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Walter O'Keefe (August 18, 1900 – June 26, 1983) was an American songwriter, actor, syndicated columnist, Broadway composer, radio legend, screenwriter, musical arranger and TV host.
Biography
O'Keefe was born in Hartford, Connecticut. He attended the College of the Sacred Heart in Wimbledon, London before entering the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana in 1916. At Notre Dame, he was a member of the Glee Club and a Class Poet. He graduated cum laude in 1921.
O'Keefe began as a vaudeville performer in the midwest for several years. In 1925, he went to New York City and became a Broadway performer. By 1937, he wrote a syndicated humor column and filled in for such radio personalities as Walter Winchell, Edgar Bergen, Don McNeill and Garry Moore. He became the long-time master of ceremonies of the NBC show Double or Nothing and was a regular on that network's Monitor series.
O'Keefe also worked in television, presiding over talk shows and quiz shows for the CBS network. Producers Mark Goodson and Bill Todman hired him for their game show Two for the Money. When the show's usual host Herb Shriner had other commitments during the summer of 1954, O'Keefe took over for three months. He was the host for the first Emmy Awards ceremony, held on January 25, 1949 at the Hollywood Athletic Club. He replaced the original host, Rudy Vallée after he left town at the last minute.
O'Keefe wrote the musical scores of several Hollywood films. He introduced the popular song "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze" in 1934, and it became permanently associated with him.
O'Keefe became addicted to alcohol, and sought treatment in Cleveland, Ohio during the late 1960s.
Death and legacy
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of radio. He died in Torrance, California of congestive heart failure at the age of 82.
Filmography
- 1929 The Sophomore - actor and music composer
- 1929 Red Hot Rhythm - actor, music composer and lyricist
- 1930 Dancing Sweeties - music composer
- 1930 Sweet Kitty Bellairs - music composer
- 1931 The Smart Set-Up - actor
- 1935 Vagabond Lady - music composer and lyricist
- 1936 Prison Shadows - actor
- 1938 Go Chase Yourself - screenwriter
- 1941 Too Many Blondes - music arranger
- 1952 Two for the Money (TV Series) - guest host
- 1954 Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Stars on Parade - himself
- 1956 The NBC Comedy Hour (Episode #1.16) - actor (himself)
References
- "New 'Three Keys' Trio Given NBC Booking". Akron Beacon Journal. August 10, 1932. p. 11. Retrieved October 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- "sobrietytalks.com". Sobrietytalks.com. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
External links
- Prelinger Film Collection - Walter O'Keefe serving as an announcer in a 1940 screen ad, archive.org; accessed October 6, 2017.
- 1900 births
- 1983 deaths
- American film score composers
- Songwriters from Connecticut
- American radio personalities
- American male radio actors
- American male film actors
- American game show hosts
- Male actors from Hartford, Connecticut
- Musicians from Hartford, Connecticut
- Songwriters from New York (state)
- University of Notre Dame alumni
- American vaudeville performers
- Writers from Hartford, Connecticut
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th-century American composers
- American male film score composers
- 20th-century American male musicians
- American male songwriters
- 20th-century American songwriters