Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: Nothing in Moderation -- One. An Overview of the Postwar Era and the Ernie Kovacs Shows in the Context of American Television Comedy -- Two. The Flow of the Philadelphia and New York Kovacs Shows: Comic Surrealism, Verbal and Visual -- Three. Silents Please! Ernie, California, and Working with Music, Sound, and Surrealistic Visuals on His Specials -- Four. Ernie in the Movies: From Comic Director to Supporting Character Actor -- Five. The Kovacs Legacy: "I Don't Know. I Just Do It!" -- Appendix: Summary of Ernie Kovacs' Personal Life -- Notes -- Works Cited -- Index.