Ernie Kovacs NBC Morning Show 12/19/1955 2/3 with Edie Adams singing "Christmas in Killarney"

[From "Kovacs Corner" on YouTube.com] - After his debut stint over WPTZ in Philadelphia, NBC programming chief Sylvester "Pat" Weaver, the father of actress Sigourney, brought Ernie into the New York market over WRCA-TV. Later the call sign was changed to WNBC-TV, which is still the NBC Television Network's flagship station in NYC. This morning program predated The Today Show with Dave Garroway. Prior to this time it was assumed that nobody would watch a television program prior to 7AM. Ernie proved them wrong! While watching these three videos, remember that the rules and and writing techniques that we take for granted today were just being created, tried, and perfected. The audience seems asleep and Ernie makes a heroic effort to keep the pace of the show moving. So little remains of these early television programs that we by circumstance may not see the very best of Ernie's material from this period. Enjoy it as an example of a surviving work. By the way, Ernie just finished a three hour stint on the NBC Radio Network for "Monitor" before this show! This clip also displays a long obsolete TV production element; namely a "graphics card". In this instance the cards serve to pitch an upcoming edition of "Caesar's Hour" staring Sid Caesar. For years my late mother told me about how my older brother was enthralled by the Kovacs character "The Kapusta Kid". Never seen on his later shows, I only discovered this clip a few month's ago. I had envisioned it to be Ernie dressed up on some sort of cowboy outfit. I was bowled over when the character turned out to be an animal puppet! For those of you who may not be aware, The Kapusta Kid's intro and outro theme music is Ernie's rendition of "Hotcakes and Sausages". Kinescoped just before the Christmas of 1955, Ernie's wife Edie Adams sings her rendition of the Bing Crosby holiday favorite "Christmas in Killarney".

Category:

Comedy

Tags:

• Ernie
• Kovacs
• Classic
• TV
• kinescope
• Edie
• Adams
• Oriental
• Blues
• Rialto
• Ripples
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• Archie
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• WNBC-TV
• WRCA-TV
• Pat
• Weaver
• Caesar's
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• Fabrey
• Carl
• Reiner
• Howard
• Morris
• The
• Kapusta
• Kid
• Christmas
• in
• Killarney
• Irish
• jig
• Ireland

[rolko52]

Apparently the stage hand in charge of the teleprompter is rolling it faster than Kovacs is speaking.

[sojournersblues]

David Letterman owes his ass to Ernie Kovacs.

[rolko52]

Absolutely. If you notice through the videos, and are old enough to remember Dave's "Late Night" days, Letterman's original announcer was Ernie's own Bill Wendell.

[blackwingy]

And believe me, Letterman acknowledges it, too.

[rg184511]

And Carl Reiner

[431516020205]

yes sir!! ernie rocks!! thanx bud!!