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Rita Johnson

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For other people named Rita Johnson, see Rita Johnson (disambiguation).
Rita Johnson
Johnson in 1937
Born
Rita Ann Johnson

(1913-08-13)August 13, 1913
Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedOctober 31, 1965(1965-10-31) (aged 52)
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeHoly Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California
OccupationActress
Years active1935–1957
Spouses
Stanley Kahn
​
​
(m. 1940; div. 1943)​
Edwin Hutzler
​
​
(m. 1943; div. 1946)​

Rita Ann Johnson (August 13, 1913[1][2] – October 31, 1965) was an American actress.[3]

Early years

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Johnson was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, the daughter of a single mother, Lillian Johnson.[4]

She worked as a waitress in her mother's lunchroom and sold hot dogs on the Boston-Worcester turnpike.[5] She later attended the New England Conservatory of Music.[6]

Career

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Early in her career, Johnson was busy in radio. "By 1936 she... was appearing in ten radio shows a week."[5] She played the leading role in Joyce Jordan, M.D..[7]

Johnson began acting on Broadway in 1935 and started her film career two years later. She played a murderer in Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) and a doomed wife in the RKO film noir They Won't Believe Me (1947).[8]

In an incident that was never fully explained, Johnson suffered a head trauma on September 6, 1948 that required brain surgery.[9] Unsubstantiated rumors promulgated by gossip columnists such as Walter Winchell suggested she might have been abused by a boyfriend, but the only explanation she offered was that a large, industrial-grade hair dryer at her apartment had fallen on her.[5] She was in a coma for two weeks and it was reported, "It took her a year to recover. Her left side was paralyzed temporarily, and for a while she couldn't walk."[10] It put a virtual halt to her film career. Her screen time in movies after that was limited due to her reduced mobility and powers of concentration.

Personal life

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Johnson was married to businessman L. Stanley Kahn.[4] They were granted a divorce on June 29, 1943.[11] She was married to Edwin Hutzler from 1943 to 1946, when they were divorced.[8] A Democrat, she supported Adlai Stevenson during the 1952 presidential election.[12] She was a practicing Roman Catholic.[13]

Johnson suffered from alcoholism. She died of a brain hemorrhage on October 31, 1965, at age 52.[8][14]

Partial filmography

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Radio appearances

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Year Program Episode/source
1943 Lux Radio Theatre My Friend Flicka[15]
1952 Family Theater The Crossroads of Christmas[16]

References

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  1. ^ Parish gives year of birth as 1912, but her grave marker says 1913.
  2. ^ Parish, James Robert; Bowers, Ronald L. (1974). The MGM Stock Company: The Golden Era'. Allan. p. 379. ISBN 0-7110-0501-X.
  3. ^ "Rita Johnson". BFI. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Rita Johnson Near Death From Hair Drier Blow". The Post-Standard. The Post-Standard. September 11, 1948. p. 1. Retrieved June 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ a b c Weinstock, Matt (August 13, 2013). "The Booby-Trapped Life of Rita Johnson". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  6. ^ Wagner, Laura (November 13, 2023). "Rita Johnson By Laura Wagner". The Quad-City Times. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  7. ^ "What's New from Coast to Coast" (PDF). Radio and Television Mirror. 14 (1): 8–9, 80. May 1940. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  8. ^ a b c Rita Johnson at IMDb
  9. ^ "Film Star Succumbing To Mystery Injuries". The Evening News. The Evening News. September 10, 1948. p. 1. Retrieved June 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  10. ^ "Rita Johnson Battles for Comeback Movie Roles". The Times. The Times. June 11, 1952. p. 17. Retrieved June 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  11. ^ "Divorce Granted to Rita Johnson". The Milwaukee Journal. June 29, 1943. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  12. ^ Motion Picture and Television Magazine, November 1952, page 34, Ideal Publishers.
  13. ^ Morning News, January 10, 1948, Who Was Who in America (Vol. 2)
  14. ^ "RITA JOHNSON, 52, ACTRESS IN FILMS; Mother in 'My Friend, Flicka' !s Dead in Hollywood". New York Times. November 3, 1965. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  15. ^ "Lux Theatre Guest". Harrisburg Telegraph. Harrisburg Telegraph. Harrisburg Telegraph. June 5, 1943. p. 17. Retrieved December 23, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  16. ^ Kirby, Walter (December 21, 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. The Decatur Daily Review. p. 44. Retrieved June 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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