ENTERTAINER EDIE ADAMS TO BE POSTHUMOUSLY HONORED WITH A RETROSPECTIVE OF HER WORK AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS NOVEMBER 1 AND THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT LINCOLN CENTER DECEMBER 5
LOS ANGELES, CA (THURSDAY OCTOBER 31, 2013) –Entertainer Edie Adams (www.edieadams.com) will be posthumously honored with retrospectives of her work tomorrow Friday, November 1st at The Library of Congress at the Packard Campus Theater in Culpeper, VA, and on December 5 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in New York City. Ben Model, curator and archivist of the Kovacs-Adams collections of shows, will conduct a Q&A exploring her career along side that of her husband and on-air partner Ernie Kovacs (www.erniekovacs.com) focusing on their television work, which spanned from mid-1950‘s through the 1960’s. Adams’ son, Josh Mills will be on hand at the New York event to discuss her life and career. Clips from her shows will highlight the conversation.
These events will coincide with the November 19th, release of the definitive Television collection of Edie Adams shows as a four DVD box set, entitled, Here’s Edie: The Edie Adams Television Collection (http://edieandernie.spinshop.com) from MVD Entertainment. It also marks the first time these programs will be available for public viewing since they first aired with attendance free to the public. The program is scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM at the Library of Congress and at 6:00 PM at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. Both programs will include a discussion with the audience.
“It is an honor to have these two internationally recognized institutions host these retrospectives,” said Josh Mills, who serves as president of Ediad Productions and the Adams and Kovacs Estates. “Edie Adams’ own television career has been largely overshadowed because of her forward-thinking preservation efforts with the archive of Ernie Kovacs. Finally, we will be able to experience my mother’s unique talents alongside the acknowledged genius of Ernie Kovacs. ”
Unlike any variety show before or since, Here’s Edie : The Edie Adams Television Collection represents a tour-de-force for a female entertainer in the early-1960’s. After the sudden passing of Kovacs in January 1962, Adams (1927-2008) forged ahead with her own headlining show, showcasing her many talents. Adams hosts, sings, dances, acts, does comedy, takes an uncredited role of costumer Enke and also produces her own show. She clearly left behind a extraordinary body of her work that survives due only to her indefatigable preservation efforts.
The 12-hour, four DVD set, compiled by Ben Model, features the entire run of all 21 episodes (with her famed Muriel Cigar commercials intact) plus extensive bonus footage. This bonus material includes rarely seen Adams musical numbers from numerous Ernie Kovacs shows of the 1950’s with introductions from Kovacs himself. The ‘wow’ factor of this box set resides in the eclectic guest stars including rare performance footage of giants, such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Stan Getz, Sammy Davis Jr., Bobby Darin, Johnny Mathis, Buddy Hackett, Dick Shawn, Terry-Thomas, Andrew Previn, Lauritz Melchoir, Laurindo Almeida. Allan Sherman, Spike Jones, Peter Falk, Sir Michael Redgrave, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and more than a few surprise cameos.
For more information and tickets to both events:
November 1, Library of Congress, Culpeper, VA 7:30pm:
http://www.loc.gov/avconservation/theater/schedule.html
December 5, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, 6pm
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About Ediad Productions
Formed by the late entertainer and Muriel Cigar girl Edie Adams, and currently run by her son Joshua Mills, Ediad Productions is home to what is likely the largest independent archive of early American television in existence. With more than 150 half-hours of content from legendary comedian Ernie Kovacs, as well as two seasons of Edie Adams’ prime time variety show from the mid-1960s, Ediad Productions is a treasure trove of classic popular entertainment. Titles in the archive include “The Ernie Kovacs Show,” “Ernie in Kovacsland,” “Take A Good Look” (clues), the Kovacs specials for ABC, “The Edie Adams Show,” “Here’s Edie” and much more. Ediad Productions is the go-to archive for television, digital & mobile entertainment content and is based in Los Angeles, California.
Press Contacts:
Henri Bollinger, henri@bollingerpr.com / 818 784 0534
Josh Mills, It’s Alive! Media, josh@itsalivemedia.com /323 464 6314
