The story of a Hungarian man who influenced American television shows

Emmy nominations for best performance in comedy shows, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and an exhibition in the States; many things present his incredible work and career. Famous American television personalities like David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Dave Garroway and shows like Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and Saturday Night Live all marked this Hungarian man as their primary influence. He introduced several methods and visual elements in television which were new and out of the ordinary.

Ernie Kovacs (Ernest Edward Kovacs) was born on January 23, 1919, in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. His father Andrew John Kovacs emigrated into the United States from Tornaújfalu, Hungary, which is now known as Turnianska Nová Ves, Slovakia. Though a poor student, Kovacs was influenced by his Trenton Central High School drama teacher, Harold Van Kirk, and received an acting scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1937 with Van Kirk’s help.

At the age of 19 in Depression-year 1938, he moved to a $4-a-week walkup on New York’s upper west side, where he lived and studied in poverty for two years. To earn money, he returned to Trenton to perform in local dramatic and musical productions, then to Easthampton and Brattleboro to play in summer stocks. During his second year at the Academy, his health began to fail, and while in Vermont in the summer of 1939 he collapsed. To create his persona, he started smoking, which led to a strong and life-long addiction to cigarettes.  

In 1941, Ernie Kovacs began his career as an announcer and disc jockey for Trenton’s radio station WTTM and worked with them for the next nine years and eventually, he became the Director of Special Events. He also pursued acting, and early 1941, directed some plays for Trenton Players Guild.

During his stint at WTTM, he undertook many crazy adventures. On one occasion, he lay on a railroad track while a train was approaching, continuously informing his audiences how it felt to be so close to death. Fortunately, he was able to move away at the last minute. Some of Kovacs’s unusual behaviours included having pet marmosets and wrestling a jaguar on his live television shows.