Anita Gordon(1929-2015)
- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
At age 6 in 1935, Anita Gordon moved with her family from Texas to Hollywood
where she became a successful child star. As a teenager, she achieved singing fame
on network radio as a regular on ventriloquist Edgar Bergen's show (allegedly, his
famous dummy Charlie McCarthy was smitten with her). She was the voice who said
"I don't talk to strangers" on the Buddy Clark hit "Linda" (1946), and she voiced the
Singing Harp who helped Mickey Mouse escape from the Beanstalk Giant with "...
in his right vest pocket you'll find a key..." for Disney in 1947. In the early days of
television, Anita was a regular on the Ken Murray Show, and later a featured singer
on the Tennessee Ernie Ford show on ABC. In 1948 she married Dale Sheets, who was
later an MCA/Universal executive, and she gave birth to their three daughters. In the
1960s she appeared on various episodic television show, then enjoyed a mini-career
as the "ghost singer" for various female film stars in movie musicals, including Jean
Seberg in the role of Elizabeth in "Paint Your Wagon" (1969). In the 1980s and 1990s
she wrote music and co-produced videos for various international clients including
Philippine Airlines and Continental Airlines. Anita and Dale eventually divorced and
she later married El Chan; they were married for 41 years. They retired to Newhall,
California, where they stayed active and in touch with her three daughters, 9
grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren. She was married to him for 41 years.
Her health declined rapidly in the year before her death in 2015.
