Hope Emerson (October 29, 1897 – April 24, 1960;) was an American actress, vaudevillian, nightclub performer, and

strongwoman A strongwoman is a woman who performs feats of strength in a show or circus, or a woman who competes in strength athletics. Traditionally, strongwomen have had a special appeal, as women involved in demonstrated feats of strength were exceptions ...

. An imposing person physically, she weighed between and stood tall in her prime.

Early life

Emerson was born in

Hawarden, Iowa Hawarden is a city in Sioux County, Iowa, Sioux County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,700 at the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is located on the Big Sioux River. History Hawarden was platted in 1882. It was na ...

, to John Alvin and Josie L. (née Washburn) Emerson, the middle and only surviving child of three (her two siblings died in infancy). She began her career at age three, touring Iowa with her mother, a character actress. Following her graduation from West High School in Des Moines in 1916, she moved to New York City, where she performed in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

Career

Emerson made her

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

debut in ''Lysistrata'' in 1930, when theatrical producer

Norman Bel Geddes Norman Bel Geddes (born Norman Melancton Geddes; April 27, 1893 – May 8, 1958) was an American theatrical and industrial designer. Early life Bel Geddes was born Norman Melancton Geddes in Adrian, Michigan and was raised in New Philadelp ...

cast her for the role of Lamputo, an Amazon. She made her film début in ''Smiling Faces'' (1932) but then returned to the theater. In 1947, critic

Brooks Atkinson Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theatre critic. He worked for '' The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of hi ...

praised her performance ("vastly entertaining as the garrulous old crone") in '' Street Scene''. In the 1940s, Emerson was also known as the voice of "

Elsie the Cow Elsie the Cow is a cartoon cow developed as a mascot for the Borden Dairy Company in 1936 to symbolize the "perfect dairy product". Since the demise of Borden in the mid-1990s, the character has continued to be used in the same capacity for the ...

" in radio commercials for

Borden Milk Borden, Inc., was an American producer of food and beverage products, consumer products, and industrial products. At one time, the company was the largest U.S. producer of dairy and pasta products. Its food division, Borden Foods, was based in C ...

. Some of Emerson's more memorable roles were as a circus strongwoman in the film ''

Adam's Rib ''Adam's Rib'' is a 1949 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by George Cukor from a screenplay written by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin. It stars Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn as married lawyers who come to oppose each other in ...

'' (1949), lifting actor

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two cons ...

up in the air; as a nefarious masseuse-conspirator in the noirish '' Cry of the City'' (1948); and as a mail-order bride in ''

Westward the Women ''Westward the Women'' is a 1951 Western film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Robert Taylor, Denise Darcel and John McIntire. Plot In 1851, Roy Whitman wants to keep the lonely men who live in Whitman's Valley from leaving, so he ...

'' (1952); as a prospector in an episode of ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...

'' ("Big Liz") (1958). Her most famous character, however, was the sadistic prison matron Evelyn Harper in '' Caged'' (1950), a role that garnered her an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination for Best Supporting Actress. On television, Emerson guest-starred in "Housekeeper", the final episode of the series '' It's a Great Life''. In that episode she portrays a bossy housekeeper who temporarily takes charge while Amy Morgan, played by

Frances Bavier Frances Elizabeth Bavier (December 14, 1902 – December 6, 1989) was an American stage and television actress. Originally from New York theatre, she worked in film and television from the 1950s until the 1970s. She is best known for her role o ...

, is away on vacation. In 1957, she guest-starred in "The Inheritance," an episode of the

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 ...

situation comedy '' Mr. Adams and Eve''.The Classic TV Archive Mr. Adams and Eve (1957-58) Accessed 12 June 2021
/ref> She had a regular role as Mother on the detective series ''

Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, Edie Hart. The series aired on NBC from September 22, 1958, to 1960 and on ABC in 1960–1961. The seri ...

'' (1958–1961), for which she received an Emmy nomination. She left ''Peter Gunn'' after its first season and was succeeded in the same role by

Minerva Urecal Minerva Urecal (born Florence Minerva Dunnuck; September 22, 1894 – February 26, 1966) was an American stage and radio performer as well as a character actress in Hollywood films and on various television series from the early 1950s to 1 ...

, who bore a strong resemblance to Emerson but was far (8 inches) shorter. Emerson left ''Peter Gunn'' for a starring role on the CBS sitcom ''

The Dennis O'Keefe Show ''The Dennis O'Keefe Show'' is an American sitcom produced by Cypress Production/United Artists Television which aired on CBS for sponsor General Motors' Oldsmobile division. It was not a ratings success during its original run and was canceled af ...

'' (1959–60). She appeared in every episode of its single season run but died 16 days before the final episode aired.

Death

Emerson died of

liver disease Liver disease, or hepatic disease, is any of many diseases of the liver. If long-lasting it is termed chronic liver disease. Although the diseases differ in detail, liver diseases often have features in common. Signs and symptoms Some of the si ...

in 1960 at age 62 in Hollywood on April 24, 1960. She is interred in Grace Hill Cemetery in her hometown of Hawarden, Iowa. She never married or had children.

References

External links

* *
Profile
Turner Classic Movies website; accessed April 23, 2016 * *http://sumshee.com/hope-emerson.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Emerson, Hope 1897 births 1960 deaths People from Hawarden, Iowa Actresses from Iowa American child actresses American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Deaths from liver disease Vaudeville performers Singers from Iowa Strongwomen 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers