Van Johnson, A True Broadway “Pal”

Van Johnson

Van Johnson, who began his career as a chorus boy and understudy on Broadway, died Friday in an assisted-care facility in New York.  His boyish looks and earnest manner made him a Hollywood heartthrob in the 1940s and 1950’s.

Johnson was born August 25, 1916, to a plumber and housewife in Newport, Rhode Island. He was 16 years old when he left Rhode Island for New York City so he could forge a career in acting.

Johnson made his Broadway debut in 1936 in “New Faces of 1936″ before legendary director-playwright George Abbott hired him as a chorus member and understudy to the three male leads in Rodgers and Hart’s “Too Many Girls” in 1939.

The next year, Abbott cast him as a chorus boy and Gene Kelly’s understudy in Rodgers and Hart’s groundbreaking musical “Pal Joey,” according to TCM.com. His film debut followed in 1940 with a role in the chorus of “Too Many Girls.”

Johnson’s career stretched over six decades and across genres, from comedies and war films, such as “The Caine Mutiny” and “30 Seconds Over Tokyo,” to Broadway musicals and television shows, including a guest spot as the Minstrel on the campy 1960s series, “Batman,” according to Turner Classic Movies’ Web site.

The red-haired, freckle-faced actor’s youthful charm earned him a huge teen following in his heyday. He became known as the “voiceless Sinatra,” despite a singing voice that landed him roles alongside June Allyson and Judy Garland in “Two Girls and a Sailor” and “In the Good Old Summertime.” 

A private service will be held.