Ernie in Kovacsland

About the Author

Ernest Edward Kovacs (1919 - 1962) was an American comedian, actor, and writer. Kovacs created the television comedy variety show The Ernie Kovacs Show (1952-53, 1956) and became noted for his zany slapstick sketches. He later hosted the quiz show Take a Good Look (1959-61) and acted in such films as Operation Mad Ball (1957) and Our Man in Havana (1960). Kovacs's visually experimental and often spontaneous comedic style influenced numerous television comedy programs for years after his death. Joshua Mills is the only son of entertainer Edie Adams and celebrity photographer Martin Mills. He's a music publicist and manager as well as head of the archive of both his parents' works as well as that of Ernie Kovacs. Ben Model is the archivist for the Ernie Kovacs collection and has programmed three DVD box sets of Kovacs television shows. He is also an internationally-renowned silent film accompanist and historian. Pat Thomas is the author of Listen, Whitey! The Sights & Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975, Did It! Jerry Rubin: An American Revolutionary, and co-editor of Invitation to Openness: The Jazz & Soul Photography of Les McCann 1960-1980. In co-operation with the Estate of Allen Ginsberg, Thomas edited the visual tome Material Wealth: The Personal Archives of Allen Ginsberg, with a forward by poet Anne Waldman, which won a PEN award in 2024. Thomas was the co-editor of Ernie in Kovacsland: Drawings, and Photographs from Television's Original Genius and Grievous Angels, Trout Masks, and American Beauties: 1970s Rock & Roll Photography of Ginny Winn with an introduction by Maria Muldaur. He lives on America's left coast.