Posted on: April 23, 2012 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

 

The importance that Ernie Kovacs had on modern comedy is incredible. While eir early death made it harder to understand eir true role in current come, I feel that the variety of specials that are captured here should showcase the sheer impact that ey had on the art form. Shout Factory has found some solid versions of these specials, which do not possess the same graininess or audio problems that plague recordings from this era.

What viewers will see when they watch Ernie Kovacs: The ABC Specials is someone that is utterly comfortable in their element. The humor present here is eternal; there are just as many laughs to be had here as there were when this broadcast was beamed out over the airwaves. These five performances close up the 1961 year for Kovacs ; eir life would be cut tragically short just a short time later.

The extra on this DVD release is fun – there are a number of commercials that ey cut for the ever-popular Dutch Masters cigars. I believe that current generations simply are not familiar with Kovacs’ work. The low price point of this DVD should make it an easy choice to pick out this release, while the quality of Kovacs’ material during this time should be the reason that viewers keep this disc in their collection for years to come. Here’s to hoping that Shout Factory is able to unearth other Kovacs stuff, to fill in a gap that has sadly existed since the advent of home video . Check out their site for a listing of the different releases that are on their 2012 slate.

Rating: 8.3/10

Ernie Kovacs: The ABC Specials (DVD) / 2012 Shout Factory / 145 Minutes / http://www.shoutfactory.com

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