Rita Johnson

For other people named Rita Johnson, see Rita Johnson (disambiguation).

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

Rita Johnson
Johnson in 1937
Born	Rita Ann Johnson (1913-08-13)August 13, 1913 Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	October 31, 1965(1965-10-31) (aged 52) Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1935–1957
Spouses	Stanley Kahn ​ ​ (m. 1940; div. 1943)​ Edwin Hutzler ​ ​ (m. 1943; div. 1946)​

Early years

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

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

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

• London by Night (1937) – Patricia Herrick
• My Dear Miss Aldrich (1937) – Ellen Warfield
• Man-Proof (1938) – Florence
• Letter of Introduction (1938) – Honey
• Smashing the Rackets (1938) – Letty Lane
• Rich Man, Poor Girl (1938) – Sally Harrison
• The Girl Downstairs (1938) – Rosalind Brown
• Honolulu (1939) – Cecelia Grayson
• Within the Law (1939) – Agnes
• Broadway Serenade (1939) – Judith Tyrrell
• 6,000 Enemies (1939) – Anne Barry
• Stronger Than Desire (1939) – Barbara Winter
• They All Come Out (1939) – Kitty Carson
• Nick Carter, Master Detective (1939) – Lou Farnsby
• Congo Maisie (1940) – Kay McWade
• The Golden Fleecing (1940) – Marian Edwards
• Edison, the Man (1940) – Mary Stilwell
• Forty Little Mothers (1940) – Mary Blake
• Maisie Was a Lady (1941) – Minor Role (scenes deleted)
• Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) – Julia Farnsworth
• Appointment for Love (1941) – Nancy Benson
• The Major and the Minor (1942) – Pamela Hill
• My Friend Flicka (1943) – Nell McLaughlin
• The Affairs of Susan (1945) – Mona Kent
• Thunderhead, Son of Flicka (1945) – Nelle McLaughlin
• The Naughty Nineties (1945) – Bonita Farrow
• Pardon My Past (1945) – Mary Pemberton
• The Perfect Marriage (1947) – Mabel Manning
• The Michigan Kid (1947) – Sue Dawson
• They Won't Believe Me (1947) – Greta Ballentine
• Sleep, My Love (1948) – Barby
• The Big Clock (1948) – Pauline York
• An Innocent Affair (1948) – Eve Lawrence
• Family Honeymoon (1948) – Minna Fenster
• The Second Face (1950) – Claire Elwood
• Susan Slept Here (1954) – Dr. Rawley, Harvey's Shrink
• Emergency Hospital (1956) – Head Nurse Norma Mullin
• All Mine to Give (1957) – Katie Tyler (final film role)

Radio appearances

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

References

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. "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.
5. 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. 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.
10. "Rita Johnson Battles for Comeback Movie Roles". The Times. The Times. June 11, 1952. p. 17. Retrieved June 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
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.
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.

External links

• Biography portal

• Rita Johnson at the Internet Broadway Database
• Rita Johnson at IMDb
• Rita Johnson at Find a Grave