Posted on 10/16/2008 11:18:24 PM PDT by B-Chan
Edie Adams died today at the age of 81. Younger readers of this blog will not remember her, but I do. She was a singer (a Julliard alum, no less), a Tony-winning and Emmy-nominated actress, and the wife of TV comedy pioneer Ernie Kovacs. She was also one of the most beautiful and sexy stars to ever grace screen and stage, and (from all accounts; we never met) a truly good person.
Those Americans who were raised by television as I was will probably recall Edie Adams most easily as the long-time TV pitchwoman for Muriel Cigars. (Yes, I am old enough to remember ads for cigars and cigarettes on TV!) Although I was only a kid when she made most of her Muriel commercials, I was also a big sports fan, and (as anyone who watched TV sports in the '70s can tell you) sports broadcasting back then was heavily sponsored by liquor and tobacco companies. Somewhere in the Video Vault I have a copy of a TV spot she did for Muriel with the the Kirby Stone Four of "Baubles, Bangles, and Beads" fame that may well be the coolest TV ad ever made. Not only does she look great in the spot, but she and the Four sing and swing the Muriel jingle with a rock-solid groove which, combined with her martini-chilled screen charisma and the razor-creased Kennedy-era look of the sets and costumes, create a memorable sixty seconds of pure '60s American ice-cool. See it (maybe someone reading this can dig it up and post it to his/her LJ?) and experience one minute of pure New Frontier nirvana.
Edie Adams was also a movie star: she was in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) and Up in Smoke (1978) — and if a resume like that isn't evidence of total coolness, I don't know what is.
The passing of Edie Adams is just another note in my never-ending dirge about how our culture (which includes popular culture) is going into the toilet. Compared to a real star of the Olden Days like Edie Adams, "stars" of today are hardly worthy of the name. To be a Name in the Olden Days you had to be able to act and sing and dance at the very least — and also be funny, charming, patriotic, and glamorous. Know any modern-day stars that pack that kind of talent? 'Cos I don't. Meryl Streep can't sing, Madonna can't act, and I'll bet you Matt Damon can't tap dance a f--king lick.
So farewell, Edie Adams; they don't make stars like you any more. I'll smoke a Muriel in your memory.
RIP Edie, you were one of the great ones.
I remember her very fondly!
You knew her personally?
Sad news. Fond memories of Edie Adams and Ernie Kovacs.
No I meant I remember her from TV and Movie’s!
This was great to watch..Rest in Peace, Edie..We celebrate your life and remember you with joy.
As a kid (teenager) I thought she was the most beautiful
woman in the world. I liked her in every thing she did.
RIP Edie.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.