Jim Jordan

James Edward Jordan was the American actor who played Fibber McGee in Fibber McGee and Molly and voiced the albatross, Orville, in Disney's The Rescuers. Jim Jordan went on the vaudeville circuit, both as a solo act and with his wife, Marian, at various times until 1924. They went entirely broke in 1923, having to be wired money by their parents to get back to Peoria from Lincoln, Illinois. Jim and Marian Jordan got their major break in radio while performing in Chicago in 1924; Jim said he could give a better performance than the singers they were listening to on the radio, and his brother Byron bet $10 that Jim couldn't do it. By the end of the evening, Jim and Marian had their first radio contract, at $10 per show for 26 weeks as The O'Henry Twins, sponsored by Oh Henry! candy.

The Jordans would work as a double act for the remainder of their careers, seldom appearing separate from each other, with Jim as the comic foil and Marian as the stooge. From 1931 to 1935, they produced the low-budget sitcom Smackout, in which they portrayed most of the characters (including semi-fictional versions of themselves). In 1935, the couple, along with head writer Don Quinn, teamed up to create Fibber McGee and Molly, a weekly sitcom that was given a larger budget and an ensemble cast.

Fibber McGee and Molly would run as a weekly series, becoming one of radio's most popular programs, until 1953. In addition to the general decline of scripted radio and the concurrent rise of television, Marian's health was beginning to fail. The show would transition to a pre-recorded daily sitcom from 1953 to 1956, then to a short-form weekly series (under the name Just Molly and Me) for Monitor from 1957 to 1959.

In 1959, Fibber McGee and Molly was finally adapted for television, after years of resistance. Marian was too ill to continue, and for reasons unexplained (nothing in the radio series had identified the age of either of the McGees), neither Jim nor Don Quinn (nor Quinn's successor as head writer of the radio show, Phil Leslie) transitioned to the new series; new writers were brought in, and both the McGees were recast. The television version of Fibber McGee and Molly, with Bob Sweeney as Fibber, was a critical and commercial failure.

In March 1988, Jordan fell down at his home and suffered a major stroke. Left comatose for over a week, he never regained consciousness and died on April 1. His death came shortly before voice actors were being hired for The Rescuers Down Under; in acknowledgement of Jordan's death, Roy E. Disney wrote his character out of the script (John Candy would play the character's brother instead). He is buried next to Marian Jordan in the Saint Ann section of Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, and is next to the plot of Sharon Tate.

ESTJ personality types are the pragmatic organisers, they like to get things done and done properly. They have little time for anything ethereal, woolly or conceptual preferring facts, figures, plans and procedures. These are the action-oriented characters who cut to the car chase and move quickly to completion, taking the least circuitous route, A-Z no deviation. The strength of the ESTJ is the desire, and ability, to adopt a decisive stance, take charge and get the job done which makes them 'natural' leaders whom others will readily follow.

ESTJs are built to project manage, which is why they are often found in Operations type roles, quickly weighing up the situation, setting targets and marshalling the resources to make sure the job is done - on time and within budget. The ESTJ has a strong work ethic and this includes loyalty to the cause - whatever that cause is. This desire to get things done may mean that they ignore the niceties, the softer issues as they tend not to be so well-tuned in to how other people are feeling. There is a strong competitive edge to the ESTJ, and a need to assume control and this can often make it difficult for others to deflect them from their chosen course of action. The ESTJ simply wants to get on and get things done. Formal and structured the ESTJ works best when everyone is clear as to the ground-rules, (the ESTJ will happily create them if they are lacking). Practical planners, ESTJs are factual, accurate, detailed and process driven the ESTJ will bring order, structure and focus to their environment.

Their ability to jump in and take charge can, however, become a weakness as the ESTJ will follow the traditional, tried-and-tested route, and may want to dive in quickly, get their hands dirty and ignore the advice of those who may want to reflect or try a different approach. This can mean the ESTJ will be traditional and often quite conservative in their approach, preferring the known to experimenting or trying a more novel, creative approach so they may not always adapt well to change, and indeed if pushed hard can make formidable opponents to any new order. For the ESTJ change must make logical sense and ‘if it ain’t broke then why fix it?’ ESTJs thrive on order and continuity. ESTJs are traditional and hierarchical, they exude work ethic. Power, position and prestige should be worked for and earned. Laziness is viewed with scorn and the credo is ‘If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!’

The desire to ‘do’ can also make the ESTJ very present focused and so they may not necessarily appreciate how such present actions may impinge on the future nor do they excel at predicting or anticipating future trends or forecasting as they are keen to make quick decisions and are built to get to closure as quickly as possible in order to get the job done. So, the ESTJ may rush in without stopping to consider the full range of options open as their prime focus will be to get on with it and as such they may be difficult to budge. They plan with logic and objectivity, relying on empirical evidence and data rather than emotions. If something needs to be planned, organised followed-through then the ESTJ is the person to do it.

ESTJs are factual, accurate, detailed and process driven the ESTJ will bring order, structure and focus to their environment. Being extraverted, their focus involves organisation of people, tasks, processes, etc which all translates into “management.” While ENTJs enjoy organising and mobilising people according to their own ideas, ESTJs are content to enforce ‘the rules,’ often dictated by tradition or handed down from a higher authority, if a job needs to be done, (‘done’ being the operative word), then leave it to an ESTJ. The extravert side also means they will have little trouble letting everyone know exactly where they stand. They tend to dislike sloppiness or mess and engender order and discipline within projects, teams and situations. Emotional arguments or pleading won’t work as only hard facts and logical reasoning ‘compute’ with the ESTJ.