I am using textedit 1.5 and Mail version 3.6
but can't import the emailaresses from the textfile even when I change the extension to .cvs any suggestions?
Just naming a text file to .csv does not make it a CSV file. The text needs to be formatted in a very specific way. You can read about CSV files here.
If you have a properly formatted CSV file, it can be imported directly into the Address Book app. It sounds like your CSV file is not formatted correctly.