Ernie Kovacs - "Whom Dunnit" featuring Bobby Lauher

[From "Kovacs Corner" on YouTube.com] - This is Ernie's rather dark satire of 50's style panel quiz shows. In addition to Kovacs regulars Jolene Brand and Joe Mikolas, and sporting his "Beanie Copter" hat, is occasional Kovacs performer Steve Blauner.

[Updated September 10, 2010] After Ernie's death, Bobby Lauher was the playwrite for "Victory Canteen" which was produced and staged at Ivar Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. With a book co-written with by Milt Larsen, it's musical score was written by Disney alumni Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. The play opened on January 27, 1971 and ran for seven months. The cast featured former Mouseketeer Sherry Alberoni, famous 1940s sensation Patty Andrews, Laureen Yarnell (of Shields and Yarnell), Beverly Sanders, and Marcia Kramer, Patty Shayne, and Brian Avery. Also appearing onstage was Anson Williams of "Happy Days" fame as was KNX Radio Entertainment Reporter Tom Hatten. The follow-spot operator was KNX Traffic Reporter Doug Dunlap.

His career also include performing as a writer/performer on the Bob Barker hosted game show "Truth or Consequences", a writer/preformer on the NBC summer replacement 1966 Dixieland musical/comedy show "Mickey Finn's", and as a writer for "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In". (That writer's spot was a tie in with his former Kovacs player Jolene Brand who's husband, George Schlatter, was the Producer). In 1973 he appeared in the Joseph Wambaugh 1975 television series "The Blue Knight" which starred George Kennedy.

Category:

Comedy

Tags:

• Ernie
• Kovacs
• Bobby
• Lauher
• Joe
• Mikolas
• Jolene
• Brand
• Steve
• Blauner
• Classic
• TV
• kinescope
• game
• show
• gunshot
• murder
• guns
• ABC

[RichHartley19671]

I like the way Kovacks called this "WHOM Dunnit," since I think that's a dig at the viewers who wrote in to tell the creators of the "Who Do You Trust?" gameshow: "Don't you know that the title should read 'Whom Do You Trust' and not 'Who'?"

[rolko52]

@RichHartley19671 - That's correct. Then Kovacs goes on to use the slang "dunnit" instead of "done it".

[fromthesidelines]

Yes, 'rolko', NOW I recognize his name: Steve Blauner appeared in this sketch primarily as a favor to Ernie...or perhaps, this was "payment" he owed for losing a card game [they often played poker]. Blauner's real profession was being an agent- his most famous client was Bobby Darin.

[rolko52]

@fromthesidelines Barry, you are on fire! You must win, hands down, every time you play "Trivial Pursuit"!

[fromthesidelines]

This appeared on one of Ernie's 1961 ABC specials, right after his own game/panel show, "TAKE A GOOD LOOK", had been cancelled (in fact, the desks were recycled from that show, as well as the "glissando" cue heard at 1:13). Bobby Lauher is the "frothy" emcee [ironically, he later became a member of Bob Barker's staff, as a writer and "stooge", on "TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES"]; Jolene Brand and Joe Mikolas are two of the "panelists".

[rolko52]

@fromthesidelines Sorry, my typo error. Steve's last name was actually "Blauner".

[EpicureMammon]

@rolko52 Not only that, but in this instance "Whom" is grammatically incorrect. That's some leveling for you!

[ucmeason]

I met Bobby when I was a child in Houston. My Dad worked for KPRC as an announcer. Bobby had a kids TV show at the station.

[mikemcgee]

i was close i said 1960 but the special was 1961

[tallpaul521]

Rolko52 Got your messages. I just ran across this clip as I'm a huge Kovacs fan and I know that my friend worked and knew Bobby...and I know Milt Larsen and Dick Sherman, who are mentioned in the video notes. Thanks for the clip.

[tallpaul521]

Lauher was from Houston, Texas..before he moved to LA to work for Kovacs. A good friend of mine knew and worked with Lauher in Houston. Lauher sadly died in his LA pool of an apparent heart attack.