# "Mack the Knife Staff" Report commentary

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-staff-report-commentary/237726>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [April 1, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-staff-report-commentary/237726 "2004-04-01T14:19:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-staff-report-commentary/237726/1 "2004-04-01T14:19:39Z")

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In today’s [Staff Report](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mmacktheknife.html) the subject of one of my favorite songs is handled.

Plaudits and kudos to **Songbird** for the fascinating story behind that song.

I would like to add that a version of “Mack the Knife” (sung slowly and in german) was used by Ernie Kovaks as background to many of his strange, silent comedy sketches on his T.V. show.

I know realize that this must have been from the “Three Penney Opera” and not some crazed sterno-bum-wannabe-Bobby-Darrin in a Dresden cafe’ as I’d always surmised.

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**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mack-the-knife-staff-report-commentary/237726/2 "2004-04-01T19:16:54Z")

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Me too, actually. I always thought it added to the strangeness of his skits, and enhanced the overall Ernie Kovacs Experience, to have what I thought was this gonzo Frank Sinatra ripoff droning on in the background. In German, no less.