Okay, so Van Johnson wasn’t Cary Grant or Fred Astaire — but he wasn’t Victor Mature or George Raft, either. In other words, he might not have been one of the true greats but, yeah, he could act and dance and sing a little, besides. He was a very decent second-string movie star/actor who had a relaxed, natural quality that somehow played into portraying cynics in what appear to be his two best-remembered roles, both from 1954, The Caine Mutiny and Brigadoon. Another cynic role, which I guess I’ve missed but, due to advancing cinemanesia, I can’t be quite sure, is William Wellman’s 1949 Battleground, which, regardless, I need to check out (again?).

Looking at his obituary, one reason he might have done so well in these kind of roles is one heckuva messed up personal life for a guy who made it to age 92. This includes being apparently despised by his father, sued by his own mother (an alcoholic who had been abandoned him as a child), starting an ill-fated marriage with the ex-wife of (presumably also now ex-) best friend, Keenan Wynn, while the ink was drying on the divorce, and being the subject of a tell-all from his estranged daughter, published in (where else?) a British tabloid — on the year of his 89th birthday. I really hope he’s resting in peace now, at least.

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If you’ve read this far, you definitely owe it to yourself to also check out the Siren, who has has some typically apposite thoughts on Mr. Johnson’s work as well as some one-remove personal encounters with Mr. Johnson.

And remember how I said Van Johnson could dance and sing a little? From I Love Lucy, here’s another appearance I’m sure I must have seen at some point in my youth.