Faye Emerson
Encyclopedia
Faye Margaret Emerson was an American film actress and television interviewer, known as "The First Lady of Television". She acted in many Warner Brothers films beginning in 1941. In 1944, she played one of her more memorable roles as Zachary Scott
's ex in The Mask of Dimitrios
. She was born to Lawrence and Emma (Smythe) in the tiny community of Elizabeth
, Allen Parish in southwestern Louisiana
.
In 1948, she made a move to television and began acting in various anthology series, including The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
, The Philco Television Playhouse
, and Goodyear Television Playhouse. 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).
Although The Faye Emerson Show only lasted one season, it gave her wide exposure because her time slot immediately followed the CBS Evening News
and alternated weeknights with the popular The Perry Como Show. 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.
After The Faye Emerson Show, she continued in TV with other talk shows, including Wonderful Town, U.S.A. (1951), Author Meets the Critics
(1952), and Faye and Skitch (1953). She also made numerous guest appearances on various variety shows and game shows.
Emerson hosted or appeared on so many talk shows—usually wearing long, low-cut gowns—and game shows, such as I've Got a Secret
, that she was known as "The First Lady of Television." The glamorous Emerson was so popular in the early 1950s that it was rumored that the newly created Emmy Award
was named after her.
She was once married to Elliott Roosevelt
, son of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
. Emerson was later married to bandleader Skitch Henderson
in the 1950s. Once a Hollywood starlet enjoying the show business spotlight, the wealthy Emerson moved to Spain
and spent the rest of her life in seclusion. She died of stomach cancer
in Deià
, Mallorca, in 1983 at the age of sixty-five.
Zachary Scott
Zachary Scott was an American actor, most notable for his roles as villains and "mystery men".-Life and career:...
's ex in The Mask of Dimitrios
The Mask of Dimitrios
The Mask of Dimitrios is an American film noir directed by Jean Negulesco and written by Frank Gruber, based on the 1939 novel of the same name written by Eric Ambler . Ambler is known as a major influence on writers and an inventor of the modern thriller genre...
. She was born to Lawrence and Emma (Smythe) in the tiny community of Elizabeth
Elizabeth, Louisiana
Elizabeth is a town in Allen Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 574 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Elizabeth is located at ....
, Allen Parish in southwestern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
In 1948, she made a move to television and began acting in various anthology series, including The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre
The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre is an American anthology series that aired on NBC Mondays at 8 pm EST from September 27, 1948 to June 26, 1950. Guests who appeared on the series included Faye Emerson, Edward Everett Horton, Basil Rathbone, Nina Foch, and Boris Karloff.-Episode status:One episode from...
, The Philco Television Playhouse
The Philco Television Playhouse
The Philco Television Playhouse, a live television anthology series sponsored by Philco, was telecast from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the NBC series was seen on Sundays from 9:00pm to 10:00pm...
, and Goodyear Television Playhouse. 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
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, 1950).
Although The Faye Emerson Show only lasted one season, it gave her wide exposure because her time slot immediately followed the CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
and alternated weeknights with the popular The Perry Como Show. 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
Stork Club
The Stork Club was a nightclub in New York City from 1929 to 1965. From 1934 onwards, it was located at 3 East 53rd Street, just east of Fifth Avenue...
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.
After The Faye Emerson Show, she continued in TV with other talk shows, including Wonderful Town, U.S.A. (1951), Author Meets the Critics
Author Meets the Critics
Author Meets the Critics was an American talk show which aired on NBC, ABC, and the DuMont Television Network. The series began as a mid-season replacement on NBC on April 4, 1948, but moved to ABC in 1949...
(1952), and Faye and Skitch (1953). She also made numerous guest appearances on various variety shows and game shows.
Emerson hosted or appeared on so many talk shows—usually wearing long, low-cut gowns—and game shows, such as I've Got a Secret
I've Got a Secret
I've Got a Secret is a 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." The glamorous Emerson was so popular in the early 1950s that it was rumored that the newly created Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
was named after her.
She was once married to Elliott Roosevelt
Elliott Roosevelt
Elliott Roosevelt was a United States Army Air Forces officer and an author. Roosevelt was a son of U.S. President Franklin D...
, son of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
. Emerson was later married to bandleader Skitch Henderson
Skitch Henderson
Lyle Russell Cedric “Skitch” Henderson was a pianist, conductor, and composer. His nickname reportedly derived from his ability to quickly "re-sketch" a song in a different key.- Biography :...
in the 1950s. Once a Hollywood starlet enjoying the show business spotlight, the wealthy Emerson moved to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and spent the rest of her life in seclusion. She died of stomach cancer
Stomach cancer
Gastric cancer, commonly referred to as stomach cancer, can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus, lungs, lymph nodes, and the liver...
in Deià
Deià
Deià is a small coastal village on the northern ridge of the Spanish island of Majorca. It is located about ten miles north of Valldemossa, and it is known for its literary and musical residents...
, Mallorca, in 1983 at the age of sixty-five.
Features
- Affectionately Yours (19411941 in filmThe year 1941 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Citizen Kane, consistently rated as one of the greatest films of all time, was released in 1941.-Top grossing films :-Academy Awards:...
