Van and the Fan (Magazines)
Let me start by saying this isn't what I had planned to write to celebrate my darling Van Johnson's 106th birthday. I was going to talk about one of Van's more underrated rom-coms, Mother is a Freshman , but due to unforeseen tech issues, I can't currently take screenshots on my laptop and -- as you may know -- screenshots are kind of my thing, so trying to discuss a film whose color photography is 40% why I enjoy it without any photos seemed silly. So! With not many options at hand, I've decided to do a pictorial-esque piece using fan magazine snippets I've found over the past few years. I love going through these magazines; they're such a departure from what we have today, with a weird mix of studio-created fluff, delightful photographs that are both candid and posed, and the occasional bit of real, exasperated candor from your favorite actors. These materials tell you so much about how the Golden Age movie stars were constructed and perceived, often worki...
