Dallas VideoFest will award the coveted Ernie Kovacs Award to the comedian Al Franken, both a former cast member of “Saturday Night Live” fame and a former senator from Minnesota, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at the Texas Theatre (231 W. Jefferson Blvd. – Oak Cliff/Dallas).
The event, hosted by Dallas VideoFest’s artistic director Bart Weiss and Josh Mills, the son of Kovacs’ widow Edie Adams, will celebrate the offbeat comic Ernie Kovacs with clips of his early TV in the 1950s and other career highlights. Kovacs’ work inspired the likes of Pee-wee Herman, Kids in the Hall, Amy Sedaris, Mike Nesmith, and Monty Python; Monty Python’s John Cleese received the award in 2019, the last time it was bestowed.
Franken, who was both a writer and actor on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” will attend. The event will be immediately followed by the 2006 documentary, AL FRANKEN: GOD SPOKE.
Tickets are $40 and are available at https://VideoFest.org. There also is a VIP meet-and-greet session at 6:30 p.m. on the second floor of Texas Theatre with tickets $100 each and including the main event and documentary.
Texas Theatre is at 231 W. Jefferson Blvd., in Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood.
