Tor Johnson

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Tor Johnson
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Johnson c. 1940
Born
Karl Erik Tore Johansson

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Brännkyrka, Stockholms län, Sweden
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San Fernando, California, U.S.
Resting place
Plot 177, Eternal Valley Memorial Park, Newhall, Santa Clarita, California
Other nameTemplate:Pluralize from textPage Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.
  • Super Swedish Angel
  • Thor Johnson
  • King Kong
OccupationTemplate:Pluralize from textProfessional wrestler, actor
Years active1934–1961
EmployerTemplate:Pluralize from textTemplate:Pluralize from text
OrganizationTemplate:Pluralize from textTemplate:Pluralize from text
AgentTemplate:Pluralize from textTemplate:Pluralize from text
Notable creditTemplate:Pluralize from textTemplate:Pluralize from text
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OpponentTemplate:Pluralize from textTemplate:Pluralize from text
Template:Pluralize from text
SpouseTemplate:Pluralize from textGreta Maria Alfrida JohanssonTemplate:Pluralize from text
PartnerTemplate:Pluralize from textTemplate:Pluralize from text
Children1
Template:Pluralize from text

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Karl Erik Tore Johansson (19 October 1903 – 12 May 1971), better known by the stage name Tor Johnson, was a Swedish professional wrestler and actor. As an actor, Johnson appeared in many B-movies, including some famously directed by Ed Wood. In professional wrestling, Johnson was billed as Thor Johnson and Super Swedish Angel.

Early life

Johnson was born on 19 October 1903 in Brännkyrka, Stockholms län, Sweden as Karl Erik Tore Johansson to Karl Johan Johansson and Lovisa Kristina Pettersson.[1] His death certificate and grave list 1903 as the year of his birth, contradicting published genealogy records.[2] Johnson's wrestler's license renewal application to the State Athletic Commission of California, signed by Johnson in 1936, lists his date of birth as 19 October 1906.[3]

Career

File:PlanNine 10.jpg
Johnson in Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957)

Johnson stood 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 metres)[4] and weighed 440 pounds (200 kg) at his heaviest. He had a full head of blond hair, but shaved it to maintain an imposing and villainous appearance in his wrestling and acting work. He began getting bit parts in films upon moving to California, usually as the strongman or weightlifter, as early as 1934. In the same year, Johnson was one of over 50 wrestlers who took part in a two-month Los Angeles tournament for California's version of the world title. His film career ended in the early 1960s, after he appeared in a string of low-budget, poorly-rated films. However, he continued to make appearances on television and made a number of commercials.[5]

Tor Johnson used the ring name Super Swedish Angel to distinguish himself from Nils Phillip Olofsson who used the ring name Swedish Angel. The name was derived from wrestler Maurice Tillet, known as The French Angel.

During his career as an actor, Johnson befriended director Ed Wood, who directed him in a number of films, including Bride of the Monster and Plan 9 from Outer Space; writing for Turner Classic Movies, film critic Donald Liebenson described Johnson's performance in Plan 9 as "gonzo."[6] Johnson was very friendly to work with; actress Valda Hansen, who worked with Johnson in 1959's Night of the Ghouls, described him as "like a big sugar bun."[7] During this period, Johnson appeared as a guest contestant on the quiz show You Bet Your Life, during which he showed the show's host, Groucho Marx, his "scariest face." Marx ran off the stage in mock terror, then returned and pleaded: "Don't make that face again!"

Death and legacy

Johnson died of heart failure in San Fernando, California, at the age of 67 and[8] is buried at Eternal Valley Memorial Park, in Santa Clarita, California.[9]

Johnson was portrayed by wrestler George "The Animal" Steele in Tim Burton's film Ed Wood (1994).[10]

Johnson was featured extensively in the early work of cartoonist Drew Friedman, where Johnson was depicted as "Tor", a slow-witted, white-eyed lummox based on Johnson's persona in Ed Wood's films.[11] The first of the one-page comics, "Tor Johnson at Home", was published in a 1981 issue of Robert Crumb's Weirdo,[12] and the original artwork was purchased by television writer and producer Eddie Gorodetsky.[13]

