Title:
Ernie in Kovacsland : from the collection of Josh Mills & the Kovacs estate / compiled and edited by Josh Mills, Ben Model, and Pat Thomas.
ISBN:
9781683966678
Personal Author:
Edition:
First Fantagraphics Books edition.
Publication Information:
Seattle : Fantagraphics Books, Inc., 2023.
©2023
Physical Description:
283 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 27 cm
Contents:
Contents: all selections by Ernie Kovacs except as noted -- Ernie Kovacs: too hip for the room / Ann Magnuson -- Play on, Nairobi Trio! / Ron Mael -- Omnipresent Kovacs / Joshua Mills -- Ernie Kovacs: television comedy's first auteur / Ben Model -- Kovacs & the counterculture / Pat Thomas -- Comedy without angst / Edie Adams -- Ernie Kovacs / George Glazer -- Memorandum on the invention of the wheel -- Excerpt from Zoomar, a novel -- Private showing -- Wacky world of Ernie Kovacs / Richard Gehman -- First class malice -- On the record with Percy Dovetonsils -- Black day at White Rock -- Dreams of an opus eater -- Thoughts while falling off the Empire State Building -- Royalty writes -- Missing letters of Cleopatra -- Letters of apology: a beginner's manual -- If Mars invades, will our first line of defense be Nairobi? -- Take a good look -- Excerpt from Sing a Pretty Song: the "offbeat" life of Edie Adams including the Kovac years / Edie Adams & Robert Windeler -- Night before Christmas...(on the East Side) -- How to talk at gin -- Ernie Kovacs: the last spontaneous man / Frederic Morton.
Summary:
"Best known for his wildly imaginative, gleefully absurdist television show in the 1950s, Ernie Kovacs (1919 - 1962) was also a notorious illustrator, novelist, essayist, newspaper columnist, and poet. In celebration of this cockeyed genius and his prolific creative output, Fantagraphics presents a career retrospective featuring never-before-seen photos from Kovacs's archive; excerpts of his magazine articles, columns and books, hand-notated TV scripts: a smattering of his "illustrated profuselies," the wacky improvisational sketches he drew on air; and more. Curated by Josh Mills (son of Edie Adams, Kovacs's wife and a performer on his show), Edie/Ernie archivist Ben Model, and counterculture historian Pat Thomas, the book offers a unique glimpse into the mind of a pioneering comedian. The first Kovacs book to be published in 30 years, this impressive collection features previously unpublished Ernie photos, drawings and writings, vintage 1960s magazine articles reprinted for the first time, and new essays by Ann Magnuson and Ron Mael of Sparks. Kovacs inspired countless comedians, musicians, humorists, and writers in the latter half of the 20th century and beyond. He is cited as a direct influence by the creators and stars of such innovative comedy series as Saturday Night Live, Monty Python, and Mystery Science Theater 3000. An award in his name has been granted to uproarious humorists like Amy Sedaris (Strangers with Candy) and Harry Shearer (This is Spinal Tap). A true visionary, Kovacs's iconoclastic approach has forever made its mark on the world of comedy" -- Provided by publisher.
Personal Subject:
Genre:
OCLC Number:
on1305914837
Availability:
Apple Valley - Galaxie~1
Eagan - Wescott~1
