Soon after graduating from the University of Miami, he started setting lyrics to the melody of another young songwriter, Dick Charles.
They wrote "Along the Navajo Trail", with Eddie De Lange, which was recorded by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, Dinah Shore, and the Gene Krupa Band.
After moving to Los Angeles, California in the 1960s, he turned to screenwriting, including the films For Love or Money (1963), and Wild and Wonderful (1965), which starred Tony Curtis.
He also wrote for television series Bonanza, Love American Style, McHale's Navy, The Flintstones, Room for One More, My Three Sons, The Jonathan Winters Show, and I Dream of Jeannie.
[3] During Ronald Reagan's two terms as Governor of California (1966–1974), Markes added humor into his political speeches.