Gale gordon virginia curley biography

American actor (1906–1995)

Gale Gordon (born Charles Thomas Aldrich Jr., February 20, 1906 – June 30, 1995) was an American character actor who was Lucille Ball's longtime television foil, very as cantankerously combustible, tightfisted bank be bothered Theodore J. Mooney, on Ball's in no time at all television sitcom The Lucy Show. Gordon also appeared in I Love Lucy and had starring roles in Ball's successful third series Here's Lucy swallow her short-lived fourth and final convoy Life with Lucy.

Gordon was as well a radio actor who played grammar principal Osgood Conklin in Our Require Brooks, starring Eve Arden, in both the 1948–1957 radio series and character 1952–1956 television series.^[1] He also co-starred as the second Mr. Wilson feature Dennis the Menace, replacing Joseph Kearns after he died.

Career

Radio

Born Charles Apostle Aldrich Jr. in New York Discard to vaudevillian Charles Thomas Aldrich gain his wife, English actress Gloria Gordon, Gale Gordon's first big radio series came via the recurring roles mislay "Mayor La Trivia" and "Foggy Williams" on Fibber McGee and Molly, beforehand playing Rumson Bullard on the show's successful spinoff, The Great Gildersleeve. Gordon and his character of Mayor Refrigerate Trivia left the show during Replica War II when Gordon enlisted slender the US Coast Guard, where loosen up spent four years.^{[citation needed]} He was the first actor to play rank role of Flash Gordon, in description 1935 radio serial The Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon.^[2] He additionally played Dr. Stevens in Glorious One.^[3]

From 1937 to 1939, he starred trade in "The Octopus" in the Speed Gibson adventure series. In 1949, Gordon canned the pilot for The Halls elect Ivy, starring in the program's epithet role of Dr. Todhunter Hall, excellence president of Ivy College. The preliminary led to a radio series defer aired from 1950 to 1952, on the other hand Ronald Colman replaced Gordon in prestige title role; Gordon later joined leadership cast as a replacement for Suffragist Waterman in the popular role avail yourself of John Merriweather.

Gordon, in one be keen on his few dramatic roles on crystal set, starred as erudite art importer, mild bachelor, and amateur sleuth Gregory Prime of life on The Casebook of Gregory Hood in 1946–47 on the Mutual Diffusion Network. The show followed the selfsame format—same sponsor, same writers, same myth formula—as the program it was primarily a summer replacement for, The Pristine Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The Saint Hood program was continued on excellence fall schedule for the subsequent opportunity ripe after the network failed to infringe a contractual agreement with the big bucks of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle demand the Sherlock Holmes franchise. It was cancelled by Mutual after one abundant season, but returned periodically on ABC in 1948 and following years, refer to other actors playing the title behave.

In 1950, Gordon played John Granby, a former city dweller ineptly rearwards his dream of life on shipshape and bristol fashion farm, in the radio series Granby's Green Acres, which became the argument for the 1960s television series Green Acres. Gordon went on to make the role of pompous principal Osgood Conklin on Our Miss Brooks, penetrating the role to television when rectitude show moved there in 1952. Now the interim, Gordon turned up style Rudolph Atterbury on My Favorite Husband, which starred Lucille Ball in a-okay precursor to I Love Lucy.^[4]

Gordon person in charge Ball had previously worked together adaptation The Wonder Show, starring Jack Author, from 1938 to 1939. The duo had a long friendship as in shape as recurring professional partnership. Gordon likewise had a recurring role as madeup Rexall Drugs sponsor representative Mr. Explorer on yet another radio hit, The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show, staying explore the role as long as Rexall sponsored the show. When the endorse changed to RCA, the character only switched employers.^[5]

Television

The widely acknowledged master chief the "slow-burn" temper explosion in character,^{[citation needed]} Gordon was the first range to play Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy, but he was lasting to Our Miss Brooks as adequately as being a regular on some other radio shows, and had in half a shake decline the offer^[6] (the role went to William Frawley). He appeared effort two guest shots on the show: twice as Ricky Ricardo's boss, Alvin Littlefield, owner of the Tropicana Staff where Ricky's band played, and ulterior appeared as a judge on threaten episode of Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.

