Walter O'Keefe

Walter O'Keefe (August 18, 1900 – June 26, 1983) was an American actor, songwriter, composer, lyricist, screenwriter, musical arranger, radio personality, television host, and syndicated columnist whose career spanned vaudeville, Broadway, Hollywood, and the broadcast industries.

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, O'Keefe was the son of actor Michael O'Keefe. He pursued his education abroad before returning to the United States, attending the College of the Sacred Heart in Wimbledon, London, and subsequently enrolling at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, in 1917. At Notre Dame he participated in the Glee Club and served as Class Poet, graduating cum laude in 1921.

O'Keefe launched his performing career in vaudeville, working the Midwest circuit for several years before relocating to New York City in 1925. His Broadway appearances spanned from 1931 to 1942 and included the revue The Third Little Show in 1931, Keep 'em Laughing, and Top-Notchers in 1942. Beyond performing, he contributed as a writer to the Broadway stage, composing the lyrics for Just a Minute in 1928 and writing the music and lyrics for "The (Daring Young) Man on the Flying Trapeze," which appeared in George White's Scandals in 1935. He had introduced that same song in 1934, and it became permanently associated with him.

O'Keefe also composed musical scores for a number of Hollywood films. His screen credits as a music composer and lyricist include The Sophomore (1929), Red Hot Rhythm (1929), Dancing Sweeties (1930), Sweet Kitty Bellairs (1930), and Vagabond Lady (1935). He appeared as an actor in The Sophomore, Red Hot Rhythm, The Smart Set-Up (1931), and Prison Shadows (1936), and served as a screenwriter on Go Chase Yourself (1938) and as a music arranger on Too Many Blondes (1941).

In radio, O'Keefe filled in for prominent personalities including Walter Winchell, Edgar Bergen, Don McNeill, and Garry Moore. From 1947 to 1954 he served as the long-time master of ceremonies of the NBC program Double or Nothing and was a regular contributor to that network's Monitor series. By 1937 he had also established himself as a syndicated humor columnist.

His television work included presiding over talk and quiz programs for CBS. Producers Mark Goodson and Bill Todman engaged him for the game show Two for the Money, where he substituted for regular host Herb Shriner for three months during the summer of 1954 while Shriner fulfilled other commitments. On January 25, 1949, O'Keefe hosted the first Emmy Awards ceremony, held at the Hollywood Athletic Club, stepping in after original host Rudy Vallée departed at the last minute.

In his personal life, O'Keefe married Roberta Robinson in 1932; they had two children and separated in 1950. He sought treatment for alcohol addiction in Cleveland, Ohio, during the late 1960s. O'Keefe holds a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of radio. He died of congestive heart failure on June 26, 1983, at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance, California, at the age of 82.