Van Johnson: MGM's Golden Boy

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!