Chic Johnson
Encyclopedia
Chic Johnson was the barrel-chested half of the Swedish-American comedy
team of Olsen and Johnson
, known for his strangely infectious, high-pitched laugh.
1900 US Census Birth Date, March 1896 Age 4 Years dtd 6-14-1900
1910 US Census Age 14 Years dtd 4-13-1910
1920 US Census Age 23 Years dtd 1-7-1920
1930 US Census Age 34 Years dtd 4-12-1930
His Grave marker notes his birth-death dates as "1896-1962"
. Johnson dropped out to support himself as a ragtime pianist in various Chicago-area cabarets and vaudeville houses. He broke into show business as a ragtime
pianist and met his partner Ole Olsen
, a violinist, when they were hired by the same band. Following the breakup of the band, they started doing comedy and by 1918 were Vaudeville
headliners.
O&J were given contracts by Warner Bros.
in 1930 to appear as the comic relief in a number of musicals including Oh, Sailor Behave (1930), Gold Dust Gertie
(1931) and a lavish Technicolor
version of Fifty Million Frenchmen
(1931). Unfortunately, 1931 saw a backlash against musicals, and their last two pictures were released sans music which didn't help. In 1936, they starred in Country Gentlemen for Republic Pictures
followed by All Over Town in 1937.
Let go from their contract, the team returned to the stage. In 1938 Olsen and Johnson produced the Broadway revue Streets of Paris, which starred Bobby Clark
and introduced the comedy team of Bud Abbott
and Lou Costello
to Broadway audiences.
Their greatest triumph was as the stars and producers of Hellzapoppin'
, a zany Broadway
revue, which opened at the 46th Street Theater on September 22, 1938 and ran for a record 1,404 performances. Full of outrageous gags played on stooges planted in the audience (one winner of a so-called raffle had a block of ice placed in his lap) as well as indignities inflicted on actual paying customers, it became a smash hit despite a lukewarm critical reception, thanks in part to the influence of newspaper columnist and radio personality Walter Winchell
.
Hellzapoppin was followed by two other Broadway hits. Sons o’ Fun opened December 1, 1941, just six days before the attack on Pearl Harbor
, and ran an impressive 742 performances. Laffing Room Only opened on December 23, 1944 and ran a respectable 232.
Hellzapoppin was translated into a film released in 1941. Assisted by Marx Brothers
screenwriter Nat Perrin
, Olsen and Johnson used the film as an opportunity to satirize Hollywood as well as score some impressive riffs off filmmaking convention. The picture, a movie within a movie within a play within a movie, foreshadowed a style of comedy that would later find its way into the films of Mel Brooks
, Who Framed Roger Rabbit
and TV’s Mystery Science Theater 3000
. The film is also known for having what many consider to be the finest example of swing dancing ever put on film, performed by Whitey's Lindy Hoppers
(here billed as the Harlem Congeroo Dancers) with Frankie Manning
. Although the film is tied up in litigation, a Region 2 DVD has been released.
Olsen and Johnson's Hollywood career was very much a hit-and-miss affair. Hellzapoppin,’ following their string of earlier failures, was then followed in turn by the much less inspired Crazy House, which was then followed by the extremely wild Ghost Catchers. Full of trick photography and guest stars, one of the film’s more inspired gags occurs during a séance
, in which prim and proper Gloria Jean
gets a surprise when the spirit of a deceased playboy enters the room—"He... he pinched me!"
starring Milton Berle
. They attempted to make a comeback with one last Broadway revue, Pardon Our French, but the show failed to catch fire and they entered semi-retirement.
With the advent of Las Vegas
as a gambling and entertainment mecca, the team was able to find steady work until Johnson became too ill to perform. Chic Johnson died of kidney failure on February 26, 1962 in Las Vegas, Nevada
. He was buried on March 1, 1962 and eventually joined in an adjacent plot by Ole Olsen in Palm Desert Memorial cemetery in Las Vegas.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
team of Olsen and Johnson
Olsen and Johnson
John Sigvard "Ole" Olsen and Harold Ogden "Chic" Johnson were zany American comedians of vaudeville, radio, the Broadway stage, motion pictures and television. Their shows were noted for their crazy blackout gags and orchestrated mayhem...
