Ernie Kovacs
Radio's first true rebel, per radio historian Gerald Nachman.
Ernest Edward Kovacs was an American comedian, actor, and writer whose visually inventive and often spontaneous style of comedy left a lasting mark on television. Born in 1919, he was the son of Hungarian immigrant Andrew John Kovacs, who worked as a policeman, restaurateur, and successful bootlegger, enabling the family to live in a large mansion in Trenton. A poor student, Kovacs was encouraged by a high school drama teacher and earned a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1937. Financial hardship due to the end of Prohibition and the Great Depression meant he lived in a modest walk-up apartment in New York City. During this period, he frequently watched low-budget films, which later influenced his comedy. After a severe bout of pneumonia and pleurisy in 1939, he spent over a year in hospitals, where he honed his comedic skills entertaining staff and patients and developed a love for classical music through a radio. His first paid entertainment work came in 1941 as an announcer for Trenton radio station WTTM, where he spent nine years, eventually becoming director of special events and staging stunts such as nearly being run over by a train. He also wrote a local newspaper column called "Kovacs Unlimited." In 1950, he auditioned for Philadelphia television station WPTZ wearing a barrel and shorts, landing his first TV job. He hosted cooking shows, famously offering a recipe for "Eggs Scavok" (his name spelled backward) seasoned with cigar ash when a chef failed to appear. His program *Three to Get Ready*, which premiered in November 1950, was the first regular early-morning show in a major television market, predating NBC's *Today*. Though he and his wife Edie Adams received Emmy nominations in 1957, his talent was not formally recognized until after his death in 1962, when he received an Emmy for camera work and a Directors Guild of America award. He was later inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame and honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Museum of Broadcasting held an exhibit of his work in 1986, with a critic calling him television's first significant video artist.
- born
- March 31, 1915
- died
- May 19, 1994
- field
- Humorist, satirist, panelist
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Barbed, self-deprecating satire on radio; regular panelist on I've Got a Secret
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Morgan's parents divorced when he and his brother, Roger, were young. He grew up in Washington Heights, Manhattan, attended the High School of Commerce for two years, then went to the Harrisburg Academy in Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1931. He began his radio career as a page at New York City station WMCA in 1932, after which he held a number of radio jobs, including announcing. He strenuously objected to the professional name Morgan but was told that his birth name of von Ost was exotic and difficult to pronounce despite the fame of successful announcers Harry von Zell and Westbrook Van Voorhis. This began a long history of Morgan's arguments with executives. In 1940, Morgan was offered a daily 15-minute comedy series on Mutual Broadcasting System's flagship station WOR. In his memoir Here's Morgan (1994), Morgan wrote that he devised his introduction "Good evening, anybody; here's Morgan" as a dig at popular singer Kate Smith, who "started her show with a condescending, 'Hello, everybody.' I, on the other hand, was happy if anybody listened in." He mixed in barbed ad-libs, satirizing daily life's foibles, with novelty records, including those of Spike Jones. Morgan stated that Jones sent him his new records in advance of market dates because he played them so often. Morgan appeared in the December 1944 CBS Radio original broadcast of Norman Corwin's play The Plot to Overthrow Christmas, taking several minor roles including those of the narrator, Ivan the Terrible and Simon Legree. He repeated his performance in the December 1944 production of the play. Morgan targeted his sponsors freely. Adler Shoe Stores, one early sponsor, came close to canceling its account after Morgan made references to "Old Man Adler" on the air. The chain changed its mind after business spiked upward, with many new patrons asking to meet Old Man Adler. Morgan had to read an Adler commercial heralding the new fall line of colors. He thought the colors were dreadful and said he wouldn't wear them to a dogfight, but perhaps the listeners would like them. Old Man Adler demanded a retraction on the air and Morgan obliged: "I would wear them to a dogfight." He later recalled "It made him happy." The Henry Morgan Show received a Peabody Award Special Citation of honor for 1946.
Reader's Guide
Morgan's longest-lasting television image began in June 1952 when he was invited to join I've Got a Secret, produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Morgan's tenure on the show was marked by his periodic sarcastic complaints about the working conditions. Morgan's mordant wit played well against the upbeat personalities of the other panelists, and producer Allan Sherman deliberately staged elaborate "secrets" involving Morgan personally. On various occasions, Morgan was: sent to Africa; dispatched to an undisclosed location in the Caribbean to try Edward O. Thorp's card counting system for blackjack; partially undressed on the air while trying to read a dramatic script (without breaking his composure); given a job by cowboy Roy Rogers on his ranch in California; given janitorial equipment and told to clean up a messy, confetti-strewn theater stage; assigned as a caddie for Arnold Palmer in a charity golf tournament; dressed as Santa Claus by former panelist Faye Emerson, then told to deliver presents that night to children who had written letters to Santa; sold a hot dog by Paul Newman at a World Series game at Ebbets Field. Morgan stayed with the show for its original 14-season run and rejoined it when it was revived twice: in syndication in 1972 and on CBS once more for a brief 1976 summer run. Morgan was briefly blacklisted after his name appeared in the anti-communist pamphlet Red Channels. Morgan's connections with communism were dubious at best. Nachman noted that Morgan's listing sprang from his former wife's leftist affiliations as Morgan confirmed in his memoir. Morgan married Isobel Gibbs on August 17, 1946 in Las Vegas. By 1948, they were separated. During an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman in 1982, Morgan told Letterman that Gibbs still was trying to sue him for more money. Morgan revealed in his memoir that one of his cousins had been a Communist Party member until the Hitler-Stalin Pact caused him to break with the party and that this cousin had told investigators that Morgan had not been a party member. Morgan was cleared, and he resumed his broadcasting career.
Did You Know?
- Morgan devised his introduction 'Good evening, anybody; here's Morgan' as a dig at popular singer Kate Smith, who started her show with 'Hello, everybody.'
- He received a Peabody Award Special Citation of honor for 1946 for The Henry Morgan Show.
- Morgan was briefly blacklisted after his name appeared in the anti-communist pamphlet Red Channels, but was later cleared and resumed his career.
- On I've Got a Secret, producer Allan Sherman once had Morgan partially undressed on the air while trying to read a dramatic script without breaking his composure.
- Morgan married Isobel Gibbs on August 17, 1946 in Las Vegas; by 1948 they were separated, and as late as 1982 she was still trying to sue him for more money.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Ernie Kovacs?
Ernie Kovacs was an American comedian, actor, and writer (1919–1962) who became one of television's earliest pioneers of visual gags and spontaneous on-camera humor. He is widely regarded as TV's first major "video artist" for treating the camera itself as a comedic tool.
What made Ernie Kovacs's comedy style different from other comedians of his era?
Rather than relying on scripted one-liners or straight-man setups, Kovacs built his bits around visual tricks, direct-to-camera mischief, and improvised physical comedy that constantly broke the fourth wall. His approach made the television medium itself the punchline in ways virtually no one had attempted before.
What is Howard the World's Strongest Ant?
Howard was a recurring character Kovacs played—a tiny suited ant who performed absurdly heroic feats for a few cents. The bit became one of his most recognizable and frequently imitated sketches throughout his career.
How did Ernie Kovacs die?
Kovacs was killed in a car accident on January 13, 1962, just ten days before his 43rd birthday. His sudden death shocked the entertainment world and cut short what many felt was still an ascending career.
Why is Ernie Kovacs considered important to television history?
His willingness to treat the camera as a playful object and to abandon traditional sketch structure influenced virtually every experimental comedy show that followed, from Monty Python to modern internet creators. A Pulitzer Prize–winning critic dubbed him television's first significant video artist, a label that still holds up decades later.
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