15 Facts About Keefe Brasselle

Keefe Brasselle is best remembered for the starring role in The Eddie Cantor Story.

Keefe Brasselle was born Henry Keefe Brassil, the son of an Irish father, Henry Richard Brassil, a hotel manager in Cleveland, Ohio; and Madelaine Antonelli, an Italian nightclub singer from New York.

Keefe Brasselle joined the US Army in 1942 and appeared in a few motion pictures without screen credit.

Keefe Brasselle's mother was actress Betty Grable's personal hairdresser, using the name Marie Keefe Brasselle.

Ultimately, Keefe Brasselle's career did not launch as anticipated, and he reverted to second and third leads in minor films.

In 1961, an Edison Township, New Jersey, nightclub owned by Keefe Brasselle burned under suspicious circumstances.

Keefe Brasselle had a close friendship with CBS executive James Aubrey.

Keefe Brasselle started his own production company, "Richelieu Productions," and Aubrey granted Keefe Brasselle's company three new but untested television series without any previous script, pitch, or pilots: The Baileys of Balboa starring Paul Ford, The Cara Williams Show, and The Reporter starring Harry Guardino.

Keefe Brasselle later wrote a novel that was a thinly disguised account of his relationship with Aubrey and the network, The CanniBal$, followed by a sequel, The Barracudas, in which he attacked several showbiz figures he'd worked with, including comedian Jack Benny.

Keefe Brasselle struggled to find work after his CBS experience and tried to relaunch his fading career, as a self-styled "modern minstrel" recording artist.

In 1942,19-year-old Keefe Brasselle married Norma Jean Aldrich; the marriage ended in divorce in 1956.

That same year, Keefe Brasselle married singer Arlene DeMarco.

Keefe Brasselle was of the Roman Catholic faith and a lifelong Democrat who supported Adlai Stevenson's campaign during the 1952 presidential election.

Keefe Brasselle staged the musical numbers himself and even appeared as a specialty act, embellishing his performance with Eddie Cantor's gestures and mannerisms.

Keefe Brasselle died from liver disease in 1981, at age 58.