Faye Emerson
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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 with
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
and began appearing in its films in 1941. She starred in several films noir, including ''
Lady Gangster ''Lady Gangster'' is a 1942 Warner Bros. B picture crime film directed by Robert Florey, credited as "Florian Roberts". It is based on the play ''Gangstress, or Women in Prison'' by Dorothy Mackaye, who in 1928, as #440960, served less than ten ...
'' (1942), and Howard Hawks's war film ''
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
'' (1943). In 1944, she played one of her more memorable roles as
Zachary Scott Zachary Scott (February 21, 1914 – October 3, 1965)Obituary '' Variety'', October 6, 1965. was an American actor who was known for his roles as villains and "mystery men". Early life Scott was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Sallie L ...
's former lover in ''
The Mask of Dimitrios ''The Mask of Dimitrios'' is a 1944 American film noir directed by Jean Negulesco and written by Frank Gruber, based on the 1939 novel of the same title written by Eric Ambler (in the United States, it was published as ''A Coffin for Dimitrios'' ...
''. From 1944 to 1950, she was married to Elliott Roosevelt, son of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In 1949, Emerson began hosting ''The 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 the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Her star is located at 6529 Hollywood Blvd.


Early life

Faye Margaret Emerson was born July 8, 1917 in Elizabeth, Louisiana, the fifth child of Lawrence L. and Jean Emerson. The family moved frequently during her early years, including El Paso, Texas, and New Mexico, when she was an infant. Her parents separated when Emerson was three years old, and she went to Chicago in 1924 to live with her father and stepmother. At age 10, she moved to San Diego, California, to live with her mother, where she spent the remainder of her formative years. She became interested in dramatics during her two years attending the Academy of San Luis Rey, a Roman Catholic convent and boarding school in Oceanside, California. She attended
Point Loma High School Point Loma High School is a public high school in the San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, California, United States. It is located in the Loma Portal neighborhood of Point Loma. The school serves the neighborhoods of Point Loma and ...
, and for one year, San Diego State College. Emerson joined the San Diego Community Theatre, and the St. James Repertory Theater, performing in summer stock productions in California. Emerson married her first husband, William Wallace Crawford, Jr., a naval aviator, on October 29, 1938. The couple had a son, William Wallace "Scoop" Crawford, III, in 1940.


Film career

In 1941, while appearing in a stage production of ''Here Today'' at the San Diego Municipal Theater, Emerson was spotted by a talent agent from
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
studios. She subsequently signed a contract with the studio, appearing in bit parts before having supporting roles in ''
Bad Men of Missouri ''Bad Men of Missouri'' is a 1941 American Western film directed by Ray Enright and written by Charles Grayson. The film stars Dennis Morgan, Jane Wyman, Wayne Morris and Arthur Kennedy. The film was released by Warner Bros. on July 26, 194 ...
'' and ''
Nine Lives Are Not Enough ''Nine Lives Are Not Enough'' is a 1941 Comedy-drama film directed by A. Edward Sutherland and written by Fred Niblo Jr. The film stars Ronald Reagan, Joan Perry, and James Gleason, with Howard Da Silva, Faye Emerson and Edward Brophy. The fi ...
'' (both released in 1941). She had her first starring role, as a female gangster, in the ''
Lady Gangster ''Lady Gangster'' is a 1942 Warner Bros. B picture crime film directed by Robert Florey, credited as "Florian Roberts". It is based on the play ''Gangstress, or Women in Prison'' by Dorothy Mackaye, who in 1928, as #440960, served less than ten ...
'' (1942). In 1943, Emerson met President
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
's son Colonel Elliott Roosevelt.
Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in th ...
was instrumental in bringing the two together when Colonel Roosevelt visited the Hughes Aircraft Company to evaluate the proposed
Hughes XF-11 The Hughes XF-11 (redesignated XR-11 in 1948) was a prototype military reconnaissance aircraft designed and flown by Howard Hughes and built by Hughes Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). Although 100 F-11s were ordered in ...
. 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. Emerson and Roosevelt married on December 3, 1944 at the rim of Grand Canyon, where she was filming ''Hotel Berlin''. Hughes and Meyer provided the funding and airplanes for the wedding. When Roosevelt went back to Europe, he named his reconnaissance aircraft "My Faye". 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 with
Zachary Scott Zachary Scott (February 21, 1914 – October 3, 1965)Obituary '' Variety'', October 6, 1965. was an American actor who was known for his roles as villains and "mystery men". Early life Scott was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Sallie L ...
in three: ''
The Mask of Dimitrios ''The Mask of Dimitrios'' is a 1944 American film noir directed by Jean Negulesco and written by Frank Gruber, based on the 1939 novel of the same title written by Eric Ambler (in the United States, it was published as ''A Coffin for Dimitrios'' ...
'' (1944), ''
Danger Signal ''Danger Signal'' is a 1945 film noir starring Faye Emerson and Zachary Scott. The screenplay was adapted from the 1939 novel of the same name by Phyllis Bottome. Plot A mysterious pulp writer—and psychopath—named Ronnie Mason, steals a ...
'' (1945), and ''
Guilty Bystander ''Guilty Bystander'' is a 1950 American crime drama directed by Joseph Lerner, and starring Zachary Scott and Faye Emerson. The film was shot on location entirely in New York City. It also marked the last motion picture screen appearances for ch ...
'' (1950). She co-starred with
John Garfield John Garfield (born Jacob Julius Garfinkle, March 4, 1913 – May 21, 1952) was an American actor who played brooding, rebellious, working-class characters. He grew up in poverty in New York City. In the early 1930s, he became a member of ...
in the film noir '' Nobody Lives Forever'' and opposite
Jane Wyman Jane Wyman ( ; born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007)"Actress, P ...
in ''
Crime by Night ''Crime by Night '' is a 1944 crime film directed by William Clemens, starring Jane Wyman and Jerome Cowan. It tells the story of Sam Campbell (Jerome Cowan) and his secretary Robbie Vance (Jane Wyman), who take a vacation and uncover a murder. ...
''. ''
Murder in the Big House ''Murder in the Big House'' is a black-and-white American crime drama, released by Warner Bros in April 1942. Structured as an hour-long second feature, it is directed by the prolific specialist in low-budget action productions, B. Reeves Eason, a ...
'', made in 1942, was re-released under a new title later in the decade after Emerson began to make a name for herself in television. By 1947, Emerson's marriage to Roosevelt had begun to disintegrate. In late 1948, after having made her Broadway debut in ''The Play's the Thing'', Emerson attempted suicide on Christmas Day 1948 by slitting her wrists, and was hospitalized. On January 12, 1950, she obtained a divorce from Roosevelt in Cuernavaca, Mexico.


