1913-08-13 Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
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.
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All Mine to Give | Katie Tyler | 1957-11-13 |
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Emergency Hospital | Head Nurse Norma Mullen | 1956-11-02 |
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Susan Slept Here | Dr. Rawley | 1954-07-28 |
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The Second Face | Claire Elwood | 1950-12-01 |
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The Art Director | Self - from 'The Big Clock' (archive footage) (uncredited) | 1949-11-12 |
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An Innocent Affair | Eve Lawrence | 1948-10-15 |
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Family Honeymoon | Minna Fenster | 1948-12-06 |
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Sleep, My Love | Barby | 1948-02-18 |
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The Big Clock | Pauline York | 1948-03-18 |
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They Won't Believe Me | Greta Ballentine | 1947-07-16 |
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Michigan Kid | Sue Dawson | 1947-08-11 |
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The Perfect Marriage | Mabel Manning | 1947-01-24 |
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Pardon My Past | Mary Pemberton | 1945-12-24 |
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The Affairs of Susan | Mona Kent | 1945-07-08 |
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Thunderhead - Son of Flicka | Nelle McLaughlin | 1945-03-15 |
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The Naughty Nineties | Bonita Farrow | 1945-06-20 |
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My Friend Flicka | Nell McLaughlin | 1943-05-26 |
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The Major and the Minor | Pamela Hill | 1942-09-16 |
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Here Comes Mr. Jordan | Julia Farnsworth | 1941-08-07 |
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Appointment for Love | Nancy Benson | 1941-10-31 |
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Forty Little Mothers | Marian Edwards | 1940-04-26 |
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Edison, the Man | Mary Stilwell | 1940-05-10 |
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Congo Maisie | Kay McWade | 1940-01-19 |
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The Golden Fleecing | Mary Blake | 1940-08-16 |
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6,000 Enemies | Anne Barry | 1939-06-09 |
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Broadway Serenade | Judith 'Judy' Tyrrell | 1939-04-07 |
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Honolulu | Cecelia Grayson | 1939-02-03 |
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Within the Law | Agnes Lynch | 1939-03-17 |
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Stronger Than Desire | Barbara Winter | 1939-06-30 |
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They All Come Out | Kitty | 1939-08-04 |
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Nick Carter, Master Detective | Lou Farnsby | 1939-12-13 |
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Man-Proof | Florence (dialogue scenes deleted) | 1938-01-07 |
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The Girl Downstairs | Rosalind Brown | 1938-12-23 |
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Rich Man, Poor Girl | Sally Harrison | 1938-08-12 |
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Smashing the Rackets | Leticia "Letty" Lane | 1938-08-08 |
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Letter of Introduction | Honey | 1938-08-05 |
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My Dear Miss Aldrich | Ellen Warfield | 1937-09-17 |
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London by Night | Patricia Herrick | 1937-07-30 |
