Ernie Kovacs (1919-1962) would have been a ripe 90 years old if he had not died in a car accident. He was a visionary in a burgeoning medium, TV (the internet of its day). I recall seeing his wonderfully primitive, decidedly genius The Ernie Kovacs Show on Tuesday nights in 1956 (when I was six), featuring such amazing characters as Percy Dovetonsils, Wolfgang von Sauerbraten, Matzoh Heppelwhite, French chef Pierre Ragout, and the simian Nairobi Trio. If you’ve never seen this extraordinary pioneer of visual comedy, go here and here and here and here.
