1952 1953 Bowman Television & Radio Stars Of NBC Walter O'Keefe #24 see scan

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1952 1953 Bowman Television & Radio Stars Of NBC Walter O'Keefe #24 see scan
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Walter O'Keefe
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Walter O'Keefe
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.
Contents
1
Biography
2
Death and legacy
3
Filmography
4
References
5
External links
Biography
[
edit
]
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.
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.
[1]
Death and legacy
[
edit
]
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