Edie Adams

Edie Adams
Born	Edith Elizabeth Enke (1927-04-16) 16 April 1927 Kingston, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	15 October 2008(2008-10-15) (aged 81) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Comedian, actress, singer, businesswoman
Years active	1949–2008
Known for	Tony Award winner; Emmy Award nominee; longtime Muriel Cigars spokesperson

Edie Adams (born Edith Elizabeth Enke; April 16, 1927 – October 15, 2008) was a multifaceted American entertainer and entrepreneur known for her work as a comedian, actress, singer, and businesswoman throughout the latter part of the 20th century. Her achievements include winning a Tony Award and earning an Emmy Award nomination.

Adams became well-known for her skillful impersonations of iconic glamorous figures, especially Marilyn Monroe, showcased on both stage and television. She often worked alongside her husband, Ernie Kovacs, whose passing in 1962 left her facing considerable financial difficulties. To address these challenges, Adams maintained a thriving career in theater, television, and film—including a role in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World—spanning more than forty years. Additionally, she was widely recognized as the longtime spokesperson for Muriel Cigars.

Venturing into entrepreneurship, Adams established two beauty enterprises: Edie Adams Cosmetics and Edie Adams Cut 'n' Curl.

Early life

Born in Kingston, Pennsylvania, Adams was the sole daughter of Sheldon Alonzo Enke and Ada Dorothy (née Adams), both described as "two conservative native Pennsylvanians." She had one older brother named Sheldon Adams Enke. The family relocated several times, living in places such as Shavertown and Trucksville, before settling in Tenafly, New Jersey. There, she attended Tenafly High School. Her mother Ada, a trained soprano, instructed Adams in singing and piano; both participated in their church choir. Sewing skills were imparted by her grandmother, which later influenced Adams’s creation of the designer clothing label Bonham, Inc.

Following high school graduation, Adams initially pursued a singing career but kept fashion design as a backup plan by applying to the Traphagen School of Fashion as a precaution. She was accepted at Juilliard, where she earned a degree in vocal performance. Subsequently, she completed an additional year at the Columbia School of Drama and studied at New York’s prestigious Actors Studio. During her time at Juilliard, she supplemented her income by teaching part-time at the Barbizon School of Modeling and conducted recruitment presentations at New Jersey high schools that evolved into performance showcases to boost commission earnings.

Although classically trained in music, summer employment and exposure to New York’s social scene introduced her to popular music genres and the environment around the Brill Building. Vocal coach Dusolina Giannini recommended she focus on musical comedy instead of pursuing opera. She turned down an understudy role offered by Richard Rodgers for South Pacific as well as a five-year contract from MGM that did not guarantee film roles.

Confident that her Juilliard education could support teaching if needed, Adams actively sought opportunities in show business by attending auditions and participating in vocal competitions. She successfully auditioned for Vaughn Monroe's touring show but was prevented by her father from joining the band on the road. Between 1949 and 1950, she appeared on early live television through Bonnie Maid's Versatile Varieties, performing live commercials. She also briefly sang with Artie Arturo’s trio during engagements in Montreal and Toronto.

In 1950, Adams won the "Miss U.S. Television" contest, which led to an appearance on Milton Berle’s TV program. Early television credits listed her as Edith Adams. After performing on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, she received an invitation to audition for Ernie Kovacs's Philadelphia-based show Three to Get Ready. Despite limited experience with popular music styles, she sang three songs during the audition and joined the program in July 1951. Her father expressed disapproval of her involvement in comedic routines that included slapstick humor such as dodging pies thrown at her face. Kovacs later noted that although he was not directly responsible for hiring her initially, their professional relationship eventually led to his marriage proposal.

Career

Adams began her steady television career working alongside Ernie Kovacs and the trailblazing talk show host Jack Paar. Following a romantic courtship featuring mariachi bands and a diamond engagement ring, Adams and Kovacs eloped, marrying on September 12, 1954, in Mexico City. Initially uncertain about marriage, Adams took a six-week European cruise to reflect before committing. Their union endured until Kovacs tragically died in a car accident on January 13, 1962.

