Tralfaz Sunday Theatre: Take a Good Look

Normally, these Sunday Theatre posts involve a short film. We’re switching it up this time because a) I haven’t written nearly enough about Ernie Kovacs, and b) It’s my blog and I can do what I want with it.

Take a Good Look was Kovacs’ version of the comedy quiz show perfected by Groucho Marx. It aired in the ridiculous time slot of 10:30 to 11 p.m. starting Thursday, Oct. 22, 1959. Quite appropriately, the show was sponsored by Dutch Masters cigars. In an unbylined story in the St. Joseph News-Press of Dec. 12, 1959, Kovacs told of a problem:

"You know," he said, rolling it [the cigar] affectionately between his fingers, "four boxes of these cost the sponsor of my new panel series--a cigar maker—a box. That's $16 a cigar; $3,200 for 200 cigars."...
"See, the reason they cost that was because they had to retool to make a cigar for me. Then they had to make a special-size box to hold them and special-size cellophane wrappers."
What about Take a Good Look?
The format was brought him by Irving Mansfield and Peter Arnell. It consists of three panelists with Kovacs as moderator. The panelists are obliged to locate the identity of persons who have figured in prominent news stories. With Kovacs at the helm, the clues are—shall we say—different.
"We have the original headlines and film clips of events and actors vignettes and period pieces--and props are flown in. "Suppose that Lindbergh is a contestant. You could have piece of propeller to hand the panel and then a scene recalling the era—such as a cracked teacup to remind them of booze of prohibition days.
"We have people who made news—all the way from maybe someone who made the fuses for Sacco-Vanzetti to something about the Wall Street explosion. Maybe even, for a clue, a piece of the donkey that pulled the cart that exploded. I love to rig things that way."
Any other reasons for doing the show?
"Besides money?" he grinned. "Well, it's an interesting, conversational show—and it's easy for me. I go in one day a week—and that's all. I don't have to write all night the night before, as I have done in the past for shows, and, then worry the night after because I didn't have any more material."

The show went off the air March 16, 1961. While it has the quirkiness you expect from Kovacs, it really seems disjointed. The clues are too obtuse and, except for his wife Edie Adams, the other panellists don’t seem all that sure of why they’re there. See for yourself.

The first thing I noticed is the announcer is ABC’s Johnny Jacobs, the favourite of Chuck Barris. You’ll hear Paul Frees in one of the commercials. The music for the trip routine is “Peg-Leg” by Norman Whiteley from the Impress library.

The show aired Dec. 31, 1959.