Dazzling the Screen Van Johnson

American actor Van Johnson had a career in theater, film, TV, and radio that spanned more than 50 years, from 1940 to 1992. He was a major star at MGM during and after WWII. Originally a dancer on the Broadway stage in NYC he had his breakthrough in films in 1943 in the film “A Guy Named Joe”. At the time of his death in 2008 at the age of 92, he was one of the last surviving matinee idols of the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Director Mervyn LeRoy directed the 1944 American war film “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo”. It was based on the 1943 book of the same name by Captain Ted W. Lawson, who was a pilot on the historic Doolittle Raid, America’s first retaliatory air strike against Japan, four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The film starred Spencer Tracy and Van Johnson and others.

During World War II, Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle (Spencer Tracy) leads the U.S. Air Force in a bombing mission over Japan. Doolittle and his men stage a successful attack on Tokyo, but most pilots run out of fuel while returning from the raid. Many are forced to land on Japanese soil, but Capt. Ted Lawson (Van Johnson), who has a pregnant wife at home, crash-lands in the sea off the coast of China.

Director Robert Z. Leonard directed the 1949 MGM American Technicolor musical romantic comedy film “In the Good Old Summertime”. The film starred Judy Garland, Van Johnson, S.Z. Sakall, Spring Byington, Clinton Sundberg, and Buster Keaton. It was adapted from the 1940 film “The Shop Around the Corner”. The plot was also revived in the 1998 film “You’ve Got Mail” starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. At the very end of this film, Garland’s little daughter Liza Minnelli makes her debut.

The storyline is set in turn-of-the-century Chicago; the story revolves around Andrew Delby Larkin (Van Johnson) and Veronica Fisher (Judy Garland) , co-workers in a music shop who initially dislike each other but unknowingly engage in a romantic correspondence through letters.

Director Richard Brooks directed the 1954 American romantic drama “The Last Time I Saw Paris”. It is loosely based on the 1930 short story “Babylon Revisited” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The film starred Elizabeth Taylor, Van Johnson, Walter Pidgeon, Donna Reed, and others.

Reporter Charles Wills (Van Johnson), in Paris to cover the end of World War II, falls for the beautiful Helen Ellswirth (Elizabeth Taylor) following a brief flirtation with her sister, Marion (Donna Reed). After he and Helen marry, Charles pursues his novelistic ambition while supporting his new bride with a deadening job at a newspaper wire service.

Director Rudolph Maté directed the 1956 American romance “Miracle in the Rain”. It was based on the 1943 novella by Ben Hecht. The film starred Jane Wyman and Van Johnson. (pictured above)

During WW II, Ruth Wood (Jane Wyman) is a lonely secretary in NYC who looks after her sick and despondent mother (Josephine Hutchinson). She meets Arthur Hugenon (Van Johnson), a young Tennessee soldier, while strolling in Central Park after an unexpected downpour. The two strike up a whirlwind romance.

Director Richard Thorpe directed the 1945 American romance “Thrill of a Romance”. The film starred Van Johnson, Esther Williams, and Carleton G. Young.

The film tells the story of Cynthia Glenn (Esther Williams), who, after a whirlwind romance, marries a rich businessman. However, on the first day of their honeymoon, her new husband is called away to Washington, leaving her alone at a resort. During this time, she meets and falls in love with a war hero, Tommy Milvaine, played by Van Johnson.

Director Melville Shavelson directed the 1968 American family comedy drama “Yours, Mine, and Ours”. The film starred Lucille Ball, Henry Fonda, and Van Johnson. It was based on the real-life versions of Helen and Frank, using Helen’s book “Who Gets the Drumstick?” as inspiration.

The storyline revolves around the widow Helen North (Lucille Ball) with eight children who meets Navy Chief Warrant Officer Frank Beardsley (Henry Fonda) with ten children. They fall in love and decide to combine their families. Van Johnson portrays Chief Warrant Officer Darrell Harrison, who wants the couple to get and stay together.