Russian film director Sergei Eisenstein once said his earliest childhood memory was a closeup shot. My earliest childhood recollection was being put in front of the TV while the Ernie Kovacs Show was on. The Nairobi Trio routine was playing. Here it is-



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Uw03hS_EMY

Ernie Kovacs was one of the great TV surrealists. A pioneer in sketch comedy. In this routine, his friend actor Jack Lemmon and wife Edie Adams often were under the masks with Ernie.



Kovacs is a great teacher of how to look at the medium of TV and it's images in a different, slightly crazy, way. Anyone who is serious about being funny on TV should check out his stuff.

----------------------------------------------------------