RITA JOHNSON

Rita Johnson was an actress from the 1930s to the 1950s. She had the talent to become an Olympic swimmer, but she could not afford to do so, and she turned to acting. Her drama teacher told her she had "no talent", but she persisted (and years later, when she achieved success, the teacher sent her a letter of apology, and she kept it framed on her wall). She started on the Broadway stage in 1935, and then was signed to a Hollywood contract by MGM. Some of her movies include: The Girl Downstairs, The Big Clock, The Major and the Minor, and Here Comes Mr. Jordan. Hers is one of the more bizarre stories ever to come out of Hollywood. In 1948, it was reported that she had sustained brain damage from a hair dryer falling on her head! Further news stories indicated that she had been involved with a gangster who physically assaulted her over and over, and it seemed much more likely that this was the cause of her brain damage. She was no longer able to act, and she became an alcoholic, and passed away in 1965 at the age of 52. It is surprising that no Hollywood biography of her life was ever made, but perhaps it is just too sad a story.