Johnnie Johnston
Johnnie Johnston | |
---|---|
Born | John Clifford Johnston December 1, 1915 |
Died | January 6, 1996 (aged 80) Cape Coral, Florida, US |
Occupation(s) | Actor Singer |
Spouses |
Shirley Carmel
(m. 1952, divorced)Beverley Markley (m. 1975) |
Children | 5 |
Johnny Johnston (December 1, 1915 – January 6, 1996)[1] was an American actor and singer who was popular in the 1940s.
Early years
[edit]He was born John Clifford Johnston in St. Louis, Missouri.[citation needed]
Radio
[edit]In the late 1930s, Johnston had his own program on NBC-Blue.[2]
Recordings
[edit]Johnston had several hits on the Capitol label.
Personal life and death
[edit]Johnston was married five times, and had five children. One of his marriages was to actress Kathryn Grayson[3] at an August 22, 1947 ceremony in Carmel, California.[4] Grayson was his second wife.[5] On October 7, 1948, the couple's only child, daughter, Patricia Kathryn "Patty Kate" Johnston, was born. Grayson and Johnston separated on November 15, 1950. On October 3, 1951, Grayson was given a divorce from Johnston on the grounds of mental cruelty.[6]
Johnston's This Time for Keeps co-star, Esther Williams, claimed in her 1999 autobiography that while making the film, Johnston would read Grayson's intimate letters aloud to the girls in his fan club, including the "all-too-graphic details concerning what she liked about his love-making."[7] Later, he operated a nightclub in New York City.[3]
On July 31, 1952, Johnston married Shirley I. Carmel in Greenwich, Connecticut.[5] He died in 1996, aged 80.
Hit recordings
[edit]Year | Single | US Chart position | label | catalog # |
---|---|---|---|---|
1945 | "(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings" | 7[8] | Capitol | 186 [9] |
"Laura" | 5[8] | Capitol | 196[9] | |
"There Must Be a Way" | 9[8] | Capitol | 196[9] | |
1946 | "One More Dream (and She's Mine)" | 13[8] | Capitol | 228[9] |
Filmography
[edit]- Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
- Priorities on Parade (1942)[10]
- This Time for Keeps (1947)[11]
- Unchained (1955)
- Rock Around the Clock (1956)
References
[edit]- ^ Wagner, Laura (Winter 2015). "Johnnie Johnston: Bobbysoxer Heartthrob". Films of the Golden Age (83): 71–72.
- ^ "(radio listing)". The Emporia Gazette. Kansas, Emporia. The Emporia Gazette. June 20, 1938. p. 8. Retrieved February 6, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Vera, Billy (2000). From the Vaults Vol. 4: Love Letters (CD). Hollywood: Capitol Records. p. 7.
- ^ "Kathryn Grayson Sues for Divorce". Los Angeles Times. August 10, 1951. ProQuest 166256687.
- ^ a b "Johnnie Johnston Is Wed". The Kansas City Times. Missouri, Kansas City. The Kansas City Times. August 1, 1952. p. 1. Retrieved February 8, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Kathryn Grayson Given Divorce From Johnston". Los Angeles Times. October 4, 1951. ProQuest 166274081.
- ^ Williams, Esther; Diehl, Digby (1999). The Million Dollar Mermaid: An Autobiography (1st ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-15-601135-8. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ a b c d Pop Memories 1890-1954. Joel Whitburn. 1986. Record Research Inc. p. 232. ISBN 0-89820-083-0
- ^ a b c d Abrams, Steven and Settlemier, Tyrone Capitol 100 - 499, numerical listing discography Online Discographical Project. November 1, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
- ^ "Columbia". The Evening Review. Ohio, East Liverpool. The Evening Review. October 2, 1942. p. 6. Retrieved February 6, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "West Brings Top Tunefilm". The Terre Haute Tribune. Indiana, Terre Haute. The Terre Haute Tribune. April 24, 1949. p. 31. Retrieved February 6, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
[edit]- 1915 births
- 1996 deaths
- Capitol Records artists
- American male pop singers
- Traditional pop music singers
- Singers from St. Louis
- American radio personalities
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players
- Male actors from St. Louis
- American people of French descent
- American people of Italian descent
- American people of Scottish descent
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th-century American singers
- Nightclub performers
- 20th-century American male singers