Actress Edie Adams, the wife of comedian Ernie Kovacs (both regular performers on early television) testified in 1996 before a panel of the Library of Congress on the preservation of television and video. Read more about this topic:  Ernie Kovacs, Personal Life, “The economic dependence of woman and her apparently indestructible illusion that marriage will release her from loneliness and work and worry are potent factors in immunizing her from common sense in dealing with men at work.”—Mary Barnett Gilson (1877–? Josh Mills is proud to run the estate of Ernie Kovacs, a man he’s never met who was married to his mother. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images The court eventually granted full custody to Kovacs citing Bette Wilcox's mental instability. [52][53], Adams died in Los Angeles, California, on October 15, 2008, at age 81, from cancer and pneumonia. Thus, the death of Ernie Kovacs some 50 years ago still rocks those in American film and television who view Kovacs as one of the greatest American comedians of all time. AKA Elizabeth Edith Enke. who was ernie kovacs wife: 1 result. DuMont Television Network-Wikipedia. She was a Tony Award winner and an Emmy Award nominee. After Kovacs's death, Adams founded two beauty businesses: Edie Adams Cosmetics and Edie Adams Cut 'n' Curl. [1][24] Adams made two appearances on What's My Line? WikiMatrix WikiMatrix Adams was born in Kingston, Pennsylvania,[1] the only daughter of Sheldon Alonzo Enke and his wife, Ada Dorothy (née Adams). Trending. Adams began working regularly on television with Kovacs and talk show pioneer Jack Paar. Kovacs drove to the party in his white Rolls Royce, and his wife, singer and actress Edie Adams, had driven there in the couple’s white Corvair station wagon. [56], Upon discovering that her husband's work was disappearing through being discarded and re-use of the tapes, Adams initially used the proceeds of his insurance policy and her own earnings to purchase the rights to as much footage as possible. Family & Personal Life Ernie Kovacs married his first wife Bette Wilcox on August 13, 1945, and had two children with her, Elizabeth and Kip Raleigh. [18] After a courtship that included mariachi bands and an unexpected diamond engagement ring, Adams and Kovacs eloped; they were married on September 12, 1954, in Mexico City. YouTube. wikipedia notes: Ernie Kovacs was killed in an automobile accident in Los Angeles in the early morning hours of January 13, 1962. On January 13, 1962, Ernie Kovacs, a ... a Connecticut man accused and later found guilty of murdering his wife and disposing of her body in a wood-chipper, is arrested on January 13, 1987. Kovacs and his first wife, Bette Wilcox, were married on August 13, 1945. Edie Adams (born Edith Elizabeth Enke;[1] April 16, 1927 – October 15, 2008)[2] was an American comedienne, actress, singer and businesswoman. [55] She later testified on the status of the archive of the short-lived DuMont Television Network, where both she and husband Kovacs worked during the early 1950s. [35][36][37] She worked for years to pay her late husband's tax debt to the IRS. Ernie went on to TV in Philadelphia where he established grand old institutions such as EEFMS, (The Early Eiball Fraternal Marching society), and the Kovacs gallery of sparkling personalities, (Pierre Ragout, the French storyteller, Skodny Silsky, the ace Hollywood reporter and others. He is shown here with his wife, actress Edie Adams, as they attended a movie premiere in Hollywood a month ago. Comedian Ernie Kovacs, DuMont TV star, and his new bride, singer Edith Adams, relax together on a mattress used on his show to break his fall from a window in a skit. [7] Initially, Adams could not decide whether to pursue a career in fashion design or music, so she tossed a coin, and music won.[9]. Just as Ernie Kovacs was becoming a television star, his estranged wife returned to lay claim to his money and his children. After a long and expensive search, Kovacs regained custody. [27] Adams was to play Daisy Mae in the film version of Li'l Abner but was unable to due to the late arrival of her daughter, Mia Susan Kovacs. However, the New York City Ballet had a televised performances of the ballet "Agon" (a ballet costumed in leotards and tights, choreographed 1957) with Arthur Mitchell (original cast and the first black principal dancer at the New York City Ballet)[51] partnering ballerina Diana Adams (original cast) dating from 1960. Kovacs and his first wife, Bette Wilcox, were married on August 13, 1945. In addition to raising stepdaughters Bette and