In the glamorous era of Hollywood’s Golden Age a few figures with ties to our region managed to carve out memorable careers, including a versatile actor and comedic icon who spent the bulk of his formative years living in Muskogee.
Born Lewis Delaney Offield on November 12, 1903, in Sedalia, Missouri, Jack Oakie became a beloved actor and comedian, enchanting audiences with his slapstick humor and iconic "double-take" routine. His career, spanning stage, radio, and film, left an indelible mark on the entertainment world.
Oakie’s journey began in the heartland of America. The son of James Madison Offield, a grain dealer, and Evelyn Jump Offield, a psychology teacher, Jack’s early years were spent in Sedalia. At the age of five, his family relocated to Muskogee where he would acquire the nickname "Oakie."
During his early childhood, he also lived with his grandmother in Kansas City, Missouri. While there, he attended Woodland Elementary and made spending money as a paperboy for The Kansas City Star.
He recalled years later that he made especially good money selling "extras" in November 1916 during the presidential election campaign that resulted in Woodrow Wilson being re-elected.
Tragedy struck in 1917 when Jack's father passed away, leaving the family well off thanks to his successful real estate ventures, including the development of the Kendall Addition (now the Kendall Place Historic District) in Muskogee.
His mother, a patron of the arts, encouraged her youngest son to move to New York City to seek his fame and fortune.
Oakie's initial foray into the professional world was on Wall Street, where he worked as a runner. His brush with death at the age of n during the Wall Street bombing of 1920 steered him towards a different path--show business.
Fueled by his interest in comedy, Oakie began participating in amateur theater. His talent was soon recognized, and he made his professional debut on Broadway in 1923 as a chorus boy in George M. Cohan's "Little Nellie Kelly."
The allure of Hollywood beckoned in the late 1920s, leading Oakie to sign with Paramount Pictures in 1927. His infectious humor and charismatic presence shone in numerous films, including "Too Much Harmony" (1933) and "The Great Dictator" (1940). In the latter, he famously portrayed the bombastic dictator Benzino Napaloni, a role that earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
During the 1930s, he was known as "The World's Oldest Freshman," a title earned from his numerous roles in collegiate-themed films. He also garnered a reputation for refusing to wear screen make-up and his frequent use of the double-take in comedy.
He was remarkably successful, appearing in 87 films, most made in the 1930s and 1940s. Notably, in the film "Too Much Harmony," the part of Oakie's on-screen mother was played by his real mother, Mary Evelyn Offield.
Oakie worked with many notable actors and actresses throughout his career. Some of his co-stars included:
Charlie Chaplin in "The Great Dictator" (1940)
Clark Gable and Loretta Young in "Call of the Wild" (1935)
Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler in "Colleen" (1936)
Edward Arnold and Frances Farmer in "The Toast of New York" (1937)
Alice Faye and Betty Grable in "Tin Pan Alley" (1940)
Sonja Henie and John Payne in "Iceland" (1942)
Jack Oakie's personal life was as colorful as his on-screen characters. He was married twice---first to actress Venita Varden from 1936 to 1945, and then to Victoria Horne from 1950 until his death.
Remarkably, Oakie continued to entertain and bring joy to audiences despite being functionally deaf throughout his career, a testament to his incredible resilience and passion for performance.
Jack Oakie passed away on January 23, 1978, in Los Angeles, California, from an aortic aneurysm. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Los Angeles County, California.
The epitaph on his headstone reads: "In a simple double-take, thou has't more than voice e'er spake. When you hear laughter that wonderful sound., you know that Jack Oakie's around."
