Monday is Van Johnson Day in Newport, in Honor of Late Acting Idol

Newport Mayor Harry Winthrop has declared Monday “Van Johnson Day” in recognition of the late icon of stage, TV and screen.

Johnson, who was born in Newport on Aug. 25, 1916, was the son of Charles and Loretta Johnson who lived at 16 Ayrault St.

He clawed his way up the ranks on Broadway after graduating from Rogers High School in 1935 and immediately dashed to New York City to chase a dream of being a great actor.

He worked his way from chorus boy to the lead in Pal Joey and eventually was under contract with MGM. With boyish good looks and pure acting talent, he soon was LIFE Magazine’s “Most adored male in the U.S.” and coined “The Bobby-Sox Blizer” by the Saturday Evening Post.

According to the proclamation, ”Mr. Johnson was so much more than a matinee idol. He was determined to be, and quickly became, recognized as a great actor. In film after film, he proved his ability to inhabit a character and shine through it.”

The celebrations on Monday dovetails with an effort by a growing list of former friends, actors and celebrities to have a commemorative stamp issued in Johnson’s honor for 2016 — the year he would be turning 100.

To mark the occasion, Henry and Bobbie Shaffner, the husband and wife songwriting team from Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, who have been spearheading the campaign for the United States Post Office to issue a Van Johnson commemorative stamp, are offering a pair of the former Hollywood heartthrob’s trademark red socks to the person who comes up with the best reason for a stamp to be issued.

An urgent call has gone out to millions of former American bobby-soxers from the 1940’s who fell head over heels for Johnson during Hollywood’s Golden Age to join the campaign.

The Shaffners’ petition drive continues to draw the support of celebrities. Three of the four surviving members of the Tokyo Doolittle Raiders--David Thatcher, Richard Cole and Edward Saylor--and Jonna Doolittle, Jimmy Doolittle’s granddaughter, recently signed petitions as their way to express appreciation for Van Johnson’s starring role in the film classic, “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.”

Liza Minnelli, Debbie Reynolds and United States Postmaster Genera Patrick Donahoe have also given Johnson their stamp of approval.

For further information go to: www.vanjohnsonstamp.org

The city is proud to call itself the birthplace and home of such an acting legend, and in the proclamation, the mayor “call[s] upon all citizens to join with me to celebrate the life and career of our beloved native son, Hollywood icon and legendary actor.”

Johnson, who died on Dec. 12, 2008, has earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, his hands are imprinted in front of The Great Movie Ride at Walt Disney World’s Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park and here, in Newport, he will always have his day — Van Johnson Day.

Photo Caption: Bobbie Schaffner holding Van Johnson’s famous red socks.