Customer Reviews

Van Johnson: MGM's Golden Boy (Hollywood Legends)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
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1 star:		(3)

 

 

Although Mr. Davis had to rely on mainly second-hand information to attain all the facts he needed to write this book, he did an excellent job, and he imparts the info in such a way that it is seamless, and cannot be discerned as not having been the result of his own research.
The principles in the book were not, for one reason or another, available for inclusion here, nevertheless, Mr. Davis has done an admirable job and his writing and relating of pertinent facts have done him proud...
Being familiar with his sources and the "players" in the book, I was still able to read through it with pleasure, interest and admiration for his capable relating of the facts at hand. All in all, a very informative and interesting read.
My name is Schuyler Van Johnson, and it is about my father and some of it relates to me, and I can tell you that is an excellent work and came out extremely well. Some of it was hard to get through, being an interested party, but also somewhat cathartic and nice to put away on a shelf as part of my distant past, best left on the shelf, once read...Would that the living of some of it had been that easy!

As a screenwriter and friend of Van Johnson, I have knowledge of this man in both professional & private settings. Now living on opposite ends of the country, we see very little of each other, but stay in contact by phone & e-mail. The last time my wife & I saw the Johnson's was in Las Vegas where Van had a showing of his paintings at the MGM Grand. First of all, rumors of homosexuality are false. Placing that tag on good looking actors is considered a Hollywood pasttime whose victims have been Cary Grant, Randolf Scott, Howard Hughes to Tom Cruise & Keanu Reeves. Van is a warm, non-judgmental, kind and humorous human being. All this and more besides being an outstanding actor when given the right role(Caine Mutiny). His personal and family problems are similiar to the crosses people in all walks of life have to bear. Yet, Van has always rebounded with hope & eternal optimism. This is a great guy with limitless good qualities. Approaching 90, that twinkle in his eyes remains ever present.

First let me say I am in no way a fan of Van Johnson. At best, he was only a slightly talented actor, he was mainly as the author notes a bobby-soxer teen idol who girls of the 1940's briefly made one of the top three box-office draws in America. Teen idols, then as now, are rarely on anybody's list of great actors or of particular interest to anyone outside of contemporary teenaged girls. I only picked up this book because I enjoy reading movie star biographies but I am sorry I wasted my time on this little effort, the very definition of a hatchet job. The author reveals - shock, shock - Van Johnson was a homosexual. Actually, he only manages to be the author of the first biography on Johnson and states this, previous books (including one written by Johnson's stepson) have proclaimed this tidbit and in fact quoting those books is pretty much the limit of Mr. Davis' details on Johnson's homosexuality. Oh, that and a brief, unsourced report that Johnson once propositioned an man in a Texas store. Davis feigns journalistic impartiality but it seems clear his opinion of Johnson as one might expect from a professor at Southern Methodist University or author of book on John Wayne. Practically from the first page it's obvious Davis wants to paint Johnson's as a pathetic, empty life (he certainly gives no evidence on why anyone would be interested in Johnson today, dimissing his talent repeatedly.) Friends of Johnson seem to have been avoided to keep any good words about him out, other than Janet Leigh. One of Davis's main sources is Johnson's ex-wife, from whom he had a very bitter divorce. Davis seems to take everything she has to say as the undiluted truth. Davis keeps up his attack on Johnson right to the last page, proclaiming he is not a legendary figure like John Wayne or Marilyn Monroe (oh no! I thought Van Johnson was one of the five greatest stars ever!!) and as such presumably unworthy of future attention. So what's the point of the book?? He even insults Johnson down to his very last sentence, basically dismissing him as a worthless fake. I never dreamed I would ever have sympathy for a man who has cut off contact with his only child (one of the most unfortunate effects of the divorce) but Johnson's often incredibly sad and hollow life should move many people though clearly not Mr. Davis, who at no point seems to have compassion for Johnson and his life in the closet and the cost of it on him (though he does have sympathy for the other victims of Johnson's private life like his ex-wife and child.) Saddest of all is Van Johnson is still living and around to read this malicious effort. A final word: this book's design and size are appropiately ugly (it's scarcely bigger than a small softcover book, a strange size for a hardcover biography) for such a mean-spirited tome. This is allegedly the first in a series of books on "Hollywood Legends" edited or written by Mr. Davis, one hopes this series ends very soon.