Television and theater

In 1948, Emerson had transitioned to television and had begun acting in various anthology series, including ''
The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre ''The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre'' is an American anthology series that aired live on NBC Mondays at 8 pm EST from September 27, 1948 to June 26, 1950. The program presented both news headlines and live dramatic performances of either original plays ...
'', ''
The Philco Television Playhouse ''The Philco Television Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the Golde ...
'', and ''
Goodyear Television Playhouse ''Goodyear Television Playhouse'' is an American anthology series that was telecast live on NBC from 1951 to 1957 during the first Golden Age of Television. Sponsored by Goodyear, Goodyear alternated sponsorship with Philco, and the ''Philco Te ...
''. She served as host for several short-lived talk shows and musical/variety shows, including ''Paris Cavalcade of Fashions'' (1948) and ''The Faye Emerson Show'' (CBS, 1950).
She was hostess and narrator of NBC's ''Cavalcade of Fashion'' 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 glamor panel on NBC's ''Leave It To The Girls'' and a frequent guest on ''Who Said That''. She was working steadily at both the networks. In addition to her CBS show, she starred in another ''Faye Emerson Show'' for NBC from April 15 to May 20, 1950. When it ended, she appeared on another for NBC: ''Fifteen With Faye''.
In November 1948, Emerson hosted ''Paris Cavalcade Of Fashions'', filmed for movie theaters and aired on NBC (
Julie Gibson Julie Gibson (born Gladys Camille Soray; September 6, 1913 – October 2, 2019) was an American singer and radio, television and film actress who had a career in movies during the 1940s. Gibson, who retired from the industry in 1984, was known ...
later replaced her). In 1949, Emerson began hosting ''The Faye Emerson Show'', a 15-minute show, sometimes appearing on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
and
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
simultaneously, which, though it lasted only one season, gave her wide exposure. According to author Gabe Essoe in ''The Book of TV Lists'', on one of the show's segments, her low-cut gown slipped and "she exposed her ample self coast to coast." The show was broadcast from a studio CBS built on the sixth floor of the Stork Club building. The studio, a complete replica of the Stork Club's Cub Room, was built for ''The Stork Club'', also seen on CBS beginning in 1950. ''The Stork Club'' aired 15 minutes before ''The Faye Emerson Show''. ''Fifteen with Faye'' aired from June to August 1950 on NBC. In 1950, Emerson married bandleader and conductor Lyle "Skitch" Henderson in Cuernavaca. After ''The Faye Emerson Show'' was cancelled, she continued in television with other talk shows, including '' Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town'' (1951–1952), ''
Author Meets the Critics ''Author Meets the Critics'' was an American talk show which was broadcast by the National Broadcasting Company, American Broadcasting Company, and the DuMont Television Network. The series began as a mid-season replacement on NBC on April 4, 19 ...
'' (1952), and ''Faye 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 like '' To Tell The Truth'' and ''
I've Got a Secret ''I've Got a Secret'' is an American panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. Created by comedy writers Allan Sherman and Howard Merrill, it was a derivative of Goodson-Todman's own panel show, ''What's My Line ...
'' that she was known as "The First Lady of Television" (although that title was sometimes applied to others, including Ruth Lyons and
Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golde ...
). During this time, Emerson was earning up to $200,000 per year. Emerson and Henderson divorced in 1957 in Acapulco, Mexico. Former brother-in-law
James Roosevelt James Roosevelt II (December 23, 1907 – August 13, 1991) was an American businessman, Marine, activist, and Democratic Party politician. The eldest son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, he served as an official Secr ...
wrote: "After an incident involving some teen-age girls, kitchwas dropped from
Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six Pr ...
's ''Tonight'' TV show, and his career went into eclipse. Emerson's marriage to Skitch hit the skids". However, the teen-age incident happened before Carson's ''Tonight Show'', which didn't begin until 1962, and Emerson had divorced Henderson in 1957. (Henderson had been dropped from ''Tonight'' in 1957, but it was the Steve Allen incarnation.) While appearing on television throughout the 1950s, Emerson also appeared in numerous Broadway productions, including ''Parisienne'' (1950), ''The Heavenly Twins'' (1955), ''Protective Custody'' (1956), and ''
Back to Methuselah ''Back to Methuselah (A Metabiological Pentateuch)'' by George Bernard Shaw consists of a preface (''The Infidel Half Century'') and a series of five plays: ''In the Beginning: B.C. 4004 (In the Garden of Eden)'', ''The Gospel of the Brothers Bar ...
'' (1958).