In 1957, Adams and Kovacs earned Emmy nominations for outstanding performances in a comedy series. They appeared as themselves in the final CBS television special of The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour in 1960, where Adams delivered the farewell song "That's All". Adams was featured four times on What's My Line?, including an episode with Kovacs.

On the Broadway stage, Adams starred opposite Rosalind Russell in Wonderful Town (1953), winning the Theatre World Award. She also portrayed Daisy Mae in Li'l Abner (1956), a role that garnered her the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In Rodgers and Hammerstein's original 1957 broadcast of Cinderella, she played the Fairy Godmother. Although scheduled to reprise Daisy Mae for the film adaptation, Adams was unable to participate due to the birth of her daughter.

Following Kovacs's passing, ABC offered Adams her own program, Here's Edie, which received five Emmy nominations but lasted only one season in 1963. She became widely known for her sultry long-running television commercials for Muriel Cigars, continuing this iconic work well beyond Kovacs's death. These advertisements elevated her to one of the top three most recognizable faces on television. Adams also made appearances on series such as Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, and Murder, She Wrote.

During the 1960s film scene, Adams took on supporting roles including a secretary in the Oscar-winning The Apartment (1960) and portrayed the spouse of a presidential candidate in The Best Man (1964). She reunited with Cliff Robertson for The Honey Pot (1967). In 2003, she participated in a commemorative event marking the 40th anniversary of the comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). Additionally, she achieved success as a nightclub headliner.

After Kovacs's death, Adams won a custody dispute over his stepdaughters against his former wife, who had previously abducted them. She also engaged in an extended legal battle with her mother-in-law regarding Kovacs's estate; Adams served as estate administrator and guardian of the children. She devoted years to resolving Kovacs's IRS tax liabilities. Despite receiving offers for celebrity perks, Adams chose to support her family through her own efforts, maintaining an almost continuous work schedule.

Starting over

Adams ventured into entrepreneurship with Edie Adams Cosmetics, marketed via door-to-door sales, and launched Edie Adams Cut 'n' Curl beauty salons beginning in 1967. At one point, she owned a 160-acre almond farm in California and acted as spokeswoman for Sun Giant nuts. Her two-decade tenure promoting Muriel Cigars commercials (retiring from this role in 1976) combined with her business enterprises enabled her to recover financially from debt following Kovacs's death in 1962 and attain millionaire status by 1989.

Personal life

Following Kovacs's passing, Adams wed photographer Martin Mills in 1964 and later married trumpeter Pete Candoli in 1972; she also toured alongside Candoli in the Cole Porter production Anything Goes. She took on the responsibility of raising Kovacs's stepdaughters, Bette and Kippie, and had two children of her own: Mia Susan Kovacs (who tragically died in a car accident in 1982) and Joshua Mills.

Although she identified with the Democratic Party, Adams actively campaigned for Republican Dwight Eisenhower’s 1956 re-election and expressed support for moderate Republicans such as Jacob Javits and Nelson Rockefeller.

An early proponent of civil rights, Adams championed the cause both at celebrity gatherings and on her television program Here's Edie, where she insisted on sharing the stage equally with Sammy Davis Jr., thereby challenging the racial performance norms of that period.

A street in San Antonio, Texas, has been named in her honor.

Death

Adams passed away in Los Angeles, California, on October 15, 2008, at the age of 81 due to cancer and pneumonia. She was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, beside her first husband Ernie Kovacs and positioned between her daughter Mia and stepdaughter Kippie. Following her death, The New York Times remarked that her career "both embodied and winked at the stereotypes of fetching chanteuse and sexpot blonde."

Kovacs' legacy

Adams played a crucial role in safeguarding Ernie Kovacs' television legacy, discussing it during a 1999 conversation with the Archive of American Television. She highlighted the inadequate preservation efforts concerning the short-lived DuMont Television Network archives, revealing that its entire collection was discarded into Upper New York Bay.

