“Forgotten Hollywood”- Van Johnson US Stamp Campaign…

Posted on March 17, 2013 by raideoman1 | No Comments

Manny P. here… VJ1

   An underswell of support is building for the creation of a postage stamp honoring Van Johnson, the iconic actor who appeared in A Guy Named Joe, Battleground, and The Last Time I Saw Paris, among others. He co-starred with such film luminaries as Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor, Irene Dunne, Katharine Hepburn, James Whitmore, Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Adolphe Menjou, Lionel Barrymore, Ward Bond, S.Z. Sakall, James Gleason, Phyllis Thaxter, and Angela Lansbury.

   A petition is being circulated online. It says:

We, the undersigned, respectfully request that the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee approve the issuance of a Van Johnson stamp to celebrate the legacy of the legendary MGM star, known as “The most adored male in the US.”

Van was active through over sixty years in films, on the stage and in television, until his passing at the age of 92. He handsomely and wondrously represented the Golden Era of Hollywood, and millions of motion picture fans went into mourning when he passed away on December 12, 2008.

In his first big picture, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, about the Doolittle raid in March 1942, Van played the part of Lieut. Ted Lawson. He gave the character “unusual heart and simplicity.” His surge in popularity from that point on was unprecedented. He was a sensation.

Six foot two, with eyes of blue, red hair, and an openly Swedish-look about him, Van Johnson went on reminding almost everybody of their son, or kid brother, or the boy next door.

In his many wonderful films such as State Of The Union, Miracle In The Rain, Three Guys Named Mike, and In The Good Old Summertime, to name a few, Van stays so true to character that it’s not surprising the Van Johnson craze developed beyond the War years, and beyond his wildest dreams.

His bashful charm is still working for him.

This petition stands the test of time and is consistent with public opinion and broad national and international interest, and features an American-related subject.

Various political interests in government are being contacted to support our interest and cause, and to see the project’s implementation and completion.

By signing this petition, I demonstrate my support of the commemorative stamp and express my willingness to allow my Name to be used, and information provided by me to secure a United States Postal Service commemorative stamp honoring Van Johnson.

Please honor this great actor with a US postal stamp in his memory.

   I have to admit, the petition language offers a compelling positive argument. Here’s a link if you want to participate in the campaign:

www.ipetitions.com/petition/vanjohnsonstamp

Until nex time>                                “never forget”

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 17th, 2013 at 3:14 am and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.


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