Edie Adams
Actress
About This Interview
Edie Adams (1927-2008) was interviewed for four-and-a-half hours in Los Angeles, CA. Ms. Adams chronicled her long and varied career as a singer and actress. She talked about her appearances as a featured singer with the late Ernie Kovacs, on Ernie in Kovacsland which led to her collaboration with him on his groundbreaking NBC shows (produced out of Philadelphia's NBC affiliate WPTZ): 3 to Get Ready and Kovacs in the Corner as well as (New York shows) Kovacs Unlimited and the various incarnations of The Ernie Kovacs Show . She talked about her Broadway roles in such shows as "Wonderful Town" and "L'il Abner" (for which she won a Tony Award) as well as her appearance as the fairy godmother in Rodgers and Hammerstein's first musical for television, Cinderella. She also discussed her work in such feature films as Billy Wilder's The Apartment and Stanley Kramer's It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World . She recalled her many other television appearances such as those on Jack Paar's morning show as well as commercials for Muriel cigars. She spoke about Ernie Kovacs' tragic death and her continued work in television and films, including her Emmy-nominated television show Here's Edie . She also described her work in preserving Kovacs's legend -- archiving kinescopes and tapes of his programs for future generations. The interview was conducted by Henry Colman on March 11, 1999.
Related To This Video
Featured Content
Video: Edie Adams guest stars on The Hollywood Palace (airdate: 2/6/65), from the Internet Archive [see her sing a few songs at 4:10 to 9:10; and at 31:38 see her introduce a basketball game between the Harlem Globetrotters and the "Palace Dribblers": Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Tim Conway, David Janssen, ad Vic Damone]
YouTube video player - HTML5 compatible.
Highlights
Edie Adams on being a regular on Ernie Kovacs' shows
Clip begins at: 00:34, Duration: 17m 39s
Edie Adams on the origin of the famous "Nairobi Trio" sketches on Ernie Kovacs' shows
Clip begins at: 07:37, Duration: 02m 43s- Edie Adams on being a regular on Jack Paar's morning show
Clip begins at: 18:13, Duration: 12m 07s 
Edie Adams on Ernie Kovacs' fatal car accident on January 12, 1962
Clip begins at: 22:31, Duration: 02m 25s
Edie Adams on the legacy of Ernie Kovacs
Clip begins at: 10:41, Duration: 01m 15s
Interview
- Part 1
- Introduction
Clip begins at: 0:30 - On her early years, education and influences; on her early performances (and becoming Miss U.S. TV); on appearing on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Clip begins at: 00:54 - Part 2
- On Joe Behar calling and inviting her to appear on television in Philadelphia; on her appearances as a featured singer with Ernie Kovacs, on Ernie in Kovacsland which led to her collaboration with him on his groundbreaking NBC shows (produced out of Philadelphia's NBC affiliate WPTZ) and the various incarnations of The Ernie Kovacs Show.
