ABC, May 14, 1984
Written by April Smith ** EMMY NOMINATION, WGA NOMINATION
Directed by Lamont Johnson
Produced by David Levinson
Cast: Jeff Goldblum, Melody Anderson, Madolyn Smith, John Glover, Cloris Leachman, Joseph Mascolo
Filmed by ABC Circle Films 

     Ernie Kovacs (Jeff Goldblum), was a comic genius whose wacky TV shows in the late fifties were the first to use video technology to create absurd effects. He was divorced from his first wife, Dorothy (Madolyn Smith), and had custody of their two daughters, when he married the gorgeous singer, Edie Adams (Melody Anderson). In a bold move for 1952, Dorothy stole the children and disappeared. Ernie spent two years being funny for the camera while desperately searching for his girls.
     One of the most touching aspects of writing the script was working with Edie Adams (she has a cameo in the film), whose love for Ernie was still fresh and real. Edie shared his personal papers, books, and comic gimmicks, which April and Lamont Johnson had the privilege of discovering while going through dusty boxes in storage. All of Ernie's routines were carefully and accurately reproduced in the movie, which was shot in Los Angeles and New York.
     Variety described April's teleplay as, "Composed of a succession of well-written scenes," noted Lamont Johnson's "superb direction" and said the film, "Reveals how much the human spirit can endure if it's strong enough." 

Newspaper and Magazine Articles and Reviews.
Click to read the article.