The Ernie Kovacs Show
| The Ernie Kovacs Show | |
|---|---|
The cast of Kovacs Unlimited in 1953. From left-Eddie Hatrak, Edie Adams, Ernie Kovacs, Trygve Lund and Andy McKay.
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| Also known as | ''Kovacs Unlimited The Ernie Kovacs Rehearsal'' |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Written by |
Louis M. Heyward Mike Marmer |
| Directed by | Barry Shear (DuMont) |
| Starring |
Boris Karloff Ernie Kovacs Bill Wendell Edie Adams Jolene Brand |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes/60 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network |
NBC CBS DuMont ABC |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | December 30, 1952-April 1953 (NBC) 1953-1954 (CBS) April 12, 1954 – April 7, 1955 (DuMont) ABC (1961-62) |
The Ernie Kovacs Show was an American comedy show hosted by comedian Ernie Kovacs, first shown in Philadelphia during the early 1950s, then nationally. The show appeared in many versions and formats, including daytime, prime-time, late-night, talk show, comedy, and as a summer replacement series.
The Ernie Kovacs Show was one of only six TV shows broadcast on all four U.S. television networks during the Golden Age of Television, the others being The Original Amateur Hour, Pantomime Quiz, Down You Go, The Arthur Murray Party, and Tom Corbett, Space Cadet.
From April 21, 1952 to January 15, 1954, Kovacs had a daytime show under the name Kovacs Unlimited airing Monday through Friday at 8:30 am ET on CBS Television. From December 30, 1952 to April 14, 1953, CBS aired the one-hour The Ernie Kovacs Show on Tuesday evenings at 8pm ET.
From April 12, 1954 to April 7, 1955, he also had a late night television talk show on the DuMont Television Network under the title The Ernie Kovacs Show, which aired from 11:15pm to 12:15am ET. Kovacs began to refer to this show as The Ernie Kovacs Rehearsal in its final months.
Of the DuMont-WABD version, three partial episodes and one complete episode are known to survive. The DuMont series, while also a talk show, included many comedy segments. For example, one episode featured a spoof commercial for a product called "Kodadent", a black toothpaste.
From December 1952 to April 1953, NBC aired a prime-time series with Kovacs. From December 12, 1955 to July 27, 1956, NBC aired The Ernie Kovacs Show Mondays through Friday in the late morning.
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