Kippie from her marriage to Kovacs, Adams gave birth to daughter Mia Susan Kovacs (killed in an automobile accident in 1982), and son Joshua Mills. [6] Ada Enke taught her daughter singing and piano; mother and daughter were members of the Grove City Presbyterian church choir. Kippie's testimony was very emotional; in it she referred to Edie as "Mommy" and her birth mother as "the other lady." She played the Fairy Godmother in Rodgers and Hammerstein's original Cinderella broadcast in 1957. Mar 19, 2013 - From Ernie Kovacs 1956 NBC show. The court awarded Kovacs full custody upon determining that his former wife was mentally unstable. [1], Adams archived her husband's television work, which she described during a 1999 videotaped interview with the Archive of American Television. The scintillating, sultry-eyed blonde (formerly a redhead) star of screen, TV and award-winning stage went on to become best known, however, for her sensual delivery pitching cigars in taunting '60s ads and commercials with her Mae Westian come-on line "Why don't you pick one up and smoke it sometime?" In 1964, she married photographer Martin Mills. Comedian Killed--Comedian Ernie Kovacs was killed early today when his station wagon crashed into a power pole in West Los Angeles, Calif. Adams founded two beauty businesses: Edie Adams Cosmetics and Edie Adams Cut 'n' Curl. [39][40][41] She once owned a 160-acre (65 ha) California almond farm and was the spokeswoman for Sun Giant nuts. By November 1951, Kovacs was caught in the throes of a bitter fight for custody of his two daughters. Adams was well known for her impersonations of sexy stars on stage and television, especially Marilyn Monroe. In 1972, she married trumpeter Pete Candoli, with whom she appeared in a touring production of the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes. Ernie Kovacs was previously married to Edie Adams (1954 - 1962) and Bette Lee Wilcox (1945 - 1952). She had an elder brother, Sheldon Adams Enke. Photo measures 9.75 x … His ex-wife had previously kidnapped the girls during a visit years before; because Kovacs was their legal guardian, he and Edie had worked tirelessly to locate his daughters and bring them home. When the marriage ended, he fought for custody of their children, Elizabeth ("Bette") and Kip Raleigh ("Kippie"). She was the wife and frequent television partner of Ernie Kovacs until his death in a 1962 car accident. Late night movie intermission TV commercials. Top Searches Holiday Gifts. Other news of the day. Kovacs' first wife made a legal attempt to gain custody of her two daughters shortly after his death. Ernie is one of the Richest Comedian who was born in NJ. [45], After Kovacs's death, Adams was married two more times. She portrayed Jehan Sadat, wife of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, in the 1983 TV miniseries Sadat, and played Ernie Kovacs' wife Dorothy i… Lefty. Wilcox subsequently kidnapped the children, taking them to Florida. Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams - P 2015 Kinescopes, videotapes and home movies featuring the groundbreaking comic and his singer-actress wife were purchased from her son. Adams was well known for her impersonations of sexy stars on stage and television, especially Marilyn Monroe. Adams had very little experience with popular music and could perform only three songs. Innovative TV comedian, writer, and actor whose shows Three to Get Ready and Kovacs on the Corner were known … She studied at the Actors Studio in New York and at the Traphagen School of Fashion. When the marriage ended, he fought for custody of their children, Elizabeth ("Bette") and Kip Raleigh ("Kippie"). The paper is in good condition. Mary Kovacs accused her daughter-in-law of mismanaging the estate and petitioned for custody of her granddaughters. A blooper moment from the era of live TV. Adams was an Emmy and Tony Award winner. Unidentified, Alec Guinness, Maureen O'Hara, Ernie Kovacs and unidentified; Noel Coward and Graham Greene on set of 'Our Man in Havana'. 