Rita Johnson
Encyclopedia
Rita Johnson was an American actress.
and attended the New England Conservatory of Music. Johnson began acting on Broadway
in 1935 and started her film career two years later. She played a murderess in Here Comes Mr. Jordan
(1941) and a doomed wife in the RKO film noir
They Won't Believe Me
(1947).
Her film career came almost to a complete stop after a 1948 accident (a hair dryer fell on her head) that required delicate brain surgery. Her screen time in movies after that was limited due to her reduced mobility and powers of concentration. She also suffered from alcoholism
from the time of her injuries until her death of a brain hemorrhage on October 31, 1965.
Career
She was born Rita McSean in Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
and attended the New England Conservatory of Music. Johnson began acting on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1935 and started her film career two years later. She played a murderess in Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Here Comes Mr. Jordan is a comedy film in which a boxer, mistakenly taken to Heaven before his time, is given a second chance back on Earth. It stars Robert Montgomery, Claude Rains and Evelyn Keyes. The movie was adapted by Sidney Buchman and Seton I. Miller from the play Heaven Can Wait by Harry...
(1941) and a doomed wife in the RKO film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
They Won't Believe Me
They Won't Believe Me
They Won't Believe Me is a 1947 drama film starring Susan Hayward. The black-and-white film noir was directed by Irving Pichel. The film was produced by Alfred Hitchcock's longtime assistant and collaborator, Joan Harrison.-Plot:...
(1947).
Her film career came almost to a complete stop after a 1948 accident (a hair dryer fell on her head) that required delicate brain surgery. Her screen time in movies after that was limited due to her reduced mobility and powers of concentration. She also suffered from alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
from the time of her injuries until her death of a brain hemorrhage on October 31, 1965.
Selected filmography
- Honolulu (1939)
- Broadway SerenadeBroadway SerenadeBroadway Serenade is a 1939 musical drama film distributed by MGM, and directed and produced by Robert Z. Leonard. The screenplay was written by Charles Lederer, based on story by Lew Lipton, John Taintor Foote and Hanns Kräly...
(1939) - Congo MaisieCongo MaisieCongo Maisie is a 1940 comedy-drama film directed by H. C. Potter and starring Ann Sothern for the second time as showgirl Maisie Ravier.-Cast:* Ann Sothern as Maisie Ravier* John Carroll as Dr. Michael Shane* Rita Johnson as Kay McWade...
(1940) - Edison, the ManEdison, the ManEdison, the Man was a 1940 biographical film depicting the life of inventor Thomas Edison, who was played by Spencer Tracy. Hugo Butler and Dore Schary were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Story for their work on this film...
(1940) - Here Comes Mr. JordanHere Comes Mr. JordanHere Comes Mr. Jordan is a comedy film in which a boxer, mistakenly taken to Heaven before his time, is given a second chance back on Earth. It stars Robert Montgomery, Claude Rains and Evelyn Keyes. The movie was adapted by Sidney Buchman and Seton I. Miller from the play Heaven Can Wait by Harry...
(1941) - Appointment for Love (1941)
- The Major and the MinorThe Major and the MinorThe Major and the Minor is a 1942 American comedy film starring Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland. It was the first American film directed by Billy Wilder, and launched his "incomparable" directing career...
(1942) - My Friend FlickaMy Friend Flicka (film)My Friend Flicka is a 1943 coming-of-age film about a young boy, played by Roddy McDowall, who is given a colt to raise. It is based on the popular children's novel by Mary O'Hara.-Cast:*Roddy McDowall as Ken McLaughlin*Preston Foster as Rob McLaughlin...
(1943) - Thunderhead, Son of FlickaThunderhead, Son of Flicka (film)Thunderhead, Son of Flicka is a 1945 Technicolor family film directed by Louis King. It was adapted to screen by Dwight Cummins and Dorothy Yost from the novel by Mary O'Hara, and is based on the second book in the series, following Flicka, which was filmed in 1943 and remade in 2006...
(1945) - The Affairs of SusanThe Affairs of SusanThe Affairs of Susan is a 1945 comedy film starring Joan Fontaine, Walter Abel, George Brent, Dennis O'Keefe and Don DeFore. The plot concerns Susan , who is about to be married. Complications set in when her fiance gives a party to celebrate, and he talks to three former beaus of Susan, each of...
(1945) - The Naughty NinetiesThe Naughty NinetiesThe Naughty Nineties is a 1945 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It is significant for containing perhaps the best-known recorded rendition of the team's classic "Who's on First?" routine, as it is this version of the routine that is shown at the National Baseball Hall of Fame...
(1945) - Pardon My Past (1945)
- They Won't Believe MeThey Won't Believe MeThey Won't Believe Me is a 1947 drama film starring Susan Hayward. The black-and-white film noir was directed by Irving Pichel. The film was produced by Alfred Hitchcock's longtime assistant and collaborator, Joan Harrison.-Plot:...
(1947) - Sleep, My LoveSleep, My LoveSleep, My Love is a feature film directed by Douglas Sirk, and starring Claudette Colbert, Robert Cummings and Don Ameche.-Plot:Alison Courtland, a wealthy New Yorker, hasn't a clue how she ended up on a train bound for Boston...
(1948) - The Big Clock (1948)
- Family HoneymoonFamily HoneymoonFamily Honeymoon is a 1949 domestic comedy film made by Universal International Pictures, directed by Claude Binyon, and written by Dane Lussier, based on novel by Homer Croy...
(1949) - Susan Slept HereSusan Slept HereSusan Slept Here is a 1954 romantic comedy film starring Dick Powell and Debbie Reynolds. It was based on the play of the same name by Steve Fisher and Alex Gottlieb...
(1954) - All Mine to GiveAll Mine to GiveAll Mine to Give is a 1957 melodrama film starring Glynis Johns, Cameron Mitchell, and Rex Thompson. When first one parent, then the other dies, six children have to look after themselves in the American west of the mid 19th century...
(1957)