Emma Haig (January 21, 1898 – June 9, 1939) was an American dancer and actress known for her performance in Broadway musicals, including the ''

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Foll ...

''.

Early life

Emma Haig McGowan was born in 1898, in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Almost nothing is known of her early life. An August 1914 news article noted that H. Hickman Walton Jr., and Miss Emma Haig of New York were traveling to

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, to organize dance classes.

Stage career

In January 1915, Emma Haig was announced as a cast member of the

show in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

. From then, Haig is regularly publicized as a headliner (along with Ann Pennington,

Bert Williams Bert Williams (November 12, 1874 – March 4, 1922) was a Bahamian-born American entertainer, one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. While some sources have ...

, and W.C. Fields) for the national tour until the April 1916 show in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

(where she is billed as Emma Mabel Haig). Haig was featured in the ''

of 1916'' as "Puck, a specialty dancer." She went on to star in many more Broadway shows, including: * ''

Miss 1917 ''Miss 1917'' is a musical revue with a book by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, music by Jerome Kern, Victor Herbert and others, and lyrics by Harry B. Smith, Otto Harbach, Henry Blossom and others. Made up of a string of vignette (literature), v ...

'' (1917–1918) * ''

Hitchy-Koo ''Hitchy-Koo'' is a 1912 American popular song and a series of musical revues, inspired by the song, staged on Broadway each year from 1917 through 1920 and on tour in 1922. Described by '' Variety'' magazine as a "hit song of 1912", the song wa ...

'' (1918) * ''The Magic Melody'' (1919–1920) * '' The Music Box Revue'' (1921–1922) * '' Our Nell'' (1922–1923) * ''The Rise of Rosie O'Reilly'' (1923–1924) * ''Tell Me More'' (1925) Haig performed on Vaudeville in solo acts as well as with various dance partners. George White was her partner until Jack Waldron replaced him; Waldron and Haig danced together at Henderson's on

Coney Island Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...

in June 1919. A critic reviewing her 1919 solo act at New York City's

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...

described her as "A whirlwind of speed, a gifted kicker, and a tireless worker," but said that without a partner "that touch of gracefulness and team rhythm is missing." In 1922, Haig fell off the stage during a performance of the ''

Music Box Revue ''Music Box Revue'' was a series of four musical theatre revues by Irving Berlin, presented from 1921 to 1924 at the Music Box Theatre in New York City. Berlin wrote the book, music, and lyrics to all four editions. "The Waltzes of Irving Berlin ...

'' and suffered a broken spine. Told she would never dance again, Haig managed to Broadway a year later. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' covered her 1923 show at the New York

and called it "The best act little Emma Haig showed in or out of Vaudeville." She "Reels off her several styles of legmania, ankle bends, trick pirouettes and light acrobatics—and off she whisks to a hit." She ended the act well: "The finale, with her most difficult steps gets the tiny lady off heartily liked... This is the first-rate number for any bill and a headliner for the average big-time house, especially West, where Miss Haig is a favorite." In 1927 Haig starred in ''The Girl Friend'' at the London

and received rave reviews. Calling the show "the best musical comedy in town," one critic said Haig was "One of the most delightful musical comedy artistes I have ever seen. She is a comedian of the very first rank, with a most elfin charm and a capacity for saying impudent things delightfully. The whole time she was on the stage an electric atmosphere circled between her and her audience." Haig returned to London's

in 1928 in ''Virginia'', for which she also received good reviews. A critic referred to her as "A continual joy... gloriously comic, but always bright and reassuring. Just to hear her voice is like waking from an uneasy dream to know that everything is all right. And how wonderfully she can dance." She appeared in ''Silver Wings'' at the London

Dominion Theatre The Dominion Theatre is a West End theatre and former cinema on Tottenham Court Road, close to St Giles Circus and Centre Point, in the London Borough of Camden. Planned as primarily a musical theatre, it opened in 1929, but the following ye ...

in 1930 with

Art Fowler John Arthur Fowler (July 3, 1922 – January 29, 2007) was an American pitcher and pitching coach in Major League Baseball. The , right-hander was signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent before the 1944 season. He played for the ...

and

Lupino Lane Henry William George Lupino (16 June 1892 – 10 November 1959) professionally Lupino Lane, was an English actor and theatre manager, and a member of the famous theatrical Lupino family, which eventually included his cousin, the screenwriter/di ...

, and at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...

early in 1931 for the show ''More Squabbles''. She retired from the stage in 1931.

Personal life

Haig married actor and musician Arthur Gladstone "Dustbowl" Fowler in 1928 at the Savoy Chapel in London, England. She and Fowler reportedly ran antique shops in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

and

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

after she left the stage in 1931.

Death

Haig died on June 9, 1939, of a heart attack. She was cremated at Grand View Crematory in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

References

External links

Emma Haig NY Times Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haig, Emma 1898 births 1939 deaths American female dancers Dancers from Pennsylvania