Van Johnson

Thirty Seconds over Tokyo

by user
February 19, 2016March 4, 2023

Thirty Seconds over Tokyo (1944) starring Van Johnson, Phyllis Thaxter, Spencer Tracy, Robert Walker, Robert Mitchum

The old adage says that you shouldn’t judge a book by its’ cover — and that goes for DVD cases as well. Judging from the DVD case, you would think that Thirty Seconds over Tokyo is starring Spencer Tracy — and you would be wrong. Spencer Tracy does appear, and he does a fine job portraying James Doolittle, the man behind the World War II raid on Tokyo. But the central character in this movie is pilot Ted Lawson. Van Johnson portrays him excellently. The movie breaks into three parts:

by user
May 26, 2015February 27, 2024

Brigadoon (1954) starring Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, Cyd Charisse

Brigadoon, like most Gene Kelly movies, is a musical with plenty of singing and dancing. More than that, it is a movie with heart, and a strong message about the values that matter. It begins with Tommy Albright (played well by Gene Kelly) and Jeff Douglas (played to the hilt by Van Johnson). They’re Americans who are caught up in the rat race, and not loving it. Tommy is engaged, but is not eager to marry her. Partly to delay the wedding, he accompanies his best friend, Jeff, on a hunting trip to Scotland. There, they become lost.

by user
May 26, 2015January 26, 2024

The Caine Mutiny (1954) starring Humphrey Bogart, Jose Ferrer, Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray

The Caine Mutiny is one of those movies where several elements work together to make an incredible film. The acting is top-notch, with all of the actors at their peak. Humphrey Bogart is believable, despicable, and, in the end, pitiable as the obsessive, controlling, paranoid Captain Queeq. Van Johnson is utterly believable as the loyal, upright, by-the-book officer. Fred MacMurray is absolutely unrecognizable, and I mean that in the best way possible. He is not the loving, gentle patriarch of My Three Sons. Neither the likable father figure of various Walt Disney movies. He is Iago, a little man who manipulates others into doing what he himself is unable and unwilling to do. Jose Ferrer shines as the defense attorney in the court-martial.

by user
April 15, 2015February 17, 2022

Invitation (1952) starring Van Johnson, Dorothy McGuire, Ruth Roman

Editorial review of Invitation (1952) starring Van Johnson, Dorothy McGuire, courtesy of Amazon.com

No more loneliness. Shy, plain Ellen Bowker has found unexpected fulfillment as the bride of handsome Dan Pierce. What she doesn’t know is that Dan was bought and paid for — he’s a — gift — from Ellen’s wealthy father, who wants his fatally ill daughter to experience romance before she dies.