Kay Gordon; Played in ‘30s Film Musicals

Kay Gordon, who as a young girl migrated West with her sister where the two became mainstays of the Busby Berkeley chorus when Hollywood first produced musicals, died of a heart ailment at her home in Encino.

She was 72 and had been retired for several years.

She and her late sister, Betty, were seen in most of the Berkeley “Gold Diggers” revues of the 1930s and Kay Gordon also was a regular in the Pete Smith and Three Stooges comedies.

Her other featured films included “Top Hat,” “The Gang’s All Here,” “Babes on Broadway,” “Big Brown Eyes” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”

Additionally she worked with the Andrews Sisters, helping them master the choreography for their films and later was a double for Hedy Lamarr. Her sister performed a similar function for Marilyn Monroe and Joanne Woodward.

Her survivors include two daughters and two other sisters. She died Nov. 17.