Rita Johnson
Biography
Rita Ann Johnson (August 13, 1913 – October 31, 1965) was an American actress. Early in her career, Johnson was busy in radio. Johnson began acting on Broadway in 1935 and started her film career two years later. She played a murderer in Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) and a doomed wife in the RKO film noir They Won't Believe Me (1947). In an incident that was never fully explained, Johnson suffered a head trauma on September 6, 1948 that required brain surgery. Unsubstantiated rumors promulgated by gossip columnists such as Walter Winchell suggested she might have been abused by a boyfriend, but the only explanation she offered was that a large, industrial-grade hair dryer at her apartment had fallen on her. She was in a coma for two weeks and it was reported it took her a year to recover. Her left side was paralyzed temporarily and for a while she couldn't walk. The injury put a virtual halt to her film career. Her screen time in movies after that was limited due to her reduced mobility and powers of concentration. Johnson suffered from alcoholism from the time of her injuries until her death of a brain hemorrhage at age 52. From Wikipedia.
Personal Details
Also Known As
Movies (38)
All Mine to Give
as Katie Tyler
1957
Emergency Hospital
as Head Nurse Norma Mullen
1956
Susan Slept Here
as Dr. Rawley
1954
The Second Face
as Claire Elwood
1950
The Art Director
as Self - from 'The Big Clock' (archive footage) (uncredited)
1949
Family Honeymoon
as Minna Fenster
1948
An Innocent Affair
as Eve Lawrence
1948
The Big Clock
as Pauline York
1948
Sleep, My Love
as Barby
1948
Michigan Kid
as Sue Dawson
1947
They Won't Believe Me
as Greta Ballentine
1947
The Perfect Marriage
as Mabel Manning
1947
Pardon My Past
as Mary Pemberton
1945
The Affairs of Susan
as Mona Kent
1945
The Naughty Nineties
as Bonita Farrow
1945
Thunderhead: Son of Flicka
as Nelle McLaughlin
1945
My Friend Flicka
as Nell McLaughlin
1943
The Major and the Minor
as Pamela Hill
1942
Appointment for Love
as Nancy Benson
1941
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
as Julia Farnsworth
1941
The Golden Fleecing
as Mary Blake
1940
Edison, the Man
as Mary Stilwell
1940
Forty Little Mothers
as Marian Edwards
1940
Congo Maisie
as Kay McWade
1940
Nick Carter, Master Detective
as Lou Farnsby
1939
They All Come Out
as Kitty
1939
Stronger Than Desire
as Barbara Winter
1939
6,000 Enemies
as Anne Barry
1939
Broadway Serenade
as Judith 'Judy' Tyrrell
1939
Within the Law
as Agnes Lynch
1939
Honolulu
as Cecelia Grayson
1939
The Girl Downstairs
as Rosalind Brown
1938
Rich Man, Poor Girl
as Sally Harrison
1938
Smashing the Rackets
as Leticia "Letty" Lane
1938
Letter of Introduction
as Honey
1938
Man-Proof
as Florence (dialogue scenes deleted)
1938
My Dear Miss Aldrich
as Ellen Warfield
1937
London by Night
as Patricia Herrick
1937
