Gale Gordon

February 2, 1906 – June 30, 1995 

Okay, I’m officially outing this guy. No, not that, silly, his name. He was born Charles Aldrich Jr., but he will always be known to me as (to be said in a low bass tone):

Misssstttteeeeerrrrr Mooooooooney, from The Lucy Show. We loved him, didn’t we? Even though he was a real prick to Lucy. Did you see him in that Tom Hanks movie, “The Burbs?” GHHHHRRRL. Very funny part though, and I think it was his last. That was the flick with the magical Carrie Fisher haircut, but I digress.

Findadeath owes a debt of gratitude to Anne Parisi for obtaining the following photographs. She even had the nerve to ask to take a picture of the apartments where the Mooneys died! That’s gutsy. Hats off in respect to Anne. Thanks.

For many years, Gale and his wife Virginia lived on their Tub Canyon Ranch, in Borrego Springs. In later years they moved into the Redwood Terrace Health Center, in Escondido, California.

They lived in an individual apartment, and were relatively self-sufficient. Their unit was located in the Jean Weaver Health Center, and was number 503.

If you go in the front entrance, their room was down the hall and on the right.

It was in this building that Gale’s wife Virginia had passed away a few weeks before Gale did.

He was suffering from lung cancer, and ended up having a heart attack. On June 30th of 1995, Mr. Mooney had gone to the big bank in the sky. He was 89 years old.

Gale Gordon was cremated, and his ashes were given to his sister, Judy Wormser, from Tubac, Arizona. According to the death certificate, he was scattered at sea.

Oh my God. I just remembered that Gale was in that ill-fated Lucy Incarnation, Life With Lucy, in 1986. Boy, remember that one? Try to forget it, I dare you. Yikes. I read an interview with Gale after Lucy died. He said that the failure of that show (pulled after 2 painful months) is what put Lucille Ball over the edge, and inevitably killed her. She must have watched it. Yeesh.