Kovacsland: A Biography of Ernie Kovacs

by Diana Rico

Book Overview

Ernie Kovacs lived his life at fever pitch - a life that ended in 1962 when his car skidded out of control. Kovacsland is an engrossing and entertaining portrait of a television pioneer. Index; photographs.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0151472947
• ISBN13: 9780151472949
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Great

There was only one Ernie Kovacs. He died way too soon. Good bio. Thanks!

Biography of Ernie Kovacs

Must reading for any fan of Ernie Kovacs. So many facts about the life of the most ingenious man who ever got in front of a television camera. He understood the medium of television as no one has to this day. If the technology we have today had been available to him at the time, I can't imagine what he could have created. "The Nirobe Treo" he created is always funny no mater how many times I watch it. His untimly death, was one of the saddest events in the world. Ernie Kovacs HATED "laugh tracks". Too bad his hatedred didn't catch on!

Well Done!

I bought this book several years ago, and I highly recommend it to any Kovacsphile! Diana Rico presents a wonderful portrait of this innovative genius, hitting all of the highs and lows. TV misses Ernie to this day!

Well worth finding-or reprinting!

There have been three biographies of Ernie Kovacs in the last 25 years(well, one of the three is really Edie Adams' memoir); Diana Rico's is the best, and likely to remain so for some time-I wish I had written it myself! Ernie Kovacs was a fascinating, mercurial man with an eclectic and very strong appeal, and Rico manages to capture his personality, talent and tremendous charm without ever tipping over(as so many "star" biographies do)into bathos or hero-worship. Fair-minded, and with accuracy reflecting a lot of primary interviews and careful research, it's also just a plainly well-written, entertaining read. If you've a special interest in Kovacs, or are simply curious about who he was, and what the days of the roaring 50's rat-pack was like, this is a book to seek out.

Ernie Kovacs was a genius.

I know, we're reviewing the book and not the man, but it's pretty hard not to enjoy anything dealing with such a brilliant comedian as Ernie Kovacs. Even if it were just a dry accounting of facts, it would be interesting, because he was. However, it is very well-written and engaging. I don't know why Edie Adams refused to be interviewed for this book, because it certainly appears to be a loving tribute to her late husband. Her contributions are about the only thing that could improve this book.