Ernie Kovacs as Percy Dovetonsils

[cauchamar]

Stephen Root's performance in Office Space seems to have been taken from this character.

[grabit1]

"Genius" is too insignificant a word to describe Ernie Kovacs, athough stating the obvious at least keeps him in our memory.

[tallpaul521]

Kovacs' motto "Nothing in moderation".

[tutsuro]

Read a great tribute to him in the May issue of Playboy. Will have to find more.

[einnocjoe1]

Ernie was the best. Such a great brain. very funny. Thank you for the video.

[charliehoopla]

Lovin it.

[Gydinglight12]

The only other person I can remember from old TV to do anything much inventive visually was George Burns, who would turn on his TV and watch Gracie do her plotline schtick, and would comment to the viewing audience on what was going on. Not nearly as creative as Ernie, but nobody was like Ernie.

[hemming57]

Sad that both his daughters died young too.

[Juliaflo]

@hemming57 Actually, one of his daughters, Betty Lee, is still alive.

[terrryc]

The perverse version of Steve Allen.  Watch the feature film "Sail A Crooked Ship". The movie is uneven, but when it's funny, it's insanely funny!

[FnordicQueen]

Hugo, thanks so much for these uploads. Every bit of comedy I've loved since EK, I've been able to see his influence (remembering EK from the early '60s and the '70s reruns).

Such an under-remembered visionary in the visual media, and how much television has eroded since his early supernova of TV possibility.

[DevildogGarcia]

Excuse me! Ahhh!

[svenghoulieil]

Genius - blows away anything SNL ever did, and he wrote his own material

[korymic]

Is this Mitch McConnell, Senate Republican from Kentucky ?

[OrganCat]

'They dipped the needle in pancake batter' LOL Nothing funnier than adlibbing when live TV goes wrong.

[clintbronson5]

Wow! No wonder Terry (MONTY PYTHON) Gilliam loved him!

[RangerAlways]

Kovacs was just plain genius. No one could get away doing Percy these days. Neither could the Nairobi Trio. Or Milton Berle dressed as a woman. Too bad so few people can decide what we see on TV. I have every Amos n Andy episode & love them. Hilarious stuff. I didn't hear any white ppl complaining about Archie Bunker. Because...it...was...funny. Maybe that's why old TV is so well liked. We can see the humor in it. It was great TV & was better than anything on today & I've got 250 channels.

[tallpaul521]

So right. Amos and Andy was just plain funny..the color of the characters didn't matter. I have all the A&A shows as well. I saw a documentary hosted by George Kirby, on A&A..many current black comedians were interviewed, including Redd Fox. All of them praised A&A.

[RangerAlways]

tallpaul521- I saw the Kirby docu. also. They interviewed many along w/ "Sapphire" who said up until Amos 'n Andy the only parts blacks could get were maids, butlers, other service jobs. Also said they were paid top $ for their work & held in high esteem. After A & A the cast members couldn't find work. Funny is funny no matter what color it is. People should STOP judging anything by color. Blacks as well as us "beige" people.

[tallpaul521]

@RangerAlways The wonderful Hattie McDaniels was the first black actress to win an Academy Award for Gone With The Wind. When asked if she tired of playing maids in films (she was so much more than that), she answered, "I can either be a maid and get paid $60 a week, or play a maid and get $600 a week.

[RangerAlways]

@tallpaul521 You are absolutely correct about Hattie & her statement. Before the Awards, many were concerned that a "negro" would win. Others thought"no way." I'm sure you've seen film of the presentation. When her name was announced there were gasps which quickly turned to thunderous applause and rightfully so. They talk about class in Hollyweird & Hattie said she was prepared to lose. She accepted the award with grace & never showed anything but class.

[ChesterFanningChorno]

I was amazed when Colbert recently put on weird glasses and referenced Percy Dovetonsils during the segment. Hilarious!

[GodsFavoriteBassPlyr]

My Gahd, Funny Stuff!