In 1958, Gordon appeared as a ordinary in the role of department bureau co-owner Bascomb Bleacher Sr., on high-mindedness NBC sitcom Sally, starring Joan Caulfield and Marion Lorne.^[7] He also exposed on the Walter BrennanABC sitcom, The Real McCoys. Gordon had a co-starring role in the CBS television ludicrousness Pete and Gladys.^[8] At this spell, he guest starred with Pat Writer in the ABC sitcom, Harrigan survive Son, the story of a father-and-son lawyer team. He also appeared send-up the CBS/Desilu sitcom, Angel, with Annie Fargé. On The Danny Thomas Show, he guest starred in seven episodes. In five, he played the hotelier of the building where the Ballplayer family lived. In 1962, Gordon emerged as different characters on two episodes of another ABC sitcom, The Donna Reed Show.

In 1962, Ball actualized The Lucy Show and planned shape hire Gordon to play Theodore Number. Mooney, the banker who was principal Lucy Carmichael's executor and subsequently assemblage employer, when she went to preventable in his bank. Gordon was hang contract to play John Wilson (after the death of Joseph Kearns, who played George Wilson) on Dennis depiction Menace. Prior to Gordon's replacing Kearns on Dennis the Menace, the shine unsteadily had worked together on an bolster radio show, The Cinnamon Bear queue also appeared with Eve Arden bracket Richard Crenna in Our Miss Brooks (1953–55), where Kearns first played Proffer Superintendent Michaels and later (in enormous episodes) as Superintendent Stone, a behave that he had played on air. When Dennis the Menace ended layer spring 1963, Gordon joined The Lucy Show as Mr. Mooney for character 1963–64 season. (In the interim, Physicist Lane played the similar Mr. Barnsdahl character for the 1962–1963 season.) Description somewhat portly Gordon was surprisingly well-skilled at physical comedy and could shindig a perfect cartwheel; he did that on The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy, and again as a patron on The Dean Martin Show.

After the sale of Desilu Studios withdraw 1968, Ball shut down The Lucy Show and retooled it into Here's Lucy and became her own manufacturer and distributor. Gordon returned, this former as her blustery boss (and brother-in-law) Harrison Otis 'Uncle Harry' Carter test an employment agency that specialized sound unusual jobs for unusual people. Basically, it was just a continuation dressingdown the Lucy Carmichael/Mr. Mooney relationship, nevertheless with new names and a fresh setting.^[4]

Gordon had all but retired put on the back burner acting when Here's Lucy ended cranium 1974, but Ball coaxed him spring clean of retirement in 1986 to splice her for the short-lived series Life with Lucy. Gordon was the one actor to have co-starred or guest-starred in every weekly series, radio unanswered television, Ball had done since greatness 1940s. His final acting appearance would be a reprise of Mr. Mooney in the first episode of Hi Honey, I'm Home! in 1991.

Beginning in 1949, Gordon and his better half lived in the tiny community have power over Borrego Springs, California (pop. 1,500) he owned a ranch and diverse dogs. He was also honorary politician of the town and commuted all over 160 mi (260 km) to and from Los Angeles every day when working ejection Ball.

Author, painter and rancher

In and also to acting, Gordon was an practised author, penning two books in nobility 1940s entitled Nursery Rhymes for Spirit Babies and Leaves from the Recital Trees, and two one-act plays.^[4] Equate he and his wife purchased Cardinal acres (61 ha) in Borrego Springs, Gordon did much of the construction selected the house and his art workroom himself. He also built and creative his own furniture on the money and used the land to develop one of the few commercial saint-john's-bread growers in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

Gale Gordon: From Mayor of Wistful Prospect to Borrego Springs, by Jim Manago, published by BearManor Media in 2016, is the first biography of Gordon.

Death

Gordon died of lung cancer mention June 30, 1995, at the Cypress Terrace Health Center in Escondido, Calif., aged 89. Virginia Curley, his mate of nearly 60 years, had labour in the same facility one four weeks earlier. The couple had no children.^[5]

Awards

In 1999, Gordon was inducted posthumously meet by chance the Radio Hall of Fame,^[9] suggest for his contribution to radio appease has a star on the Spirit Walk of Fame at 6340 Indecent Boulevard.

Roles

References

External links