Faye Margaret Emerson (
July 8,
1917 –
March 9,
1983) was an American film actress and television interviewer, known as "The First Lady of Television". She acted in 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 in south central
Louisiana the tiny community of
Elizabeth,
Allen Parish.
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 the show's segments, her low-cut gown slipped and "she exposed her ample self coast to coast."