) - The Nurse's Secret (1941)
- Bad Men of Missouri (1941)
- ManpowerManpower (1941 film)Manpower is a 1941 film about power company linemen starring Edward G. Robinson, Marlene Dietrich, and George Raft. The memorable posters for the movie proclaimed, "Robinson - He's mad about Dietrich. Dietrich - She's mad about Raft...
(1941) - Nine Lives Are Not Enough (1941)
- Blues in the NightBlues in the Night (1941 film)Blues in the Night is a 1941 American musical drama film released by Warner Brothers, directed by Anatole Litvak and starring Priscilla Lane, Richard Whorf, Betty Field, Lloyd Nolan, Elia Kazan, and Jack Carson...
(1941) - Wild Bill Hickok Rides (19421942 in filmThe year 1942 in film involved some significant events, in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest of all time, Casablanca.-Events:...
) - Lady Gangster (1942)
- Murder in the Big House (1942)
- Juke Girl (1942)
- Secret Enemies (1942)
- Air Force (19431943 in filmThe year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 3 - 1st missing persons telecast * February 20 - American film studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor films....
) - The Hard Way (1943)
- Find the Blackmailer (1943)
- The Desert SongThe Desert Song (1943 film)The Desert Song is a 1943 epic musical film. It was directed by Robert Florey and starred Dennis Morgan, Irene Manning and Bruce Cabot. It is based on the 1926 operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg...
(1943) - Destination TokyoDestination TokyoDestination Tokyo is a 1943 submarine war film. It was directed by Delmer Daves and written by Daves, Steve Fisher and Albert Maltz, and stars Cary Grant and John Garfield with featured performances by Dane Clark, Robert Hutton and Warner Anderson. Production began on June 21, 1943 and continued...
(1943) - In Our Time (19441944 in filmThe year 1944 in film involved some significant events, including the wholesome, award-winning Going My Way plus popular murder mysteries such as Double Indemnity, Gaslight and Laura.-Events:*July 20 - Since You Went Away is released....
) - Uncertain GloryUncertain Glory-Plot:During World War II, Jean Picard is a convicted killer being led to the guillotine; he escapes during an air raid. He is captured by French Sûreté Inspector Marcel Bonet . They learn that a bridge has been blown up by three saboteurs, and that the Germans have taken 100 hostages who will be...
(1944) - Between Two Worlds (1944)
- The Mask of DimitriosThe Mask of DimitriosThe Mask of Dimitrios is an American film noir directed by Jean Negulesco and written by Frank Gruber, based on the 1939 novel of the same name written by Eric Ambler . Ambler is known as a major influence on writers and an inventor of the modern thriller genre...
(1944) - Crime by Night (1944)
- The Very Thought of YouThe Very Thought of You (film)The Very Thought of You is a 1944 romantic drama film starring Dennis Morgan and Eleanor Parker. In World War II, an American soldier on a short leave falls in love with and marries a woman.-Cast:*Dennis Morgan as Sergeant David Stewart...
(1944) - Hollywood CanteenHollywood Canteen (1944 film)Hollywood Canteen is a 1944 Warner Bros. film starring Joan Leslie, Robert Hutton, and Dane Clark. The film was written and directed by Delmer Daves, and is notable for featuring many stars in cameo roles...
(1944) - Hotel BerlinHotel BerlinHotel Berlin is a film set in Berlin near the close of the Second World War, made by Warner Brothers in late 1944 - early 1945. The film was released in March, 1945....
(19451945 in filmThe year 1945 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Paramount Studios releases theatrical short cartoon titled The Friendly Ghost, featuring a ghost named Casper.* With Rossellini's Roma Città aperta, Italian neorealist cinema begins....
) - Danger SignalDanger SignalDanger Signal is a 1945 film noir starring Faye Emerson and Zachary Scott. It was adapted from the novel of the same name by Phyllis Bottome.-Plot:...
(1945) - Her Kind of Man (19461946 in filmThe year 1946 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*November 21 - William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives premieres in New York featuring an ensemble cast including Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, and Harold Russell.*December 20 - Frank Capra's It's a...
) - Nobody Lives Forever (1946)
- Guilty BystanderGuilty BystanderGuilty Bystander is a 1950 independent film production, considered film noir, starring Zachary Scott and Faye Emerson. The film was the last film appearance for character actor Mary Boland.-Reaction:...
(19501950 in filmThe year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush...
) - Main Street to BroadwayMain Street to BroadwayMain Street to Broadway is a 1953 MGM musical comedy starring Tom Morton and Mary Murphy about an aspiring playwright who hopes to stage a Broadway production starring Tallulah Bankhead...
(19531953 in filmThe year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:A...
) - A Face in the Crowd (19571957 in filmThe year 1957 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue-Awards:...
)
Short subjects
- At the Stroke of Twelve (19411941 in filmThe year 1941 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Citizen Kane, consistently rated as one of the greatest films of all time, was released in 1941.-Top grossing films :-Academy Awards:...
) - Women at War (19431943 in filmThe year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 3 - 1st missing persons telecast * February 20 - American film studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor films....
) - Food and Magic (1943)