1 Susan Rice; 2 Brandon Bernard; 3 Taylor Swift; 4 Carrie Ann Inaba; 5 Medicare Helpline; 6 Tom Lister Jr. 7 Construction Bidding Software; 8 Christmas Fruit Baskets; 9 Leni Klum; 10 Ralph Northam; Top Searches Holiday Gifts. Adams founded two beauty businesses: Edie Adams Cosmetics and Edie Adams Cut 'n' Curl. [1][46][47], Adams was a Republican and campaigned for Dwight Eisenhower's re-election during the 1956 presidential election. [30], Shortly after her husband's death, Adams won a "nasty custody battle" with Kovacs's ex-wife over Edie's stepdaughters. In 1951, Ernie traveled to New York to NBC to do "The Ernie Kovacs Show". She went on a six-week European cruise, hoping to come to a decision. Adams claimed that so little value was given to the film archive that the entire collection was loaded into three trucks and dumped into Upper New York Bay. Adams starred on Broadway in Wonderful Town (1953) opposite Rosalind Russell[18] (winning the Theatre World Award), and as Daisy Mae in Li'l Abner (1956),[4][25][26] winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Later on I did have something to say and I said it, 'Let's get married.'"[17]. After three days away and many long distance phone calls, Adams returned home with an answer: yes. The family moved to nearby areas such as Shavertown, Grove City and Trucksville and spent a year in New York City before settling in Tenafly, New Jersey, where she attended Tenafly High School. She began August 2, 1962 by claiming $500,000 was her share of Kovacs' estate and charging her ex-husband had abducted the girls in 1955; Kovacs was granted legal custody of his daughters in 1952. Ernie Kovacs siting with his wife, Edie Adams in a event. The court awarded Kovacs full custody upon determining that his former wife was mentally unstable. The zany, mustachioed ‘50s star who … Both Bette and Kippie testified they wanted to stay with Edie. [13][14][15] Adams had never seen the program she was hired for. On August 30, she filed an affidavit claiming Edie was "unfit" to care for the girls. Ernie Kovacs and his wife, Edie Ad-ams, attended a “stork party” hosted by the famous movie director Billy Wilder and his wife Audrey Young at their lav-ish condo located at the corner of Wil-shire Boulevard and Beverly Glen. Wilcox subsequently kidnapped the children, taking them to Florida. Ernie Kovacs is a member of the following lists: 1962 deaths, Mad … Their daughters Bette Lee and Kippie were born in 1947 and 1949. or. [31][32], Another court battle began for Adams in the same year, this time with her mother-in-law, who refused to believe there were more debts than assets in her son's estate. Around 1:00 AM, Ernie decided to leave the party and drive to PJ’s, a joint in Hollywood, to meet a friend for a nightcap. [12] One of her early appearances was on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. Trivia. The American Connection: Jean-Christophe Averty and his U.S. TV Contemporaries. Edie Adams. Kovacs and his first wife, Bette Wilcox, were married on August 13, 1945. He has ranked on the list of those famous people who were born on January 23, 1919. (once as "Edith Adams (Mrs. Ernie Kovacs)" while her husband was on the panel; once as Edie Adams). She was also a successful nightclub headliner. Adams's cigar commercials made her one of the top three most-recognizable television celebrities. Kovacs, who had worked for much of the evening, met Adams at a baby shower given by Billy Wilder for Milton Berle and his wife, who had recently adopted a newborn baby boy. Prior to that, entertainers of different races and sexes were unable to perform next to one another, so that one had to be in front of or behind the other. [13], Adams started her own businesses, Edie Adams Cosmetics, which sold door-to-door, and Edie Adams Cut 'n' Curl beauty salons, which she began in 1967. Now I can smile." On January 13, 1962, Ernie Kovacs, a comedian who hosted his own television shows during the 1950s and is said to have influenced such TV hosts as Johnny Carson and David Letterman, dies at the age of 42 after crashing his Chevrolet Corvair into a telephone pole … Kovacs married his first wife, a dancer named Bette, in 1945. Tells of the death of famed comedian Ernie Kovacs. When the marriage ended, he fought for custody of their children, Elizabeth ("Bette") and Kip Raleigh ("Kippie"). [1] She was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills alongside her first husband Ernie, between her daughter, Mia, and her stepdaughter, Kippie. [19][20][21][22] Adams was initially uncertain about marrying Kovacs. [30][37][38] The couple's celebrity friends planned a TV special benefit for Edie and her family, but she declined, saying, "I can take care of my own children." She later stated: "I sang them all during the audition, and if they had asked to hear another, I never would have made it." Elizabeth Kovacs' reaction was, "I'm so happy I can hardly express myself. The couple left the party in … [28] She remained the pitch-lady for Muriel well after Kovacs's death, intoning in a Mae West style and sexy outfit, "Why don't you pick one up and smoke it sometime?