[wiedep]

almost anything really funny on tv in the last 50 years was spawned by ek...

[callipygicus]

I loved this stuff in the '50s, even though I didn't get a lot of it.

Anybody ever seen the Roy Clark takeoff on this character on HeeHaw? That I got, for sure.

[Harpenfarker]

AL FRANKINS plagiarism of this bit took his "lack-luster" ass all the way to the US Senate........WOW!!

[tallpaul521]

Frankin's name and Kovacs should not even be mentioned in the same sentence.

Wow is right!!! -- sad.

[ACcountryFan]

I have HEE-HAW dvd's and in some of them Roy does the 'Claude Strawberry' character. i never knew it was a parody of Ernie Kovacs' character, though.

[paulb1988]

Houlihan and Big Chuck did a take on this called "Readings By Robert" - very cool tribute!

[paulb1988]

Houlihan, from Houlihan and Big Chuck fame (horror movie hosts in OH), did a take off of this, "Readings By Robert"

[zekenzoey]

I think "the Continental" took a page from Percy's book. Ernie, you're the best.

[georgiahoosier]

I always thought Ernie was poking a little fun at his What's My Line co-panelist Bennett Cerf with his Percy character.

All these years later watching this clip and comparing it to WML episodes I'm sure of it.

I'd love to see some Matzo Hepplewhite magic skits again.

Everything Ernie touched was comedy gold.

[martinimerlin]

You are so right. I'm a HUGE fan of Ernie and WML? -- Percy is Cerf -- the shoulder shiver move and all.

[jenkin13]

kovacs was way before my time but as a little kid my grandpa would play it for me everytime I went to visit him. Kovacs was a true visionay way ahead of his time

[martinimerlin]

Thank you!!! Love the olive on the daisy.

[dh234]

now its like hot ppl are funny, back then you just laughed at weirdos..weird old fashioned days

[vidonweb]

I used to watchhim when I was a kid. Then, in the 70's they ran some of his shows on PBS. Many people had forgotten, but not me. I lived by watching TV! I had vague memories of him and knew that he died.

He was in Mad magazine too. I doubt that very many people remember him. Lots of people on TV were inspired by him. I was one of them. Today you can't kid like that on TV or radio. All the New York 50s 60s kid shows were much like Ernie's stuff.

[mikal9000]

Is that a weed reference at 1:25? Could've been -- Kovacs was WAY ahead of his time in both his bizarre humor, and his imaginative use of TV technology. Percy was always my favorite character on the show -- thanks for posting this clip!

[blackwingy]

mikal that IS indeed a pot reference! Good catch! Yes, Ernie was way, way ahead of his time. ; )

[2kath51]

there was nobody more brilliant in the formation of early television than ernie kovacs! guy was a freakin genius!

[ArmoredPanther]

The Sleestaks! Chaka will stop the Sleestaks!

[FrankiesMom]

My favorite Percy poem had something to do with a wealthy cat who lived a lonely life in his New York penthouse.

"He walked across the living room on paws as soft as satin

Then jumped up on the bar and mixed himself a strong Manhattan."

[monkeystudios444]

watch nairobi trio remade

[canonsburgman]

My friend, JackFrotht, recommended thith thite to me. He ith a nithe fellow, make a great very dry martini.

[randolphwalker]

Hugo--thanks for posting. If you have the segment where Percy reads "Thoughts While Falling From The Empire State Building" I'd love to see it.

[ChrisK42]

As I recall, Percy never did finish that poem, as he was distracted by a horse on the set that would show up later on in that episode.

[ProfessionalCynic]

Brussen die toots mit Schnitzel-Dent! LOL

I lovelovelove the fabulously weird Ernie Kovacs. Thanks for posting!!!

[yankeespy3]

Ernie pretty much invented sketch comedy on TV. Other than converting radio skits to TV, it had never been done before.

