Faye Emerson

Faye Margaret Emerson was born on July 8, 1917, in Elizabeth, Louisiana. She was the fifth child of Lawrence L. and Jean Emerson. During her early childhood, her family relocated repeatedly, including to El Paso, Texas, and New Mexico. Her parents separated when she was three years old. In 1924, she moved to Chicago to live with her father and stepmother, and at age 10, she relocated to San Diego, California, to live with her mother.

Emerson attended the Academy of San Luis Rey, a Roman Catholic convent and boarding school in Oceanside, California, where she developed an interest in dramatics. She later attended Point Loma High School and spent one year at San Diego State College. She was involved in local theater, performing with the San Diego Community Theatre and the St. James Repertory Theater during summer stock productions in California.

She married William Wallace Crawford, Jr., a naval aviator, on October 29, 1938. They had one son, William Wallace "Scoop" Crawford, III, born in 1940.

In 1941, Emerson was cast in a stage production of *Here Today* at the San Diego Municipal Theater, where she was discovered by a talent agent from Warner Bros. She signed a contract with Warner Bros. and began appearing in films. Her early film work included supporting roles in *Bad Men of Missouri* and *Nine Lives Are Not Enough* (both 1941). She starred in the crime melodrama *Lady Gangster* (1942), a remake of a Barbara Stanwyck film, and appeared in several film noirs, such as *The Mask of Dimitrios* (1944), *Danger Signal* (1945), and *Guilty Bystander* (1950). Other notable films included *Nobody Lives Forever* (1944) with John Garfield, and *Crime by Night* with Jane Wyman.

In 1943, Emerson met Colonel Elliott Roosevelt, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's son. Howard Hughes played a significant role in introducing the two. Despite Roosevelt being married, they established a relationship. Emerson and Roosevelt married on December 3, 1944, at the Grand Canyon during her filming of *Hotel Berlin*. Hughes and Johnny Meyer financed and arranged the wedding. Roosevelt named his reconnaissance aircraft *My Faye*. The couple resided briefly at Hyde Park, New York, after Roosevelt returned to Europe. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1950, with the legal proceedings taking place in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

Following her marriage to Roosevelt, Emerson transitioned into television, beginning with anthology series productions including *The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre*, *The Philco Television Playhouse*, and *Goodyear Television Playhouse*. She hosted her own talk show, *The Faye Emerson Show*, which premiered on CBS on October 24, 1949. The show lasted until April 12, 1952. She also hosted other programs such as *Paris Cavalcade of Fashions* in 1948 and *Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town* (1951–1952). Her television popularity earned her the nickname "The First Lady of Television," and she frequently appeared on game shows like *To Tell The Truth* and *I've Got a Secret*. She also appeared on Broadway in productions including *Parisienne* (1950), *The Heavenly Twins* (1955), *Protective Custody* (1956), and *Back to Methuselah* (1958).

In her personal life, Emerson married bandleader Lyle "Skitch" Henderson in 1950. They divorced in 1957. She was known for her elaborate evening gowns during television appearances and earned significant income during the 1950s. Emerson's final television appearance occurred in 1963, after which she retired from show business.

In 1963, Emerson relocated to Europe, initially living in Switzerland and later settling in Spain in 1975. She remained largely out of the public eye. She died of stomach cancer on March 9, 1983, in Deià, Spain, at the age of 65. In recognition of her contributions to film, Emerson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6529 Hollywood Boulevard in 1960.