Van Johnson

[Universe Prince]

On December 12, 2008, Van Johnson, star of many a film, died in Nyack, New York. As a remembrance, on December 23 TCM will change its prime time and late night lineup and show a series of pretty good Van Johnson films. The line up will be:

In the Good Old Summertime-8:00 PM ET-A fun musical with Judy Garland and S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall. I've talked about this one elsewhere.

A Guy Named Joe-9:45 PM ET-A fantasy with Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne. Tracy plays a W.W. II pilot who dies and is sent back to watch over over pilots, and eventually watches his still living sweetheart wooed by another pilot, Johnson.

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo-12:30 AM ET-Another W.W. II film, though this one is more for the guys. Johnson plays Lieutenant Ted Lawson, who flies a bomber in the first U.S. strike at Japan after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Spencer Tracy shows up in a supporting role as Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle.

The Last Time I Saw Paris-2:30 AM ET-A good drama with Elizabeth Taylor, Donna Reed and Walter Pidgeon. Taylor and Reed play sisters who fall for writer at the end of W.W. II.

Thrill of a Romance-4:30 AM ET-I've never seen this one. It is the first paring of Johnson and Esther Williams. Williams plays a newlywed wife who falls in love with another man, Johnson, while her husband is away.