Van Johnson, Dec. 12, age
92: Johnson was an earnest, boy-next-door heartthrob in dozens of films
in the '40s and '50s, including, memorably, "Brigadoon" and especially "The Caine Mutiny." He became a contract player for MGM
thanks to the actions of his lifelong friend, Lucille Ball
... more (on whose TV show Johnson would appear decades
later). He also starred in "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" and "The White Cliffs of Dover," and memorably appeared in Woody Allen's 1985 film "The Purple Rose of Cairo" and toured in the stage version of
"La Cage aux Folles." His one marriage, to the ex-wife of Keenan Wynn, was
reportedly engineered by Louis B. Mayer as a "solution" to rumors about
Johnson's sexuality. They subsequently divorced, and Johnson continued
tirelessly performing and touring. "The white-haired ladies who come to matinees
are the people who put me on top," he said in a 1992 interview in Michigan,
where he was appearing. "I'm still grateful to them." And we to him.
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