Rita Johnson
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Aug 13, 1913
- Died
- Oct 31, 1965 (aged 52)
- Place of birth
- Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
- Credits
- 39
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.
Known for
The Big Clock
1948Movie
Pauline York
The Major and the Minor
1942Movie
Pamela Hill
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
1941Movie
Julia Farnsworth
Sleep, My Love
1948Movie
Barby
They Won't Believe Me
1947Movie
Greta Ballentine
Susan Slept Here
1954Movie
Dr. Rawley
Filmography
All Mine to Give
1957Movie
Katie Tyler
Emergency Hospital
1956Movie
Head Nurse Norma Mullen
Susan Slept Here
1954Movie
Dr. Rawley
Mr. & Mrs. North
1952TV
The Second Face
1950Movie
Claire Elwood
The Art Director
1949Movie
Self - from 'The Big Clock' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Family Honeymoon
1948Movie
Minna Fenster
An Innocent Affair
1948Movie
Eve Lawrence
The Big Clock
1948Movie
Pauline York
Sleep, My Love
1948Movie
Barby
Michigan Kid
1947Movie
Sue Dawson
They Won't Believe Me
1947Movie
Greta Ballentine
The Perfect Marriage
1947Movie
Mabel Manning
Pardon My Past
1945Movie
Mary Pemberton
The Affairs of Susan
1945Movie
Mona Kent
The Naughty Nineties
1945Movie
Bonita Farrow
Thunderhead: Son of Flicka
1945Movie
Nelle McLaughlin
My Friend Flicka
1943Movie
Nell McLaughlin
The Major and the Minor
1942Movie
Pamela Hill
Appointment for Love
1941Movie
Nancy Benson
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
1941Movie
Julia Farnsworth
The Golden Fleecing
1940Movie
Mary Blake
Edison, the Man
1940Movie
Mary Stilwell
Forty Little Mothers
1940Movie
Marian Edwards
Congo Maisie
1940Movie
Kay McWade
Nick Carter, Master Detective
1939Movie
Lou Farnsby
They All Come Out
1939Movie
Kitty
Stronger Than Desire
1939Movie
Barbara Winter
6,000 Enemies
1939Movie
Anne Barry
Broadway Serenade
1939Movie
Judith 'Judy' Tyrrell
Within the Law
1939Movie
Agnes Lynch
Honolulu
1939Movie
Cecelia Grayson
The Girl Downstairs
1938Movie
Rosalind Brown
Rich Man, Poor Girl
1938Movie
Sally Harrison
Smashing the Rackets
1938Movie
Leticia "Letty" Lane
Letter of Introduction
1938Movie
Honey
Man-Proof
1938Movie
Florence (dialogue scenes deleted)
My Dear Miss Aldrich
1937Movie
Ellen Warfield
London by Night
1937Movie
Patricia Herrick