Van Johnson: Mgm's Golden Boy

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: After reading this book, I have come to the opinion that not interviewing the subject of a biography may be the only way to go. Ronald Davis has put together a very objective account of Van Johnson's career and life based upon interviews with many people who had been in close contact with the subject at one time or another. By not interviewing Mr. Johnson, the author has been able to maintain editorial integrity and not present one of those artificially sweet tomes that claw and stick to you like honey fresh from the hive.
The public Van Johnson and the private Van Johnson appear to be two very different people who are diametrically opposed to one another. Is that good or bad? In my opinion, it doesn't really matter. Each reader will come to his/her own conclusion by the end of the book. I walked away feeling really bad about the lousy relationship (or should I say non-relationship) Johnson has with his only daughter and people he should have remained close to. However, I also admire Mr. Johnson's tenacious will to survive and succeed under difficult circumstances.

Rating:
Summary: Second-Hand info, First rate writing
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Astonishingly Homophobic and Boorish Book for 2002
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Book about a wonderful, complex man.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Book about a wonderful, complex man.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Don't spend a dime on this book~ AWFUL AND UNFAIR TREATMENT
Review: I have to say I bought this book hoping to find at least an ounce of truth in it. I found none. It was slanted and very unfair. All the author does is dwell on the bad in no way remotley shows Van for the man he is. It's a shame it was published while he is alive but is what I would expect from the RELIGOUS FANATICS TODAY, WHO ARE BY THE WAY HYPOCRITES~ Don't buy the book-get his DVD's and watch his films. Shame on you Ronald Davis, biggot!

Rating:
Summary: The rise and fall of Hollywood's Golden Era!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Looks at all sides of this silver screen legend
Review: 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.