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 The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

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 Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

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

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, 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 Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, Wes ...

'' series. O'Keefe also worked in television, presiding over talk shows and quiz shows for the CBS network. Producers

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and

Bill Todman William Selden Todman (July 31, 1916 – July 29, 1979) was an American television producer and personality born in New York City. He produced many of television's longest-running shows with business partner Mark Goodson, with whom he created ...

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 Hubert Prior Vallée (July 28, 1901 – July 3, 1986), known professionally as Rudy Vallée, was an American singer, saxophonist, bandleader, actor, and entertainer. He was the first male singer to rise from local radio broadcasts in New York Ci ...

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 The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

in the category of radio. He died in

Torrance, California Torrance is a coastal city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the metropolitan ...

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...

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

External links

Prelinger Film Collection - Walter O'Keefe serving as an announcer in a 1940 screen ad
archive.org; accessed October 6, 2017. {{DEFAULTSORT:Okeefe, Walter 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