Amy Dalness mentioned Monty Python yesterday and it made me think about Ernie Kovacs, whom many people have never heard of. Most people don’t know what a snood is, either, but that’s another matter. Kovacs, at any rate, was a pioneer in television comedy and most certainly an influence on Monty Python. I’m always impressed by how well his material holds up today. My favorite segments of his show were parades of very short, bizarre sight gags with a sadly beautiful rendition of "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer" (a.k.a. “Mack the Knife”) playing in the background. Here’s the Nairobi Trio, one of his popular running gags, set to another wonderful song – “Solfeggio” by Robert Maxwell. The Nairobi Trio isn’t bust-a-gut funny and you really only need to see it once to have your fill… but you should see it at least once if only for the music and the timing and the stupidity of it.
Ernie Kovacs V. The Yeti
Musical Yetis Spotted In 1950’S Comedy Show
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