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Old 04-27-2011, 08:53 AM
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Ernie Kovacs in Color!

Last week, I received the new DVD box set "The Ernie Kovacs Collection" which is full of great Kovacs footage, but of particular interest was the color kinescope of his legendary Color Carnival "silent show." Understanding some have seen it via special screenings, it's now great to have a copy for myself! It does not disappoint. The condition and quality of the film is better than I expected. As one would guess, close-ups fare best. The pattern on Eugene's jacket comes across very well. Not like the old 2" videotapes, but still very enjoyable.

Could this be the earliest color record of a complete program now available?

Of course, there is also plenty for the fan of early television beside the color program. Some of the NBC (B&W) kinescopes end with the peacock and the announcement that the preceding show was broadcast in "incompatible color," a joke appreciated by few outside this forum anymore.

I have no financial interest in this project, just an enthusiastic fan passing along the information. We ordered directly from the Shout! Factory to get a bonus disc of Kovacs' Tonight Show segments. For anyone interested, here's the info:

http://www.shoutfactorystore.com/pro...#axzz1KjM89pLE
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Old 04-27-2011, 05:57 PM
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NBC telecast several special and episodes of series in 1956-57 using lenticular color, a color kinescope process. The Ernie Kovacks Show aired on NBC from Jul. to Sept, 1956 as a summer replacment for Ceasar's Hour. The color quality wasn't very good. Here is a thread from this forum on lenticular color posted last year:

Lenticular (color) kinescope of Ernie Kovacs' Silent Show. [Archive] - SH Forums
http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/ar.../t-220452.html

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Old 04-27-2011, 07:34 PM
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Steve, thank you for that link. The curator of this new DVD set confirms what "Joel Cairo" said on that other thread--this particular color program is not on lenticular color film, but rather on a chromogenic film (Kodachrome, according to UCLA). No special filters necessary (although I don't know how much color restoration may have been done. This came as a surprise to me, as I had assumed it to have been lenticular as well.

This program is not the "Ceasar's Hour" replacement, but the legendary "Saturday Color Carnival" in which Kovacs took the last 30 minutes when Jerry Lewis refused to do more than an hour of his 90 minute time slot. The success of this program led to Kovacs' LIFE magazine cover.

Regarding the quality of the color on this DVD, I remain pleasantly surprised. Attached are a few examples which should make my enthusiasm understandable.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg KovacsColor3.jpg (57.0 KB, 47 views)
File Type: jpg KovacsColor2.jpg (65.7 KB, 48 views)
File Type: jpg KovacsColor1.jpg (64.8 KB, 56 views)

Last edited by Indian Head; 04-27-2011 at 07:54 PM.
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Old 04-27-2011, 07:58 PM
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Kovacs on color television is exciting to think about. I'll be looking for those videos for sure. It's also nice to remember the actual movies he was in, even though he wasn't doing his shtick in them. Just a great lot of television he left us!!
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Old 04-27-2011, 11:05 PM
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It is fantastic to know the show exists in its entirety and is now available on DVD!!! I have an excerpt of the Silent Show from a copy of NBC's 50th Anniversary special from 1976 and I have uploaded it to YouTube a while back http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEBg6ansaJA . I will have to sometime soon order me a copy of that box set when I can budget for it, at the moment I have ordered the NBC Shirley Temple Show box set so I am looking forward to that!

I also read up about the lenticular colour film process in the Steve Hoffman forums link given, very interesting. It's a pity that there's still no known way to transfer them despite the technology we have today. I believe in my own mind that that lenticular telecines can be built again from the original design schematics like with anything else but of course there's the usual money factor and whether people are willing to spend the money on the parts and labour time, but you never know!
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Old 04-28-2011, 03:39 AM
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Thanks for the additional info. Many many years ago I viewed a portion of the Ernie Kovacks Show in color. Was told that it was the sole remaining example of lenticular color. It was a color kine transfered to 3/4" tape if I recall. I do have a copy of the "Saturday Color Carnival" w/ Jerry Lewis. It is a b&w copy of a color videotape. Sponsored by Oldsmobile. I also recently purchased the color Shirley Temple Show box set. The 1960 era show produced at NBC Burbank on color videotape. A good buy for the price. Some of the color episodes look better than others.

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Last edited by Steve D.; 04-28-2011 at 04:15 AM.
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Old 04-28-2011, 07:26 AM
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It's great to see these programs become available. I wasn't aware of the Shirley Temple programs--will have to look into that! BTW, the Kovacs program was also sponsored by Oldsmobile, as well as RCA Victor. The titles (including the Oldsmobile rocket) were done through a very clever process involving reflective artwork and a rear projection screen.

Sometimes it seems we know more about the pyramids of Giza than we do about our recent technological past. I'd love to learn more about lenticular kinescopes and what obstacles prevent us from unlocking the color. I assume it's a version of Kodak's original Kodacolor 16mm film process of the 1920s, which required a special banded filter in photographing and projection. Here is a great site describing the Kodacolor system:

http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.com...kodacolor.html

The linked footage of George Eastman and Thomas Edison in color(!) is fascinating. Equally fascinating is the concept of having color preserved on a black and white film, without fear of fading---provided the color can be retrieved at some later date.

Based on that lenticular thread, my guess is that the kinescopes require something a bit more involved than a mere filter over the telecine lens.

Last edited by Indian Head; 04-28-2011 at 07:52 AM.
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Old 04-28-2011, 06:39 PM
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Kovacs sponsored by RCA Victor, that explains this:
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File Type: jpg ernie kovacs.jpg (19.3 KB, 47 views)
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Old 04-30-2011, 02:53 PM
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Good call, magnasonic66. That photo is from the LIFE magazine article in response to his color program. Since Kovacs was with NBC at the time, the pictures with the RCA set may have been mandatory!
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