Percy Dovetonsils
Encyclopedia
Percy Dovetonsils is a fictional character
created and played by television
comedian
Ernie Kovacs
. It is probably the best remembered of Kovacs' many TV incarnations. Percy was always introduced with a sweeping flourish of harp music as a "poet
laureate" who appeared onscreen as a bizarre effeminate "artiste" with weirdly slicked hair (including two carefully placed spit-curls on his forehead) and extraordinarily thick eyeglasses that appeared to have eyes painted on the backsides of the lenses. He would appear seated in a chair wearing a zebra
-patterned smoking jacket
, and reading from an oversize book lying open in his lap. Percy would address the audience in a syrupy lisp
and read his poems out of the book while sipping from a martini glass (which often had a daisy for a swizzle stick) and/or smoking through a long cigarette holder
.
The poems themselves were corny or silly, with titles like "Leslie the Mean Animal Trainer" and "Ode to a Housefly (Philosophical Ruminations on a Beastie in the Booze)." While clever, the real humor of the poems lay in the delivery, Percy's appearance and mannerisms, and his obvious self-satisfaction with his creations (as evidenced by a pursed-lip smile and a quiver of the head at the end of significant stanzas).
Occasionally, Percy would display talents other than his poetry; he is seen playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on a grand piano-even after the piano itself disappears from view, and as a "Master Detective" in the US Steel "Private Eye, Private Eye" special of March 8, 1961 seen on CBS. Percy also put in a guest appearance on The Perry Como Show
in February, 1957.
The character has characteristics of the stereotype
of homosexuals common in the 1950s and early 1960s. In one segment, he looks up abruptly from his book and says "That cameraman has the motht muthcular legth..." It was probably a Kovacs ad-lib, if one can judge from the off-camera laughter and the momentary shaking of the camera. In one of his poems, about a cowboy, one of the lines was "Are you really a gay caballero?" The term "gay
" in that sense was not often heard on television at that time.
Percy would sometimes talk to the off-camera crew (who were frequently heard laughing at Kovacs' ad-libs), or to his unseen "friend," Bruce. The lisping of both names helped reinforce the supposedly effeminate nature of those two names, a fact which George Carlin
would later sometimes reference when discussing gay issues.
Although a stereotype (and one which would be considered politically incorrect
today), it was clear from his characterization that Percy was thoroughly comfortable with himself.
Kovacs created the character for his program Three to Get Ready on WPTZ in Philadelphia (the station that is now KYW-TV
). The prop glasses he used were discovered by his associate Andy McKay at a novelty store for ten cents; Kovacs drew lines on the eyeballs of the glasses to give Percy a "half-awake" appearance. Kovacs was said to be inspired by the TV poetry readings of Ted Malone
. (Malone's program was called Between the Bookends); Percy's sign-off was, "I'll see you just outside the bookends." Others have attributed Percy's persona to Alexander Woollcott
.
In 1961, Kovacs recorded an album of Percy reading his poetry for Vanguard records; the album was titled, Perthy Dovetonthils Thpeakth, but it was never released. According to Joe Mikolas, a friend of Kovacs, who also worked with him on his television shows, Ernie had plans to shed more light on the life of Percy Dovetonsils, which never materialized as Kovacs died in the auto accident.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
created and played by television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
Ernie Kovacs
Ernie Kovacs
Ernie Kovacs was a Hungarian American comedian and actor.Kovacs' uninhibited, often ad-libbed, and visually experimental comedic style came to influence numerous television comedy programs for years after his death in an automobile accident...
. It is probably the best remembered of Kovacs' many TV incarnations. Percy was always introduced with a sweeping flourish of harp music as a "poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
laureate" who appeared onscreen as a bizarre effeminate "artiste" with weirdly slicked hair (including two carefully placed spit-curls on his forehead) and extraordinarily thick eyeglasses that appeared to have eyes painted on the backsides of the lenses. He would appear seated in a chair wearing a zebra
Zebra
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
-patterned smoking jacket
Smoking jacket
A smoking jacket is an overgarment designed to be worn while smoking tobacco, usually in the form of pipes and cigars, or for domestic leisure.-Design:The classic smoking jacket is a mid thigh-length jacket made from velvet or silk, or both...
