Rita Johnson
Actor
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.
Filmography
The Major and the Minor
as Pamela Hill 1942
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
as Julia Farnsworth 1941
Sleep, My Love
as Barby 1948
They Won't Believe Me
as Greta Ballentine 1947
Susan Slept Here
as Dr. Rawley 1954
The Naughty Nineties
as Bonita Farrow 1945
Edison, the Man
as Mary Stilwell 1940
All Mine to Give
as Katie Tyler 1957
My Friend Flicka
as Nell McLaughlin 1943
Nick Carter, Master Detective
as Lou Farnsby 1939
The Girl Downstairs
as Rosalind Brown 1938
Letter of Introduction
as Honey 1938
The Affairs of Susan
as Mona Kent 1945
Rich Man, Poor Girl
as Sally Harrison 1938
Appointment for Love
as Nancy Benson 1941
Man-Proof
as Florence (dialogue scenes deleted) 1938