To prevent Kovacs' work from being lost due to tape reuse and neglect, Adams invested proceeds from his insurance policy along with her own earnings to secure rights to as much footage as possible.

Since 2008, Adams' son Joshua Mills has overseen Ediad Productions, Inc., which holds the rights to all television programs and recordings featuring Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams. Their television archives are managed by archivist Ben Model.

In 2015, the Library of Congress acquired a collection exceeding 1,200 kinescopes, videotapes, and home movies showcasing Kovacs and Adams from Joshua Mills, significantly improving public access to this valuable segment of television history.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1956	Showdown at Ulcer Gulch		cameo appearance
1960	The Apartment	Miss Olsen
1961	Lover Come Back	Rebel Davis
1963	Call Me Bwana	Frederica
	Under the Yum Yum Tree	Dr. Irene Wilson
	It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World	Monica Crump
	Love with the Proper Stranger	Barbie
1964	The Best Man	Mabel Cantwell
1966	Made in Paris	Irene Chase
	The Oscar	Trina Yale
1967	The Honey Pot	Merle McGill
1978	Up in Smoke	Mrs. Tempest Stoner
1979	Racquet	Leslie Sargent
1980	The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood	Rita Beater
1982	Boxoffice	Carolyn
2003	Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There	Herself

Television

rowspan=2 1978 rowspan=3 1979 rowspan=4 1980 1981 1981 1981 1982 1983 rowspan=2 1984 1985 1987 1989 1989-1990 1990 1992 1993 2004

Year	Title	Role	Remarks
1951–1952	Three to Get Ready
1951	Ernie in Kovacsland	Herself – Vocal Performer
1952	Kovacs On the Corner
1952–1956	The Ernie Kovacs Show
1955	Appointment with Adventure
1956	The Guy Lombardo Show
1957	Cinderella
1958	The Garry Moore Show
	The Gisele MacKenzie Show
	The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom
	The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1959-premiere	The Art Carney Show
1960	The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour
1960–1961	Take a Good Look
1961	The Spiral Staircase
1963–1964	Here's Edie
1968	The Lucy Show
1970	Don Adams Special: Hooray for Hollywood	Herself
1971	Love, American Style	Mrs. Winslow
1972	McMillan & Wife	Louise Montgomery
1972	Evil Roy Slade	Flossie
1975	Joe Forrester
1976	The Practice	Carlotta
	Harry O	Kate Roberti
	The Blue Knight	Torchy
Superdome	Joyce
The Eddie Capra Mysteries	Claudia Carroll	Episode "How Do I Kill Thee?"
The Seekers	Flora Cato	Miniseries adapted from John Jakes novel
Fast Friends	Connie Burton
Kate Loves a Mystery
Make Me an Offer	Francine Sherman
Portrait of an Escort	Mrs. Kennedy
A Cry for Love	Tessie
Bosom Buddies	Darlene	Pilot episode only
CBS Children's Mystery Theatre	Madame Zenia	Episode: "The Haunting of Harrington House"
Fantasy Island	Liz Fuller	Episode: "The Man from Yesterday/World's Most Desirable Woman"
Vega$	Angela	Episode: "Sourdough Suite"
As the World Turns	Roseanne	Episodes unspecified
Shooting Stars	Hazel
Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter	Mae West
Murder, She Wrote	Kaye Sheppard	Episode: "Capitol Offense"
Trapper John, M.D.	Edie Marks	Episode: "The Muddle of the Knight"
Adventures Beyond Belief	Flo
Jake Spanner, Private Eye	Senior Club Member
It's Garry Shandling's Show	Clair King	Two episodes
Designing Women	Edie	Episode: "La Place sans Souci"
Kids Incorporated	Ms. Cooper
Tales of the City	Ruby Miller	Television miniseries
Great Performances: Rodgers and Hammerstein's 'Cinderella''	Fairy Godmother / Herself	} Sources External links Official website of Edie Adams Reuters obituary for Edie Adams