a natural outgrowth of his frequent ad-libbing, but also representative of his truly unique sensibilities. Kovacs' blackouts were quite experimental for the time and he would be credited with inspiring a number of later programs, particularly "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" (NBC, 1968-73), as well as serving as role model for future comics with their own peculiar perspectives. Never short of unusual ideas and ways to somehow pull them off, Kovacs was incredibly inventive and a true trail blazer whose importance to the worlds of comedy and television could never be underestimated.