Faye Emerson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Emerson in 1943 | |
| Born | Faye Margaret Emerson (1917-07-08)July 8, 1917 Elizabeth, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | March 9, 1983(1983-03-09) (aged 65) Deià, Spain |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1941–1961 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Faye Margaret Emerson (July 8, 1917 – March 9, 1983) was an American film and stage actress and television interviewer who gained fame as a film actress in the 1940s before transitioning to television in the 1950s and hosting her own talk show.
Born in Louisiana, Emerson spent the majority of her early life in San Diego, California. She became interested in theater while attending San Diego State College and then pursued an acting career, appearing in stock theater in California. She signed a contract withWarner Bros. and began appearing in its films in 1941. She starred in several films noir, includingLady Gangster (1942) andHoward Hawks's war filmAir Force (1943). In 1944, she played one of her more memorable roles asZachary Scott's former lover inThe Mask of Dimitrios. From 1944 to 1950, she was married toElliott Roosevelt, son ofFranklin Delano Roosevelt.
In 1949, Emerson began hostingThe Faye Emerson Show, a late-night talk show series. Her prolific appearances on many talk shows and game shows throughout the 1950s earned her the nickname "The First Lady of Television". During the decade, she also appeared in numerous Broadway stage productions. Emerson formally retired from show business in 1963 and retired to Europe. She lived there until 1983, when she died of stomach cancer in Deià, Spain, aged 65. For her contributions to the motion picture industry, Emerson received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Her star is located at 6529 Hollywood Blvd.[1][2]
Faye Margaret Emerson was born July 8, 1917, inElizabeth, Louisiana,[3] the fifth child of Lawrence L. and Jean Emerson.[4] The family moved frequently during her early years, including El Paso, Texas, and New Mexico, when she was an infant.[5] Her parents separated when Emerson was three years old,[5] and she went to Chicago in 1924 to live with her father and stepmother.[3] At age 10, she moved to San Diego, California, to live with her mother,[3] where she spent the remainder of her formative years.[4]
She became interested in dramatics during her two years[6] attending the Academy of San Luis Rey, a Roman Catholic convent and boarding school in Oceanside, California.[5] She attendedPoint Loma High School, and for one year, San Diego State College.[6] Emerson joined the San Diego Community Theatre,[7] and the St. James Repertory Theater, performing in summer stock productions in California.[8] Emerson married her first husband, William Wallace Crawford, Jr., a naval aviator, on October 29, 1938.[9] The couple had a son, William Wallace "Scoop" Crawford, III, in 1940.[10]
In 1941, while appearing in a stage production ofHere Today at the San Diego Municipal Theater, Emerson was spotted by a talent agent fromWarner Bros. studios.[10] She subsequently signed a contract with the studio, appearing in bit parts before having supporting roles inBad Men of Missouri andNine Lives Are Not Enough (both released in 1941). She had her first starring role in a low-budget remake of theBarbara Stanwyck crime melodramaLadies They Talk About (1933); Emerson took the Stanwyck role inLady Gangster (1942).
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In 1943, Emerson met PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt's son ColonelElliott Roosevelt.[3]Howard Hughes was instrumental in bringing the two together when Colonel Roosevelt visited theHughes Aircraft Company to evaluate the proposedHughes XF-11. Though Roosevelt was married, Emerson and he linked up, strongly urged on by the generous efforts of Hughes and his social facilitator, Johnny Meyer. Emerson later asserted that despite her doubts, Hughes urged her to advance the relationship, and she could not defy him.[clarification needed] Emerson and Roosevelt married on December 3, 1944, at the rim of Grand Canyon, where she was filmingHotel Berlin.[11] Hughes and Meyer provided the funding and airplanes for the wedding. When Roosevelt went back to Europe, he named his reconnaissance aircraft "My Faye".[12] After some months in Beverly Hills in 1945, the couple resided with Eleanor Roosevelt at Hyde Park, New York.
Emerson continued to appear in a number of crime dramas, co-starring withZachary Scott in three:The Mask of Dimitrios (1944),Danger Signal (1945), andGuilty Bystander (1950). She co-starred withJohn Garfield in the film noirNobody Lives Forever and oppositeJane Wyman inCrime by Night.Murder in the Big House, made in 1942, was re-released in 1945 when co-starVan Johnson became ateen idol; the film was retitledBorn for Trouble.[13]
By 1947, Emerson's marriage to Roosevelt had begun to disintegrate. In late 1948, after having made her Broadway debut inThe Play's the Thing,[14] Emerson attempted suicide on Christmas Day 1948 by slitting her wrists, and was hospitalized.[15][16] On January 12, 1950, she obtained a divorce from Roosevelt in Cuernavaca, Mexico.[17][18]
In 1948, Emerson had transitioned to television and had begun acting in various anthology series, includingThe Chevrolet Tele-Theatre,The Philco Television Playhouse, andGoodyear Television Playhouse. She served as host for several short-lived talk shows and musical/variety shows, includingParis Cavalcade of Fashions (1948) andThe Faye Emerson Show (CBS, 1950).