Ronald Davis' book 'Van Johnson: MGM's Golden Boy' is a well-written fascinating look at a now forgotten film great. Davis chronicles the rise and fall of Van Johnson and simultaneously Hollywood's golden era. The book details Johnson's battles with personal demons, and how his inevitable career decline matured him into a terrific dramatic actor. Davis's narrative pulls the reader in to the story, and offers a glimpse behind the Hollywood tinsel.

Van Johnson had a successful career as an actor for many decades. He started out in theater when he moved from his single-parent home (with his father) in Newport to the bright lights of New York. He struggled for a long time before making any impression, but it was his winning smile and decent musical abilities that brought him to Hollywood. Although not initially signed there, MGM became his home. He quickly became a star when a horrible car accident almost left him dead. His bravery throughout his reconstructive surgery endeared him to young female audiences. Unable to go to war, Johnson fought at home by playing countless soldiers on film. When MGM dismantled, he wandered from movie to movie, but found solace in dinner theater and big productions.

It is difficult to write books about people who are still alive, not only because you run the risk of your book being incomplete, but also because the subjects might not want certain information to be published. Ronald Davis argues that Johnson and his friends did not want this book released because he asserts that Johnson is homosexual, but that in the interest of protecting fact, Davis published it anyway. It seems that proving Johnson's sexual orientation is a project for Davis, and it is constantly brought up throughout the book, but the arguement is weak and unconvincing.

I will say, however, that in spite of this annoying agenda, the book does a good job of exploring Johnson's life and movies. It is informative and interesting and relies on many quotes from Johnson's ex-wife Eve, her son Ned Wynn, and from Johnson's own interviews over the years. Everyone has bad times, so it would be unrealistic to think that in his own life, Johnson is as squeeky clean as the boys he played in the movies, but this book is mostly positive about him. It does not hail him as a movie icon, but simply as a pleasant star from MGM's golden era. Fans seeking information about him will not be left unsatisfied.

I grew up watching Van Johnson in the movies, and enjoyed him immensely. The bright, sunny smile, the hair that you just KNEW was red, and the cheerful blue eyes. VJ literally brought out the sun in his films, and for that I thank him. As I grew older, I heard the many "rumours" about him, and essentially dismissed them, feeling it was no one's business but his. At the age of 50, I still feel this way. The book gave us the facts in a caring, considerate way, and there was nothing gratuitous in the way the sexuality issues were handed. Mr. Davis did a wonderful job of research, and told VJ's many fans just how magnificent an actor he really was. Imagine living the role of "Van Johnson", while tormented with confusion, depression and ambiguity.

Kudos to to Schuyler V. Johnson. Her scholarly review and connection to the subject in question got me to buy this book.

Although I was born about the time of Van Johnson's rising star, being a movie buff of ole films, I have enjoyed his movies so much through the years. His warmth and boy next door charm seemed to always add something very special to the movies he was in. Having read Ronald Davis's accounting of his life, however, left me feeling very frustrated at times over Mr. Davis' determination to state Van Johnson's sexual preference with the very slimmest of evidence to back it up. He begins the book and ends it with the same proposition, and because I did not find his book so well researched or definitive, I think the jury is still out on this one. Ronald Davis' writing often seemed like fan magazine articles pieced together. Having loved Van Johnson for many years as a screen star, I am sad that there is not more out there of greater quality to read on his life.

Van Johnson: MGM's Golden Boy is a thoroughly researched biography by Ronald Davis (professor of history, Southern Methodist University, and general editor of the University Press of Mississippi's "Hollywood Legends" series) of the male Hollywood star who first captured the heart and soul of America is his blockbuster war films such as "A Guy Named Joe" and "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo." Dedicated and professional, always striving to maintain a cheery attitude despite a generally more morose personality, Van Johnson the actor and human being was a memorable Hollywood figure both on and off camera. Van Johnson: MGM's Golden Boy looks at all sides of this silver screen legend and carefully recounts his life with close attention to detail. Highly recommended for film students, movie buffs, and anyone else with an interest in this amazing actor and his cinematic legacy.

The writing was well done. I was surprised to find Van Johnson was such a sad man, HE kept himself walled off from family and potential friends. His indifference to his daughter, was the sadest of all, he missed an opportunity for almost unconditional love. I'll still enjoy his movies, but pity the man.

Having been of fan of this actor for years, it was a pleasure to read a book that was filled with information about his life. The book was a fair and balanced look at the actor's life. I learned a great deal about his early years in Rhode Island and how he became an actor. Since there are so few books about Van Johnson out there, this is a good one to read.