A latex mask based on Johnson's face, sculpted by Pat Newman for Don Post Studios, is described as "the best-selling Halloween horror mask of the late 1960s-early 1970s".[14]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1934 Registered Nurse Sonnevich Uncredited[15]
Kid Millions Torturer Uncredited[16]
1935 Some Class Tough Guy Short, Uncredited[17][18]
Man on the Flying Trapeze Tosoff Uncredited[16]
1936 Under Two Flags Bidou Uncredited
1941 Shadow of the Thin Man Jack the Ripper (wrestler) Uncredited[19]
1942 Gentleman Jim The Mauler Uncredited
1943 The Meanest Man in the World Vladimir Pulasky Uncredited[20]
Swing Out the Blues Weightlifter
1944 Ghost Catchers Mug Uncredited[21]
The Canterville Ghost Bold Sir Guy Uncredited[22]
Lost in a Harem Majordomo Uncredited
1945 Sudan Slaver Uncredited[19]
1947 Road to Rio Sandor Uncredited[23]
1948 State of the Union Wrestler Uncredited
Behind Locked Doors The Champ Uncredited"[24]
1949 Alias the Champ Super Swedish Angel
1950 The Reformer and the Redhead Big Finnish man Uncredited[25]
Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion Abou Ben
1951 The Lemon Drop Kid Super Swedish Angel
Dear Brat Uncredited
Angels in the Outfield Wrestler On TV Uncredited
1952 The San Francisco Story Buck Uncredited[26]
Lady in the Iron Mask Renac Uncredited[27]
1953 Houdini Strong Man Uncredited[28]
1955 Bride of the Monster Lobo
You're Never Too Young Train passenger Uncredited[29]
1956 Carousel Strongman Uncredited[30]
The Black Sleep Mr. Curry
1957 Journey to Freedom Giant Turk
The Unearthly Lobo Johnson's character famously delivers the line, "Time for go to bed."[31][32]
Plan 9 from Outer Space Inspector Daniel Clay
1959 Night of the Ghouls Lobo
1961 The Beast of Yucca Flats Joseph Javorsky / The Beast

Television

Year Series Role Episode
1953–1954 You Are There "The Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown"[33]
"The Surrender of Corregidor"[34]
1954 General Electric Theater Bald Man "To Lift a Feather"[35]
1954 Rocky Jones, Space Ranger Naboro "Inferno in Space"[36]
1956 The Adventures of Hiram Holliday Bandini the Strongman "Dancing Mouse"
1959 You Bet Your Life Tor Johnson #59-11
1960 Adventures in Paradise Miko "Once Around the Circuit"[37]
"The Lady From South Chicago"[38]
1960 Peter Gunn Bruno "See No Evil"[24]
1960 Bonanza Busthead Brannigan "San Francisco"[39]
1961 Shirley Temple's Storybook The Strongman "Pippi Longstocking"[40]

