Walter O'Keefe Biography

Fast Facts

• After seeking treatment for his own alcoholism, he would speak at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings
• Graduated cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana in 1921
• During his college years, he was a member of the Glee Club and a Class Poet
• Learned his craft in school, then entertained in saloons and clubs with songs and monologues, eventually breaking into radio and television
• Arrived in New York with a straw suitcase and 85 cents, which he used to send a note to a hostess at the famous speakeasy El Fey Club, where he soon became a regular, earning $50 a week
• His first national radio show was "Battle of the Sexes" in 1938
• Best known as the host of the 1940s quiz show "Double or Nothing․"
• Hosted the first Emmy Awards ceremony, which was held in 1949 at the Hollywood Athletic Club
• Wrote a syndicated humor column in 1937 and also filled in for major radio personalities
• Closely associated with the popular 1934 song "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze․"