Take a Good Look was a panel show Ernie did for two seasons, from October 1959 to March 1961, with a summer break during 1960.  Ernie Kovacs hosting a game show?  After the critical success of the "Silent Show" in January 1957, Ernie acted in movies for Columbia Pictures and did several guest shots, but basically for two-and-a-half years Ernie did not have a regular TV show.  After acting "Our Man in Havana" and making the "Kovacs on Music" special for NBC in late spring of 1959, Ernie connected with a sponsor, Consolidated Cigar, and this panel show was born.

Part game show and part absurdist theater, "TGL" pitted a panel of three celebrities -- usually Edie plus two pals of Ernie's -- against Kovacs who dared them to guess the identity of the guest, who was someone who was in the news and had been written about recently in "Life" or the "Saturday Evening Post".  The clues were blackouts and short skits Ernie created, but the actual clue information was so convoluted (the number "5" on the back wall of a set, or an off-hand commend by Percy Dovetonsils before reading an ode) there was no chance the panelists could figure out who the guest was.

The best part of the show was the commercials for Dutch Masters cigars.  Ernie took great pride in the spots, which he made himself and which were aired during the show with the audience mikes up so you'd hear laughs during the commercials.  One of these, called "Haydn", won a Clio the first year the awards were given out.  The clues and commercials feature Ernie, Bobby Lauher and Peggy Connelly (who later married comedian Dick Martin).

The show aired Thursday nights on ABC from 10:30 to 11:00.  When the show was cancelled, Ernie appeared the following week in the show "Silents, Please" as host.  This show aired weekly through October of 1961, with breaks monthly for Ernie's specials.