Tag: ernie kovacs

  • George Fiala — Make-up Artist for Uncle Gruesome, Soaps, Santa and Soupy

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    Ernie Kovacs made a point of bringing make-up artist George Fiala out on camera in what may his only TV appearance. It was not to show Fiala off or pay tribute to his craft, but as a reassuring gesture a parent or child educator might do. Ernie’s morning show on NBC that ran from December…

  • Jack Newlon, Oriental Blues and Oriental Rag

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    Jack Newlon may have been hoping lightning might strike twice in 1952 when he composed and recorded Oriental Rag. His former piano student Tony DeSimone’s recording of his Oriental Blues was now being heard fairly regularly on Ernie Kovacs’ popular shows on WPTZ. Why not capitalize on its (qualified) success? This is, of course, entirely…

  • “The Best of Ernie Kovacs” – EEFMS, the Next Generation

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    Ben Model
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    My parents were Ernie Kovacs fans, and when they learned that Channel Thirteen, our PBS station, was going to air a series called “The Best of Ernie Kovacs”, they made sure I knew. My interest in visual comedy, almost an obsession, had started when I discovered Chaplin comedies on TV when I was a toddler. …

  • Live, From My Living Room, It’s…Me!

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    Ben Model
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    I think one of my favorite introductions was at a show I did at the Redford Theater in Detroit in 2017. Organist John Lauter welcomed the audience, and gave them a snapshot of my bio — mentioning I’d come in from NYC, that I played at LoC and MoMA, my DVDs, etc — then wound…

  • Sound Into Sight – Ernie Kovacs on Music

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    Ben Model
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    I’ve noticed over the last several years that more and more symphony orchestras are doing concert events where they perform the score to a popular or classic movie in synch with it. Raiders of the Lost Ark, one of the Harry Potter films, the Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, Bugs Bunny cartoons. Classical music audiences are…

  • “Let’s Get Away From It All” — The Slightly Missing Matt Dennis

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    Ben Model
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    The name Matt Dennis may not be familiar, but if you’re an Ernie Kovacs fan you may know it. Or maybe not. You’d have be a credits-reader who also paid attention to the details in the back of the “Ernie Kovacs Collection” DVD box sets’ booklets. Who was Matt Dennis? My introduction to him was…

  • Don Q, Son of Zorro; changes at AMMI

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    Ben Model

    Last night’s showing of Don Q, Son of Zorro went quite well. We had a nice crowd, and a few kids too. Audience members enjoyed spotting Donald Crisp, the original/first Charlie Chan, Warner Oland, and Jean Hersholt (seen a couple months ago at the CAC in Greed). Miditzer sounded great, as always. Next up in…

  • an “educational” week

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    Ben Model

    Yesterday was the Silent Clowns program of shorts released by E.W. Hammons’ Educational Pictures. We’d planned 5 shorts, but then I turned up a lost one-reeler starring Wallace Lupino on eBay a couple weeks ago, and we threw it into the program. So, our audience was the first to see this film in several decades.…

  • October 2008 shows posted

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    Ben Model

    Had a great Charley Chase show at the Silent Clowns this afternoon. I have digested and recovered (mentally) from my 3-day trip to L.A. for the Ernie Kovacs project, and don’t have to get on a plane or pack for quite some time. Have just finally had a moment to post my October 2008 performance…

  • Hamilton Theatre – The General

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    Ben Model

    Sunday Aug 10th at 7pm – another great show at the historic Hamilton Theater. This year was Keaton’s The General, plus The Scarecrow. 35mm prints came from Douris Corp. The print of The General looked great and is the usual print I’ve seen; main titles and credits replaced by a single “Rohauer presents” main title…