1946. In this publicity shot, Faye Emerson plays the part of Toni Blackburn, the nightclub singer who betrays the hero in Nobody Lives Forever. But at this stage in her career it’s not to her on-screen performances that she owes her fame. No. She’s regularly in the news because she’s mixing with world leaders on her husband’s trips abroad and at his family home. Her husband, Eliott Roosevelt, is one of FDR’s sons. And none other than Howard Hughes acted as the match maker.
In 1950 the couple will divorce. Faye will marry Skitch Henderson, a band leader, and go on to become a fixture on the small screen for the decade. Her program, Faye Emerson’s Wonderful Town, will be one of the largest, most expensive shows on early television. And Faye will be one of the first ladies of TV glamour, bedecked in sweeping gowns and expensive jewellery.
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