ERNIE KOVACS
2011 fine art print / edition of 35 / $215.00
During TV's 1950s infancy, stars who transitioned from radio, film, and theater were often stiff on-camera. Not Ernie Kovacs. Ernie was loose. He didn't worry about making mistakes—he capitalized on them. A collapsing prop, a blown punchline, a mistimed sound effect—every serendipitous slip-up caused unintentional hilarity. TV was live and there were no do-overs. To Kovacs, this was not a bug—it was a feature.
As a TV comedy pioneer and groundbreaking technical genius, Kovacs has been profiled in books, network specials, a (bad) made-for-TV movie, home video, and museum tributes. The Kovacs Mystique endures because of his undeniable charisma. His persona was complex, yet iconic: the mustache, the imperturbable shrug, the ever-present cigar, the deadpan double-takes. Kovacs would saunter off-camera (and off-script), joke with stagehands, and skew the lens in unpredictable ways. He disdained laugh tracks; if you didn't get his humor, change the channel. Proudly lowbrow, Kovacs had a penchant for silly accents and hamfisted ethnic humor. Screw political correctness. Read more...
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Orders for multiple prints in any combination will be charged just the single-print flat shipping rate at checkout.
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click the PayPal button to purchase
Orders for multiple prints in any combination will be charged just the single-print flat shipping rate at checkout.
SHIPPING COSTS
- U.S. DOMESTIC via USPS Priority: $35
- HAWAII & ALASKA via USPS Priority mail: $40
- CANADA via USPS Priority Mail International: $60
- INTERNATIONAL via USPS Priority Mail International: $75
Only thirty-five (35) prints of ERNIE KOVACS by Drew Friedman were produced for this edition. Each print is signed in the lower right, hand-titled in the center, and numbered in the lower left (all beneath the image). We have sold print numbers 1/35 thru 15/35, are now offering numbers 16/35 thru 20/35, unframed, for $215 each (plus shipping and handling). Prices will increase for subsequent prints as the edition depletes.
The image area is 14-3/4" high x 11" wide on an untrimmed 19" x 13" sheet. Paper, ink, and production specifications, as well as shipping details, are available on our PRINT SPECS page.
This portrait of Ernie Kovacs by Drew Friedman was commissioned by Shout Factory Records for an April 2011 DVD set. We thank Shout Factory for permission to issue this work as a fine art print.
The image area is 14-3/4" high x 11" wide on an untrimmed 19" x 13" sheet. Paper, ink, and production specifications, as well as shipping details, are available on our PRINT SPECS page.
This portrait of Ernie Kovacs by Drew Friedman was commissioned by Shout Factory Records for an April 2011 DVD set. We thank Shout Factory for permission to issue this work as a fine art print.