She was hostess and narrator of NBC'sCavalcade of Fashion[19] from August 13 to December 16, 1948...The Faye Emerson Show (CBS) debuted on October 24, 1949 and ended, April 12, 1952. During that time, she was also a member of the glamour panel on NBC'sLeave It to The Girls and a frequent guest onWho Said That. She was working steadily at both the networks. In addition to her CBS show, she starred in anotherFaye Emerson Show for NBC from April 15 to May 20, 1950. When it ended, she appeared on another for NBC:Fifteen with Faye.[20]
In November 1948,[21] Emerson hostedParis Cavalcade Of Fashions, filmed for movie theaters and aired on NBC (Julie Gibson later replaced her).[22][23] In 1949, Emerson began hostingThe Faye Emerson Show, a 15-minute show,[24][25] sometimes appearing onCBS andNBC simultaneously,[26] which, though it lasted only one season, gave her wide exposure. According to author Gabe Essoe inThe Book of TV Lists,[27] on one of the show's segments, her low-cut gown slipped and "she exposed her ample self coast to coast."[28] The show was broadcast from a studio CBS built on the sixth floor of theStork Club building. The studio, a complete replica of the Stork Club's Cub Room, was built forThe Stork Club, also seen on CBS beginning in 1950.[29][30][31]The Stork Club aired 15 minutes beforeThe Faye Emerson Show.[24][32]Fifteen with Faye aired from June to August 1950 on NBC.[26]
In 1950, Emerson married bandleader and conductorLyle "Skitch" Henderson in Cuernavaca. AfterThe Faye Emerson Show was canceled, she continued in television with other talk shows, includingFaye Emerson's Wonderful Town (1951–1952),Author Meets the Critics (1952), andFaye and Skitch (1953–54), appearing in the latter with her husband. She made numerous guest appearances on various variety shows and game shows. Emerson hosted or appeared on many talk shows, usually wearing elaborate evening gowns. She was such a frequent panelist on game shows likeTo Tell The Truth andI've Got a Secret that she was known as "The First Lady of Television"[33] (although that title was sometimes applied to others, includingRuth Lyons andLucille Ball). During this time, Emerson was earning up to $200,000 per year.[34]
Emerson and Henderson divorced in 1957 in Acapulco, Mexico. Former brother-in-lawJames Roosevelt wrote: "After an incident involving some teenage girls, [Skitch] was dropped fromJohnny Carson'sTonight TV show, and his career went into eclipse. Emerson's marriage to Skitch hit the skids".[35] However, the teenage incident happened before Carson'sTonight Show, which didn't begin until 1962, and Emerson had divorced Henderson in 1957. (Henderson had been dropped fromTonight in 1957, but it was theSteve Allen incarnation.)
While appearing on television throughout the 1950s, Emerson also appeared in numerous Broadway productions, includingParisienne (1950),The Heavenly Twins (1955),Protective Custody (1956), andBack to Methuselah (1958).[14]
Emerson was married to auto dealer William Crawford from 1938 until 1942, and they had one son together.
