Richard Gordon (actor)

Ken Lynch and Gordon (right) in the radio program The Bishop and the Gargoyle

Richard Gordon (October 25, 1882 – December 11, 1967)^[1][2][3][4] was an American actor for vaudeville and stage performances, movies, and radio. He was perhaps best known for acting as the title character for the radio version of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Early years

A native of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Gordon worked as a reporter for a newspaper there before he relocated to New York City and became a reporter for the New York World. His earnings paid for his studies at Yale University and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.^[5]

Radio

In addition to his work for The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes^[6] from 1931 to 1933,^[7] Gordon's roles for old-time radio included those shown in the table below:

Program	Role
The Bishop and the Gargoyle	The Bishop[8]: 43
Follow the Moon	Tetlow[9]
Hilda Hope, M.D.	Dr. Boros[10]
Jane Arden	Jane's father[8]: 172
Orphans of Divorce	Cyril Worthington[11]
Our Gal Sunday	Dr. Abbott[12]
Pepper Young's Family	Mr. Jerome[9]
Reginald Fortune	Reginald Fortune[13]
Stella Dallas	Morgan Ford[10]: 225
Thatcher Colt Mysteries	Thatcher Colt[9]
Valiant Lady	Jim Barrett[8]: 346

Gordon was also heard on The Biblical Hour and for Shakespearean productions.^[8]

Stage and movies

After he refused a producer's offer of $35 per week for a minor part in a play, Gordon spent 10 years with a theatrical touring company.^[12] Films in which Gordon appeared included The Birth of a Baby, 13 Rue Madeleine, St. Benny the Dip,^[12] and Things to Come.^[14]

Professional organizations

Gordon was involved with founding the Actors' Equity Association. Not long after it was formed, however, he encountered conflicts with officers of the organization as he advocated for inclusion of actors from movies and radio. Those efforts apparently resulting in his quitting the group's council after five years. As continued growth of radio resulted in the formation of another group to represent that medium's actors, Gordon served as an advisor to the new American Federation of Radio Artists.^[12]

Personal life

Gordon married three times, always to actresses with whom he was performing currently or had done so previously. The first marriage, beginning in January 1907, was to Denver-born actress Rachel Crown,^[15][16] with whom Gordon had two children,^[5] and with whom he continued to appear onstage at least as late as the summer of 1910.^[17] Next, from 1923 until her death in 1946,^[18][19][20] was Emily Ann Wellman, an actress and playwright^[21] with whom Gordon performed vaudeville acts.^[22] To help her promote her works to producers, Gordon built a miniature theater using a scale of one-half inch to one foot. The couple prepared miniature props to enable creation of sets to help producers visualize the production of a play.^[21] Gordon, whom one newspaper reporter described as an "actor-carpenter", used his workshop, which was equipped with saws, drill press, planer, and lathe.^[23] Finally, from about 1946 until at least 1964, he was married to Boston-born former actress Margaret Brainard (né Taylor),^[24][25] with whom he had co-featured more than three decades before in a well-received stage adaptation of Harold Bell Wright's novel The Winning of Barbara Worth.^[26][27]

References

1. "Reminiscences of Richard Gordon, 1951". Columbia Center for Oral History.
2. Austin, Budd (August 1, 1964). "Curtain Time, Mister Gordon". The Palo Alto Times. Palo Alto, California. p. 39. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JKVN-QP5 : 7 January 2021), Richard Gordon, Dec 1967; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
4. "United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPRX-FQS5 : 3 September 2021), Richard Gordon, 23 Dec 1915; citing Military Service, NARA microfilm publication 76193916 (St. Louis: National Archives and Records Administration, 1985), various roll numbers.
5. Steinhauser, Si (January 28, 1940). "Master Sleuth of Radio to Play Joe Jefferson's 'Rip Van Winkle'". The Pittsburgh Press. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. p. 17. Retrieved November 8, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Noted sleuths live again in radio feature". The Tampa Tribune. Florida, Tampa. Associated Press. April 5, 1931. p. 28. Retrieved November 9, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 610. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
8. Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4.
9. "What do you want to know?". Radio Mirror. 9 (1): 56. November 1937. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
10. Buxton, Frank; Owen, Bill (1972). The Big Broadcast: 1920–1950. New York: The Viking Press. p. 111.
11. "Wednesday's Highlights". Radio and Television Mirror. 13 (4): 46. February 1940. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
12. Randolph, Leonard (November 24, 1951). "Actor Richard Gordon's First Big Chance Came In Play That Flopped In Three Weeks". The Pocono Record. Pennsylvania, Stroudsburg. p. 22. Retrieved November 8, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Highlights for Friday, Dec. 17". Radio Mirror. 9 (3): 47. January 1938. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
14. "(untitled brief)". Photoplay Magazine. XLIX (5). June 1936. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
15. "Local Items". The Jewish Outlook. Denver, Colorado. January 11, 1907. p. 8. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "David Corson Goes to the Wall Also". The Muscatine Journal. Mucatine, Iowa. February 8, 1907. p. 4. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "The Light Above". The Billboard. August 13, 1910. p. 4. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
18. "Emily Ann Wellman Returns". The Billboard. May 23, 1925. p. 24. ProQuest 1031749695. Emily Ann Wellman, who has been absent from the stage since her marriage to Richard Gordon at the time she was appearing in The Wasp, is planning to return to the footlights next season.
19. Mantle Burns, ed. (1923). The Best Plays of 1922-1923. New York: Dodds, Mead and Company. p. 549.
20. "Mrs. Emily Gordon Funeral". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. December 26, 1926. p. 45. Retrieved November 9, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
21. "She tells Broadway how to do it". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. December 26, 1926. p. 45. Retrieved November 9, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
22. "Emily Wellman to appear at Liberty". The Dayton Herald. Ohio, Dayton. November 12, 1921. p. 9. Retrieved November 9, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
23. Lewis, Al (November 15, 1936). "Sherlock Holmes Turns Host". The Atlanta Constitution. Georgia, Atlanta. p. Screen & Radio Weekly 7. Retrieved November 9, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
24. Austin, Budd (August 1, 1964). "A Nation Knew Him as the Famous Sherlock Holmes". The Palo Alto Times. Palo Alto, California. p. 55. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
25. "Attractions at the Theatres". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. September 19, 1915. p. 54. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
26. "Amusements". The Champaign Daily News. Champaign, Illinois. September 19, 1915. p. 3. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
27. "Scene from 'The Winning of Barbara Worth'". The Choshocton Tribune. Coshocton, Ohio. January 9, 1914. p. 7. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

Richard Gordon at IMDb