Launched his career as a writer for such radio programs as "The Cisco Kid", "The Tommy Dorsey Show" and "Count of Monte Cristo" in the mid-1930s. Gordon directed the first live TV shows for the Mutual Don Lee Network in California in 1939 and worked as a writer, director, producer, announcer and actor on radio and live TV shows during the 1940s and early 1950s.

In 1959 Gordon became a writer for the TV series "Maverick" and "Riverboat" and later was co-story editor-writer-producer with James Doherty of the series "CHiPs" from 1977 to 1982 when he retired to write Civil War novels. Gordon also