She was married to writerElliott Roosevelt, the son of PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt, from 1944 until 1950. By 1947, Emerson's marriage to Roosevelt had begun to disintegrate. After having made her Broadway debut inThe Play's the Thing,[14] Emerson attempted suicide on Christmas Day 1948 by slitting her wrists and was hospitalized.[15] In January 1950, she obtained a divorce from Roosevelt inCuernavaca, Mexico.[17][18] Despite her former connection to the Roosevelts, Emerson supported RepublicanDwight D. Eisenhower in thepresidential election of 1952.[36]
Emerson was married toSkitch Henderson from 1950 until 1957. In 1963, Emerson made her final television appearance and formally retired from show business.[37] She moved to Europe, residing for a time in Switzerland and then settling in Spain in 1975.[34] Emerson rarely returned to the United States and spent much of her time in seclusion.[34] Emerson died on March 9, 1983, at age 65 from stomach cancer[2] in Deià, Spain,[4] where she had lived since 1975.[38]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | The Great Lie | Enthusiastic Film Fan in Trailer | Uncredited | |
| 1941 | At the Stroke of Twelve | Miss LaMond | Short film | |
| 1941 | Affectionately Yours | Hospital Nurse | Uncredited | [39] |
| 1941 | The Nurse's Secret | Telephone Girl | [39] | |
| 1941 | Bad Men of Missouri | Martha Adams | [39] | |
| 1941 | Manpower | Nurse Who Lost Draw | Uncredited | [39] |
| 1941 | Nine Lives Are Not Enough | Rose Chadwick | [39] | |
| 1941 | Blues in the Night | Dr. Morse's Nurse | Uncredited | [39] |
| 1942 | Wild Bill Hickok Rides | Peg – Chorus Girl | [39] | |
| 1942 | Lady Gangster | Dot Burton | [39] | |
| 1942 | Murder in the Big House | Gladys Wayne | [39] | |
| 1942 | Juke Girl | Violet 'Murph' Murphy | [39] | |
| 1942 | Secret Enemies | Paula Fengler | [39] | |
| 1943 | Women at War | Anastasia 'Stormy' Hart | Short film | |
| 1943 | Food and Magic | Girl in Audience | Short film; uncredited | |
| 1943 | The Hard Way | Ice Cream Parlor Waitress | [39] | |
| 1943 | Air Force | Susan McMartin | [39] | |
| 1943 | Find the Blackmailer | Mona Vance | [39] | |
| 1943 | Destination Tokyo | Mrs. Cassidy | [39] | |
| 1943 | The Desert Song | Hajy | [39] | |
| 1944 | In Our Time | Friend of Count Stephan in Nightclub | Uncredited | [39] |
| 1944 | Uncertain Glory | Louise | [39] | |
| 1944 | Between Two Worlds | Miss Maxine Russell | [39] | |
| 1944 | The Mask of Dimitrios | Irana Preveza | [39] | |
| 1944 | Crime by Night | Ann Marlow | [39] | |
| 1944 | The Very Thought of You | Cora 'Cuddles' Colton | [39] | |
| 1944 | Hollywood Canteen | Herself | [39] | |
| 1945 | Hotel Berlin | Tillie Weiler | [39] | |
| 1945 | Danger Signal | Hilda Fenchurch | [39] | |
| 1946 | Her Kind of Man | Ruby Marino | [39] | |
| 1946 | Nobody Lives Forever | Toni Blackburn | [39] | |
| 1950 | Guilty Bystander | Georgia | [39] | |
| 1953 | Main Street to Broadway | Herself | [39] | |
| 1957 | A Face in the Crowd | Herself | Uncredited | [39] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | The Play's the Thing | Ilona Szabo | Booth Theatre | [14] |
| 1950 | Parisienne | Clotilde | Fulton Theatre | [14] |
| 1955 | The Heavenly Twins | Lucile Miremont | Booth Theatre | [14] |
| 1956 | Protective Custody | Dolly Byrnes | Ambassador Theatre | [14] |
| 1958 | Back to Methuselah | Zoo / Parlor Maid / Mrs. Lutestring / Eve | Ambassador Theatre | [14] |
Radio show host:
Radio show lead:
TV show host:
TV game show panelist:
(Vol. 1 No.7) Miss Emerson's dynamic radiance again is featured on the video screens of the nation in a series of programs televised three afternoons weekly, (WHAM-TV, Mon., Wed., Fri., 2:45 p.m.)
(The L.A. Times obituary and several other sources have the wrong year for Faye Emerson's first marriage. Several sources have the wrong year for the birth of her son.)free download
...and both Faye Emerson and Arlene Francis, each about to become TV perennials and legends, had already begun making regular TV appearances. Emerson, for example, was hostess of the series "Paris Cavalcade of Fashions" on NBC which began in November of 1948.
Dissatisfied with the roles she was getting, Gibson broke her contract with Paramount and departed for Paris, where she replaced Faye Emerson in a filmed weekly series, Paris Cavalcade of Fashions, for U.S. movie chains.
Christine Becker is an assistant professor in the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre at Notre Dame, where she specializes in film and television history.
THE FAYE EMERSON SHOW (1951 ABC) a 15-minute chatfest with Faye!
According to author Gabe Essoe in The Book of TV Lists, on one the show's segments, her low-cut gown slipped and "she exposed her ample self coast to coast."
The show debuted on 7 July 1950 and ran through to 1955.
[5] WHAM-TV (NBC/DuMont) 201 Humboldt Street, Rochester (CUlver 7240)
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