, and reading from an oversize book lying open in his lap. Percy would address the audience in a syrupy lisp
Lisp
A lisp is a speech impediment, historically also known as sigmatism. Stereotypically, people with a lisp are unable to pronounce sibilants , and replace them with interdentals , though there are actually several kinds of lisp...
and read his poems out of the book while sipping from a martini glass (which often had a daisy for a swizzle stick) and/or smoking through a long cigarette holder
Cigarette holder
A cigarette holder is a fashion accessory, a slender tube in which a cigarette is held for smoking. Most frequently made of silver, jade or bakelite , cigarette holders were considered an essential part of ladies' fashion from the mid-1910s through the early-1970s, and are still widely popular...
.
The poems themselves were corny or silly, with titles like "Leslie the Mean Animal Trainer" and "Ode to a Housefly (Philosophical Ruminations on a Beastie in the Booze)." While clever, the real humor of the poems lay in the delivery, Percy's appearance and mannerisms, and his obvious self-satisfaction with his creations (as evidenced by a pursed-lip smile and a quiver of the head at the end of significant stanzas).
Occasionally, Percy would display talents other than his poetry; he is seen playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on a grand piano-even after the piano itself disappears from view, and as a "Master Detective" in the US Steel "Private Eye, Private Eye" special of March 8, 1961 seen on CBS. Percy also put in a guest appearance on The Perry Como Show
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
in February, 1957.
The character has characteristics of the stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
of homosexuals common in the 1950s and early 1960s. In one segment, he looks up abruptly from his book and says "That cameraman has the motht muthcular legth..." It was probably a Kovacs ad-lib, if one can judge from the off-camera laughter and the momentary shaking of the camera. In one of his poems, about a cowboy, one of the lines was "Are you really a gay caballero?" The term "gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
" in that sense was not often heard on television at that time.
Percy would sometimes talk to the off-camera crew (who were frequently heard laughing at Kovacs' ad-libs), or to his unseen "friend," Bruce. The lisping of both names helped reinforce the supposedly effeminate nature of those two names, a fact which George Carlin
George Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
would later sometimes reference when discussing gay issues.
Although a stereotype (and one which would be considered politically incorrect
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
today), it was clear from his characterization that Percy was thoroughly comfortable with himself.
Kovacs created the character for his program Three to Get Ready on WPTZ in Philadelphia (the station that is now KYW-TV
KYW-TV
KYW-TV, virtual channel 3, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW-TV shares a studio facility with its sister station, CW flagship WPSG just north of Center City Philadelphia...
). The prop glasses he used were discovered by his associate Andy McKay at a novelty store for ten cents; Kovacs drew lines on the eyeballs of the glasses to give Percy a "half-awake" appearance. Kovacs was said to be inspired by the TV poetry readings of Ted Malone
Ted Malone
Ted Malone , was an American radio broadcaster.-Childhood:Ted Malone became interested in oral performance when he attended high school in Missouri...
. (Malone's program was called Between the Bookends); Percy's sign-off was, "I'll see you just outside the bookends." Others have attributed Percy's persona to Alexander Woollcott
Alexander Woollcott
Alexander Humphreys Woollcott was an American critic and commentator for The New Yorker magazine and a member of the Algonquin Round Table....
.
In 1961, Kovacs recorded an album of Percy reading his poetry for Vanguard records; the album was titled, Perthy Dovetonthils Thpeakth, but it was never released. According to Joe Mikolas, a friend of Kovacs, who also worked with him on his television shows, Ernie had plans to shed more light on the life of Percy Dovetonsils, which never materialized as Kovacs died in the auto accident.