New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Shout! Factory and Ediad Productions today announced an agreement extending the distribution of Ernie
Kovacs visual archive that aired in the 1950s and early 1960s for five years through 2020. In addition to the continued sale of existing packages of television shows, a newly amassed physical set will be released to coincide with the Centennial of Kovacs' birth on January 23, 2019. Entire episodes of previously unseen-since-broadcast shows from the Ernie
Kovacs archive will be released digitally.
It was also announced today that the Library of Congress has acquired the entire physical archive of both Ernie
Kovacs and Edie Adams including Kinescopes, videotapes, 16MM, Super 8 home movies and other media that provide a unique window into both the professional and personal lives of these two iconic entertainers. The intellectual property however remains with Ediad Productions. The collection will complement the Library's existing collections of iconic humorists, including Bob Hope, Groucho Marx, Jerry Lewis,
Danny Kaye, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Sid Caesar and Johnny Carson.
The Ernie
Kovacs and Edie Adams Collection will be available to researchers in the Library's Motion Picture and Television Reading Room in Washington, D.C. Processing of the collection continues, but much of it is currently available to researchers.
"The immense popularity of our three Ernie
Kovacs releases during the first five-year period of this partnership justified the extension of this agreement with Shout! Factory," said Joshua Mills, President of Ediad Productions. "To that end, the Library of Congress acquisition of the Ernie
Kovacs and Edie Adams archive now guarantees the preservation and digitization of their work for future generations which was always Edie's dream. As we push forward into the digital age, we will be introducing these shows to new audiences via streaming and mobile devices beginning shortly with Shout! Factory. "
"We are delighted to continue being the home of the Ernie
Kovacs Show, and we look forward to bringing more of his comic genius to fans of groundbreaking television," said Jordan Fields, Vice President of Acquisitions at Shout! Factory.
The Library of Congress Collection highlights include:
• 2" videotape masters of all 8 of Kovacs' monthly specials for ABC (1961-62)
• 35mm kinescopes of 74 episodes of Kovacs' infamous morning show for NBC (1956)
• 2" videotape masters of 35 episodes of "Take a Good Look", Ernie's tongue-in-cheek panel quiz show
• Original 16mm elements of Kovacs' silent movie spoof "The Mysterious Knockwurst" made for his CBS morning show in 1953
• 2" videotape masters of all 21 episodes of "Here's Edie"
• Original 16mm kinescopes for "Ernie in Kovacsland" (1951)
• Test footage of matting effects for Ernie as "Superclod" et al
• Audio masters of (formerly) unreleased Percy Dovetonsils LP "Percy Dovetonsils…Thpeakth"
Ernie Kovacs, whose offbeat humor graced the airwaves for just a decade in the 1950s, and early 1960's served healthy portions of the offbeat to his audiences, who had never seen anything quite like this cigar-wielding charmer. Wickedly funny but not offensive, Kovacs' unique humor and flair for improvisation continues to attract audiences, influencing TV funnymen from Johnny Carson, Monty Python, Billy Crystal,
Craig Ferguson,
David Letterman, Pee Wee Herman and many Saturday Night Live cast members.
About Ediad Productions, Inc.
Formed by the late entertainer & Muriel Cigar girl Edie Adams and currently run by her son Joshua Mills, Ediad Productions is home to what is likely the largest independent archive of early American television in existence. With more than 150 half-hours of content from legendary comedian Ernie
Kovacs as well as two seasons of Edie Adams' prime time variety show from the mid-1960, Ediad Productions is a treasure trove of classic popular entertainment. Titles in the archive include, The Ernie
Kovacs Show, Ernie in Kovacsland, Take A Good Look (clues), the
Kovacs specials for ABC, The Edie Adams Show, Here's Edie! and much more. Ediad Productions is based in Los Angeles, California.
About Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory, LLC is a diversified multi-platform media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their entire careers sharing their music, television and film favorites with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory's entertainment offerings serve up feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music and comedy specials. Shout's audio division boasts GRAMMY®-nominated box sets, Broadway cast albums, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable "best of" compilations. In addition, Shout! Factory maintains a vast digital distribution network which delivers video and audio content to all the leading digital service providers in North America. Shout! Factory also owns and operates Timeless Media Group, Biograph Records, Majordomo Records and Video Time Machine. These riches are the result of a creative acquisition mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in
Santa Monica, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com.
About Library of Congress
The Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation is a state-of-the-art facility funded as a gift to the nation by the Packard Humanities Institute. The Packard Campus is the site where the nation's library acquires, preserves and provides access to the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of motion pictures, television programs, radio broadcasts and sound recordings (www.loc.gov/avconservation). The Packard Campus is home to more than 7 million collection items. It provides staff support for the Library of Congress
National Film Preservation Board (www.loc.gov/film), the
National Recording Preservation Board (www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb) and the national registries for film and recorded sound.
Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation's first-established federal cultural institution. It seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs, publications and exhibitions. Many of the Library's rich resources can be accessed through its website at loc.gov.