Personal life

Emerson was married to auto-dealer William Crawford from 1938⁠–⁠1942. They had 1 son together. Emerson was married to writer and son of
FDR Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
, Elliott Roosevelt from 1944–1950. By 1947, Emerson's marriage to Roosevelt had begun to disintegrate. In late 1948, after having made her Broadway debut in ''The Play's the Thing'', Emerson attempted suicide on Christmas Day 1948 by slitting her wrists, and was hospitalized. In January 1950, she obtained a divorce from Roosevelt in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Emerson was married to
Skitch Henderson Lyle Russel "Skitch" Henderson (January 27, 1918 – November 1, 2005) was a pianist, conductor, and composer. His nickname "Skitch" came from his ability to "re-sketch" a song in a different key. Bing Crosby suggested that he should use the ...
(1950–1957). In 1963, Emerson made her final television appearance and formally retired from show business. She moved to Europe, residing for a time in Switzerland and then settling in Spain in 1975. Emerson rarely returned to the United States and spent much of her time in seclusion. Emerson died on March 9, 1983 at age 65 from stomach cancer in Deià, Spain, where she had lived since 1975.


Filmography


Stage credits


Radio and TV credits

Radio Show host: * ''That's A Good One'', NBC-BLUE (1943) * ''At Home With Faye And Elliott'', NBC-BLUE (1946) (co-host: Elliott Roosevelt) Radio Show lead: * ''My Silent Partner'', NBC-Radio (1949) TV Show host: * ''Paris Cavalcade Of Fashions'', NBC-TV (1948) (also Narrator) * ''The Faye Emerson Show'' CBS-TV, (1950) * ''The Faye Emerson Show'' NBC-TV, (1950) * ''Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town'', CBS (1951–1952) * ''Author Meets The Critics'', DuMont-TV (1952) (Moderator) * '' Youth Wants To Know'', NBC (1952) ( Jackie Robinson was a panelist on that show) * ''Faye And Skitch'', NBC-TV (1953–1954) (with
Skitch Henderson Lyle Russel "Skitch" Henderson (January 27, 1918 – November 1, 2005) was a pianist, conductor, and composer. His nickname "Skitch" came from his ability to "re-sketch" a song in a different key. Bing Crosby suggested that he should use the ...
) * ''Of All Things'', CBS-TV (1956) TV Game Show Panelist: * ''I've Got A Secret'', CBS (1952–1958) * ''What's My Line'', CBS (1952) * ''Quick As A Flash'', ABC (1953–1954) * ''What's In A Word'', CBS (1954) * ''Masquerade Party'' (1958–1960)


References


Sources

* * * * * * Roosevelt, James. ''My Parents: A Differing View.'' Playboy Press, 1976. *


External links

* *
Faye Emerson
at
Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of At ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emerson, Faye 1917 births 1983 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American politicians Actresses from Louisiana Actresses from San Diego American expatriates in Spain American film actresses American stage actresses American television talk show hosts American television actresses California Democrats Deaths from cancer in Spain Deaths from stomach cancer Louisiana Democrats People from Elizabeth, Louisiana
Faye Emerson 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 ...
Warner Bros. contract players