Clip begins at: 0:34 - Part 3
- On working with Ernie Kovacs in Philadelphia and New York; on being a regular performer on The Jack Paar Show
Clip begins at: 0:0 - Part 4
- On joining Ernie Kovacs' late night show on DuMont; on the origin of the famous "Nairobi Trio" sketches on Ernie Kovacs' shows; on transitioning to The Ernie Kovacs Show; on the introduction of the lenticular color process
Clip begins at: 0:34 - Part 5
- On appearing on Ernie Kovacs' daytime series; on her starring role on Broadway in L'il Abner; on her appearance as the fairy godmother in Rodgers and Hammerstein's first musical for television, Cinderella
Clip begins at: 0:34 - Part 6
- On her work on Broadway; on working on The Dinah Shore Chevy Show; on working with Ernie Kovacs; on advertising Dutch Masters and Muriel Cigars; on working on the feature film The Apartment
Clip begins at: 0:37 - Part 7
- On meeting and working with Shirley MacLaine; on her clothing and saving costumes from The Dinah Shore Show and from movies on which she worked
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On appearing with Wally Cox on "The American Cowboy" on The U.S. Steel Hour; on appearing on the last episode of The Lucy Show
Clip begins at: 05:31 - On how much she enjoyed working with Sid Caesar; on her TV show, Here's Edie
Clip begins at: 12:05 - On her life after Ernie Kovacs' death in 1962; on Kovacs' fatal car accident
Clip begins at: 20:38 - On working with Sid Caesar on Here's Edie and with the many comedians of "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World"
Clip begins at: 24:56 - Part 8
- On the music-based Here's Edie growing into the comedy-based The Edie Adams Show; on film and television specials on Ernie Kovacs and the TV movie Evil Roy Slade
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On her nightclub appearances and recordings; on the PBS show, The Best of Kovacs; on the legacy of Ernie Kovacs and David Letterman's style of comedy being similar to Ernie Kovacs'
Clip begins at: 06:07 - On appearing on the pilot of Bosom Buddies and her issues with episodic television
Clip begins at: 15:21 - On starting her own fashion line in 1981; on playing Mae West in the TV movie Ernie Kovacs, Between the Laughter
Clip begins at: 17:49 - On her then-current projects - writing a one-woman show and sorting through the tapes of Kovacs' shows; on the highlight of her career
Clip begins at: 23:40 - Part 9
- On the early years of television and how the medium has changed over the years; on advancements for women in television
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On advice to aspiring performers; on television's influence on music
Clip begins at: 10:20 - On being a founding member of the Costume Designer's Guild; on television at its best and the future of TV
Clip begins at: 13:25 - On how she thinks Ernie Kovacs' career would have progressed if he had lived; on how she'd like to be remembered
Clip begins at: 17:57 - On her thoughts on people with whom she's worked over the years
Clip begins at: 19:56 - Part 10
- On her thoughts on people with whom she's worked, including Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, and Milton Berle; on her son
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On B-roll photos from her life and career
Clip begins at: 14:01
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A wonderful interview. Just one thing, though. While the website's indexing by shows discussed in the interview does indicate that Ms. Adams speaks about "The Lucy Show", aka "Here's Lucy" (which she makes a very brief comment about in speaking of the second time she worked with Lucille Ball), it does not currently have an index entry for "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour" (the title given to the show when it went into syndication, or, as originally aired, "The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnez Show"), which is "the last Lucy show" the interviewer and Ms. Adams discuss her and Mr. Kovacs appearing on in 1960. An additional index entry under one of those two titles (or even under "I Love Lucy", which is what "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour" was a direct continuation of) would be useful I would think.
Thanks for your comment, we will look into this!
I'm having trouble watching chapters 6 through 10 of Edie Adams interview. I've tried several different browsers, but I get about 3 minutes or so in and it abruptly ends. Thanks!
Thanks for your comment-- I don't seem to have the same problem. If you scroll down the "Interviews" tab and click on different sections of her Chapter 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 interview (each is sub-chaptered) try that, to skip ahead to later segments in that chapter. I was just able to watch it all the way through.
where are the last 4 chapters?
Thanks for letting us know! They are now all posted on her Interview page at http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/edie-adams
I saw It's A Mad Mad Mad World when I was a little kid and I remember being struck by how beautiful Edie Adams was. I'd never realized before what an intelligent and hard-working woman she was, nor what a tough life she had. We were lucky to have had her amongst us for so many years. There's a movie to be made from her life!
....and we like tutti fruity best
Growing up in the 50's...she was one of the loveliest ladies on TV. Beautiful voice and sexy....back when sexy was sealed with a 'wink'....
@michaeljohndudley Ernie had been awake for many-many hours, had attended a party and had one or ten drinks under his belt. Edie left the party first in Ernie's big Rolls Royce. Ernie took Edie's Corvair wagon. He was inebriated and going too fast around a slick-wet corner. It seems that he was trying to strike a match on the heel of his shoe to light his cigar. No matter what's been said about Corvairs, even Edie has acknowledged that the make of car had nothing to do with Ernie's accident.
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