Emmett Anthony

Emmett "Gang" Anthony (ca. 1889–1931) was an American vaudeville comedian and yodeler-comedian who performed in stage productions, revues, and film. He appeared on Broadway in the 1922 production of Liza.

Anthony's stage career was active across multiple venues and formats in the 1910s and 1920s. He was a regular performer at the Crescent Theatre in 1913, and a June 1912 review in the Indianapolis Freeman praised his singing as excellent, unique, and interesting. In December 1915 he traveled to New Orleans aboard the S.S. Brunswick to perform at the Iroquois Theater. That same year he was part of the Blackville Corporation's touring revival of The Mayor of Jimtown. He also received a favorable assessment for his work in Put and Take, and in 1921 he appeared in a revue alongside Irvin Miller, drawing praise for both his yodeling and his comedy.

Beyond his Broadway credit in Liza, Anthony continued performing in touring and revue productions throughout the decade. He was part of The Mayor of Jimtown touring show in 1923 and appeared in the Harlem Darlings revue in 1929. He also had a screen credit in the film A Son of Satan. Alongside Charles Anderson of Birmingham, Anthony was recognized as one of the premier African American yodelers of his era.

Anthony died in a Philadelphia hotel in September 1931 at the age of 43. Variety attributed his death to heart failure following acute indigestion, though early reports suggested he had died from a stabbing, and the Chicago Whip reported he had been killed by a lover. Shortly after his death, his estranged wife, actress Agnes Anthony, was shot to death in New Orleans. The couple had one son.