Ed Ames, a member of the Ames Brothers singing quartet who starred in the 1960s TV series “Daniel Boone,” died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles. He turned 95.
Ed Ames and his brothers Vic, Joe and Gene had a hit in 1950 with their version of “Rag Mop”. As a solo artist, he had hits with “Who Will Answer?”, “My Cup Runneth Over” and “Try to Remember.” In the 1950s, they had a syndicated TV show, “The Ames Brothers Show,” and 49 songs that the charts came before they broke up in 1963.
He then began an acting career, with off-Broadway appearances in “The Crucible” and “The Fantasticks”, as well as a Broadway starring role in “Carnival!” He starred with Kirk Douglas, Gene Wilder and William Daniels in the Broadway production of ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’.
Although his background was Russian Jewish, Ames was cast several times as a Native American and played Mingo, a Cherokee Indian character with a British father, during several seasons of the Fess Parker Western ‘Daniel Boone’.
He became known for his skill in throwing a tomahawk, and on “The Tonight Show” in 1965, he demonstrated his skill to Johnny Carson on a wood panel with the outline of a cowboy. When Ames hit the figure right in the groin, Carson said, “I didn’t even know you were Jewish!” and then “Welcome to Frontier Bris.” The cheeky response caused the studio audience to laugh for four minutes, which is said to be the longest studio audience laugh in television history.
He has also appeared as a guest on shows such as ‘The Rifleman’, ‘McCloud’, ‘Murder She Wrote’, ‘It’s Garry Shandling’s Show’ and ‘Jake and the Fatman’.
Born July 9, 1927, in Malden, Massachusetts, Ames was the youngest of nine children and later earned a BA in theater and film arts from UCLA in 1975.
He is survived by his wife Jeanne; two children, Ronald and Sonya, seven grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and stepson Stephen Saviano. Another daughter, Marcella, predeceased him.