[nor405]

During the 1950's Ernie Kovacs understood that we controlled all Russian spies in the US. However, American espionage agents in eastern Europe were controlled by the Kremlin, who forced them to send false information to Washington, D.C., which was monitored by our Russian agents in America, who, nevertheless, continued to transmit actual secrets to the Russian High Command through the duplicity of a double agent - whether ours or theirs, Ernie Kovacs was not sure.

[yankeespy3]

Are you off your meds again?

[regandarcy]

Wow. Watching this, I realize how much the actor who created the "Milton" character in the movie "Office Space" was influenced by this Ernie Kovacs character. Cool.

[Ididnotwanttojoin]

The Milton character was actually created by Mike Judge in a series of animated shorts which aired on Saturday Night Live. Stephen Root (the movie's Milton) was doing the voice Judge did in the shorts. I don't know if Judge was familiar with Kovac's Percy Dovetonsils or not, thogh.

[oldtilter]

wow..what a great talent!!

thanks for the memories

[VyseAcher]

Hugo, Are the Kovac's shows in Public Domain, yet? I have a 5 tape collection of them and would like to post one of the better Dovetonsils readings here, too. By far my favorite is "Ode to a Housefly", but I haven't found a video of that one, yet.

[BUNGLEJYME]

How about "Leslie the mean animal trainer"?

That one's a classic.

[mrdave929]

There is a best of Kovacs 2 dvd set(I have it and love it) with over 6 hours from his shows. If you're an Ernie fan I recommend it. DVDPlanet(dot)com sells it for under 12 bucks.

[VyseAcher]

Mr Dave,

Does "Best of Kovacs" 2 dvd set have "Ode to a Housefly" on it? I can't tell from the Amazon:com description.

[mrdave929]

I did my best to find out, as several chapters are just marked "Percy Dovetonsils". I did not find "Ode to a Fly" in the set. "Ode to a Germ's Eye View", "Ode to a Bookworm", "Ode to Stanley's Cat", "Diet Food", and "Lesley the Mean Animal Trainer" are what I found as well as a poem about dogs. It's not easy to tell exactly what all's there as many skits are sometimes contained in one named chapter. Sorry I couldn't be more help, but if you're a Ernie fan, I recommend the set. It's hilarious!!!!

[bflat00]

MrD DrS TGuy etal..anyone recall the skit and is it posted, where the stage crew put a live goldfish in PercyD's Martini? The censors had a hardtime with this char. Homosexuality was never acknowledged pre-Disco. Everyone thought Liberace was a very sweet fellow, lived with his Mother,had an eclectc taste in attire and jewelry,admired by many women-reckon little has changed other than the acknowledement of the gay community oh and perhaps the homophobia I experienced during a colonostopy.

[oakandwillow]

Such brilliant physical, vocal, and intellectual talent. Percy Dovetonsils was one of Kovacs's inspired menagerie.  Pure genius in action.

[knobchock]

I wonder if had to memorize all of this, because he can't read through the fake eyes.

[143AC]

This is truly a funny character

..Thanks For bringing back "Mr.Percy

Dovetonsils".

[Quadroshima]

Thanks for posting this one hugo, we all appreciate it. Percy is my favorite, sure would love to see more of him. ;)

[yoyopro]

I think if Ernie Kovacs were alive today, he would be in love with youtube - he was a true pioneer of the video medium, and you see a lot of the same pioneerism today on youtube.

[canonsburgman]

Thith ith jutht great. My handle at ICC (Internet Chethth Club)ith PercyDovetontsil. Perthy wath a great poet and perthona. I jutht love him.

+ hug , + kithth , to ALL!

[ignisia]

Hooray! Percy Dovetonsils is my favorite Ernie Kovacs character! Thank you for uploading this. :)

[brabon]

it is truly amazing how he got around the censors

[hugosleestak]

You're welcome. Kovacs was a great talent. I've loved his stuff since I was a kid.

[pallokko]

thanks a lot for this. 'bout time someone uploaded this Kovacs character.