Early TV genius inspired many

McClatchy-Tribune

“Television’s original genius” has inspired spirited comedy from Steve Allen to David Letterman, from “Laugh-In” to “Monty Python.” An ebullient Hungarian DJ from Trenton, N.J., with an ever-present cigar, Ernie Kovacs filled hours of 1950s airtime in the embryonic visual medium with both his explorations of its technical possibilities and his relaxed wit. He created characters (poet Percy Dovetonsils), riffed to music (the instrument-playing apes of his Nairobi Trio) and generally did anything for a laugh — never in moderation.

This six-disc treasure trove include odles of additional skits, Kovacs’ wild Dutch Masters cigar commercials, short films, home movies, and lots more. Plus a superb 44-page booklet detailing the wonder that is Kovacsland. Sit back to savor the smart, laid-back humor — and marvel what else might have been, had Kovacs not died at 42 in a ’62 car crash.

List price: $70, from Shout.

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