The world lost a true legend on May 21st when Ed Ames passed away at the age of 95 in Los Angeles. Ames had a career that spanned decades and included hit recordings, TV stardom, and Broadway roles. He began his journey in the 1950s as part of the Ames Brothers quartet, which had a hit with “Rag Mop” and went on to have a syndicated TV program called The Ames Brothers Show.
Ames also had a successful solo career, hitting the charts with songs like “My Cup Runneth Over,” “Who Will Answer?” and “Try to Remember.” But he didn’t stop there – he also took on stage tours in off-Broadway shows like The Crucible and The Fantasticks, and eventually landed a starring role on Broadway in Carnival! He even starred alongside Kirk Douglas, Gene Wilder, and William Daniels in the Broadway production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Television came calling, and despite his Russian-Jewish heritage, Ames was cast as Cherokee Indian Mingo on the Fess Parker TV show, Daniel Boone. But it was his accidental demonstration of tomahawk throwing on The Tonight Show that made him a legend. When his throw landed squarely in the groin of a cowboy drawing, host Johnny Carson quipped, “I didn’t even know you were Jewish!” and the audience roared for four minutes.
Ames continued to make guest appearances on shows like The Rifleman, McCloud, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, Jake and the Fatman, and Murder She Wrote. He was born in Massachusetts and received a B.A. in theater and cinema arts from UCLA in 1975. Ames is survived by his wife, Jeanne; two children, Ronald and Sonya; seven grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and stepson Stephen Saviano. He will be deeply missed.
