Description
Ernie Kovacs (1919-1962) was one of the leading innovators of comedy in television. He also published a novel and acted in
movies. The collection consists of Profuselies cartoons, scripts, recordings of Kovacs' television shows, manuscripts of his
novel,
Zoomar, as well as personal papers, contracts, financial papers, and scrapbooks.
Background
Kovacs was born in Trenton, New Jersey, on January 23, 1919; acted in stock companies and wrote for
The Trentonian; was a disc jockey and special-events announcer for Trenton's radio station WTTM; began his television career at Philadelphia's
WPTZ in 1950 and was one of the leading innovators of comedy in the new medium; his first network television program was
It's Time for Ernie (1951); continued to work on radio while doing television; wrote all of his own material; married singer Edie Adams in 1954,
and she frequently starred in his television shows; won 3 Emmy awards during 1956-1957 season; published a novel,
Zoomar, in 1957; began his film career with
Operation Mad Ball (1957); during 1961-1962, he concentrated most of his efforts on his monthly television specials; died in an auto accident
in Beverly Hills, California, in 1962.
Extent
35.5 linear ft.
(71 boxes and 33 oversize boxes)
Restrictions
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the
creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright
owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Availability
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.