Biography
Born Joseph Conrad Lind on 25 June 1915 in San Francisco, California, USA, he died on 21 April 1998 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. His mother, Grace Hayes, worked in vaudeville, which fostered his early passion for theatre and music. Billed at times as Peter Hayes or Lind Hayes, his 1930s screen credits included Maid For A Day (1936), Sunday Night At The Trocadero (1937), Danger On The Air (1938), Million Dollar Legs and These Glamour Girls (both 1939). Early-1940s appearances followed in Seventeen and Dancing On A Dime (both 1940) plus Playmates (1941). After US Air Force service in World War II he resumed work in films, on stage, in clubs, and across radio and television, often with his wife, Mary Healy. He wrote songs in collaboration with Nacio Herb Brown, Frank Loesser and others; his co-compositions included ‘When You Used To Dance With Me (Alone)’, ‘Why Do They Call A Private A Private?’, ‘Cool Alaska Rock And Roll’, ‘Come To Me’ and ‘If I Loved You, Like You Loved You’, the last serving as the theme for his popular television series, The Peter Lind Hayes Show (1950).
Hayes’ wife also appeared on his television show; together they performed cabaret at venues such as the Empire Room at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. In 1956 Hayes and his wife presented an operetta parody he had written within a Ford Star Jubilee television special on the CBS-TV Network. The production, entitled You’re The Top, paid tribute to Cole Porter; it was produced, staged and choreographed by Robert Alton, directed by Seymour Berris, and showcased a star-studded cast performing Porter numbers that included ‘You Do Something To Me’ (Dorothy Dandridge), ‘In The Still Of The Night’ and ‘Wunderbar’ (Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones), ‘Always True To You In My Fashion’ (Dolores Gray), ‘Now You Has Jazz’ (Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong), while Hayes and Healy sang the show’s title song. Hayes served frequently as a panellist on television’s What’s My Line, succeeded Arthur Godfrey on CBS, and took acting roles in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: Body In The Barn (1964), The Outer Limits: Behold Eck! (1964) and Vega$ (1979). He also continued occasional film work. His recordings included ‘Genie, The Magic Record’ and Carson Jay Robison’s ‘Life Gets Tee-Jus, Don’t It’, which enjoyed success in the USA and in the UK.
Hayes’ wife also appeared on his television show; together they performed cabaret at venues such as the Empire Room at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. In 1956 Hayes and his wife presented an operetta parody he had written within a Ford Star Jubilee television special on the CBS-TV Network. The production, entitled You’re The Top, paid tribute to Cole Porter; it was produced, staged and choreographed by Robert Alton, directed by Seymour Berris, and showcased a star-studded cast performing Porter numbers that included ‘You Do Something To Me’ (Dorothy Dandridge), ‘In The Still Of The Night’ and ‘Wunderbar’ (Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones), ‘Always True To You In My Fashion’ (Dolores Gray), ‘Now You Has Jazz’ (Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong), while Hayes and Healy sang the show’s title song. Hayes served frequently as a panellist on television’s What’s My Line, succeeded Arthur Godfrey on CBS, and took acting roles in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: Body In The Barn (1964), The Outer Limits: Behold Eck! (1964) and Vega$ (1979). He also continued occasional film work. His recordings included ‘Genie, The Magic Record’ and Carson Jay Robison’s ‘Life Gets Tee-Jus, Don’t It’, which enjoyed success in the USA and in the UK.