References

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  1. ^ Födelse- och dopbok för Brännkyrka församling
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Thorsell, Elisabeth. "Tor Johnson Genealogy". Rötters Anbytarforum (in Swedish). Retrieved December 12, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  3. ^ Johnson, Tor, Dept. of Consumer Affairs - State Athletic Commission Records, F2220, California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Tor Johnson". IMDb.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Raw, Lawrence (2012). Character Actors in Horror and Science Fiction Films, 1930-1960. McFarland & Company. pp. 117–119. ISBN 978-0786444748.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Liebenson, Donald. "Plan 9 from Outer Space Lands in TCM Classic Film Festival!". Turner Classic Movies. Turner Classic Movies Inc. Archived from the original on October 19, 2011. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.MacDonald, Heidi (23 November 2011). "Gift Guide: Drew Friedman's new Tor Johnson print". ComicsBeat.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lentz, Harris M., III (2003). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling (2nd ed.). McFarland & Company. p. 176. ISBN 978-0786417544.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Stephens, E.J. (5 April 2009). "Cinema history 'lives on' at Eternal Valley". B. The Signal. Vol. 93, no. 95. Santa Clarita, California: Ian Lamont. pp. 1, 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sonnenberg, Maria (27 July 2014). Stover, Bob (ed.). "The Animal pins problems to the mat". Florida Today. Vol. 49, no. 133. Cocoa, Florida: Jeff Kiel. p. 5E – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Friedman, Drew; Friedman, Josh Alan (30 April 2012). Any Similarity to Persons Living or Dead is Purely Coincidental. Fantagraphics Books. pp. 4, 21–36. ISBN 978-1-60699-521-1.
  12. ^ Friedman, Drew. "Tor Johnson at Home," Weirdo #4 (Last Gasp, Feb. 1982).
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Friedman, Drew (1 January 2007). The Fun Never Stops!: An Anthology of Comic Art 1991–2006. Fantagraphics Books. p. 17. ISBN 978-1-56097-840-4.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."SCVHistory.com LW3638 | Film-Arts | Tor Johnson Latex Halloween Monster Mask, Don Post Studios 1977".
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.III, Harris M. Lentz (1 January 2003). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-7864-1754-4.
  16. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Fetrow, Alan G. (1 August 1992). Sound films, 1927-1939: a United States filmography. McFarland. pp. 331, 339. ISBN 978-0-89950-546-6.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Alicoate, Chas A. (8 August 1935). "Short Shots". The Film Daily. Vol. 68, no. 33. New York, N.Y.: John W. Alicoate. p. 11 – via Internet Archive.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kann, Maurice, ed. (7 December 1935). "Short Subjects". Motion Picture Daily. Vol. 38, no. 134. New York, N.Y.: Martin Quigley. p. 4 – via Internet Archive.
  19. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.King Hanson, Patricia, ed. (1999). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures: Feature Films, 1941-1950. Vol. 3: Film Entries M-Z. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 1952,2137. ISBN 9780520215214.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Fetrow, Alan G. (1 January 1994). Feature Films, 1940-1949: A United States Filmography. McFarland. p. 302. ISBN 978-0-89950-914-3.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Dettman, Bruce; Bedford, Michael (1976). The Horror Factory: The Horror Films of Universal, 1931 to 1955. Gordon Press. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-87968-443-3.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Institute, American Film (1999). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures produced in the United States. Feature Films, 1941 - 1950. Vol. 1: Film Entries, A–L. University of California Press. p. 367. ISBN 978-0-520-21521-4.
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Mielke, Randall G. (1997). Road to Box Office: The Seven Film Comedies of Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour, 1940-1962. McFarland & Company. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-7864-0162-8.
  24. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Freese, Gene (15 September 2017). Classic Movie Fight Scenes: 75 Years of Bare Knuckle Brawls, 1914–1989. McFarland. p. 92. ISBN 978-1-4766-2935-3.
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  26. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Wax, Mo, ed. (5 May 1952). "'The San Francisco Story' OK Gun & Fist Stuff". Film Bulletin. Vol. 20, no. 9. Mo Wax. p. 8 – via Internet Archive.
  27. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Parsons, Louella O., ed. (16 November 1952). "The New Films". The State Journal. Vol. 98, no. 202. Lansing, Michigan: Federated Publications. p. 37 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Fetrow, Alan G. (1999). Feature Films, 1950-1959: A United States Filmography. McFarland. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-7864-0427-8.
  29. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Neibaur, James L.; Okuda, Ted (1995). The Jerry Lewis films: an analytical filmography of the innovative comic. McFarland & Company Incorporated Pub. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-89950-961-7.
  30. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Daniel, Blum (1969) [1957]. Screen World. Vol. 8. New York, N.Y.: Biblo & Tannen. p. 32. ISBN 0819602639.
  31. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Tor Top Ten". The Astounding B Monster. The Astounding B Monster. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  32. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Mystery Science Theater 3000, Season 3". Quotes.net. STANDS4 LLC. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  33. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Vaile, Edward, ed. (27 December 1953). "Today's Best TV Programs Previewed". Iowa TV Guide. The Des Moines Register. Vol. 105, no. 190. Des Moines, Iowa. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Gianakos, Larry James (1 January 1980). Television Drama Series Programming: A Comprehensive Chronicle, 1947-1959. Scarecrow Press. p. 359. ISBN 978-0-8108-1330-4.
  35. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lentz, Harris M. (2001). Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits: Television shows. McFarland. p. 1845. ISBN 978-0-7864-0952-5.
  36. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lucanio, Patrick; Coville, Gary (1998). American Science Fiction Television Series of the 1950s: Episode Guides and Casts and Credits for Twenty Shows. McFarland. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-7864-0434-6.
  37. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Leibfried, Philip; Lane, Chei Mi (17 August 2010). Anna May Wong: A Complete Guide to Her Film, Stage, Radio and Television Work. McFarland. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-4766-0932-4.
  38. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Chan, Anthony B. (8 February 2007). Perpetually Cool: The Many Lives of Anna May Wong (1905-1961). Scarecrow Press. p. 294. ISBN 978-1-4616-7041-4.
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