, known for his strangely infectious, high-pitched laugh.
Background
Harold Ogden Johnson was born of Swedish descent in Chicago, Illinois. He was the son of John M. and Matilda C. (Carlson) Johnson. Matilda was listed as Lula Johnson in the 1900 US Census and Felice Johnson in the 1910 US Census. Despite the many references to his birth date as being 15 March 1891, it is more likely that Harold Ogden (aka Chic) Johnson was born 5 March 1896. This is the date of birth noted on his death certificate issued by the state of Nevada. Additional references to his birth date are as follows:1900 US Census Birth Date, March 1896 Age 4 Years dtd 6-14-1900
1910 US Census Age 14 Years dtd 4-13-1910
1920 US Census Age 23 Years dtd 1-7-1920
1930 US Census Age 34 Years dtd 4-12-1930
His Grave marker notes his birth-death dates as "1896-1962"
Career
Chic Johnson studied classical piano at the Chicago Musical CollegeChicago Musical College
Chicago Musical College is a division of Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt UniversityIt was founded in 1867, less than four decades after the city of Chicago was incorporated...
. Johnson dropped out to support himself as a ragtime pianist in various Chicago-area cabarets and vaudeville houses. He broke into show business as a ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
pianist and met his partner Ole Olsen
Ole Olsen (comedian)
John Sigvard "Ole" Olsen was an American vaudevillian and comedian.Born in Peru, Indiana, he graduated from Northwestern University in 1912 with a degree in music and hit the Vaudeville circuit...
, a violinist, when they were hired by the same band. Following the breakup of the band, they started doing comedy and by 1918 were Vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
headliners.
O&J were given contracts by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
in 1930 to appear as the comic relief in a number of musicals including Oh, Sailor Behave (1930), Gold Dust Gertie
Gold Dust Gertie
Gold Dust Gertie is an All-Talking musical comedy released by Warner Brothers. It was originally completed as a full musical. Due to the backlash against musicals, however, all the songs were cut from the film in all release prints in the United States...
(1931) and a lavish Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
version of Fifty Million Frenchmen
Fifty Million Frenchmen
Fifty Million Frenchmen is a musical comedy with a book by Herbert Fields and music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It opened on Broadway in 1929 and was adapted for a film two years later...
(1931). Unfortunately, 1931 saw a backlash against musicals, and their last two pictures were released sans music which didn't help. In 1936, they starred in Country Gentlemen for Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
followed by All Over Town in 1937.
Let go from their contract, the team returned to the stage. In 1938 Olsen and Johnson produced the Broadway revue Streets of Paris, which starred Bobby Clark
Bobby Clark (comedian)
Robert Edwin Clark , known as Bobby Clark, was a minstrel, vaudevillian, performer on stage, film, television and the circus....
and introduced the comedy team of Bud Abbott
Bud Abbott
William Alexander "Bud" Abbott was an American actor, producer and comedian. He is best remembered as the straight man of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Lou Costello.-Early life:...
and Lou Costello
Lou Costello
Louis Francis "Lou" Costello was an American actor and comedian best known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Bud Abbott...
to Broadway audiences.
Their greatest triumph was as the stars and producers of Hellzapoppin'
Hellzapoppin' (film)
Hellzapoppin' is a 1941 Universal Pictures adaptation of the musical of the same name directed by H.C. Potter. The cast includes Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson , Martha Raye, Mischa Auer, Shemp Howard, and The Six Hits.The credits for the movie assert that "any resemblance between Hellzapoppin and a...
, a zany Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
revue, which opened at the 46th Street Theater on September 22, 1938 and ran for a record 1,404 performances. Full of outrageous gags played on stooges planted in the audience (one winner of a so-called raffle had a block of ice placed in his lap) as well as indignities inflicted on actual paying customers, it became a smash hit despite a lukewarm critical reception, thanks in part to the influence of newspaper columnist and radio personality Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell was an American newspaper and radio gossip commentator.-Professional career:Born Walter Weinschel in New York City, he left school in the sixth grade and started performing in a vaudeville troupe known as Gus Edwards' "Newsboys Sextet."His career in journalism was begun by posting...
.
Hellzapoppin was followed by two other Broadway hits. Sons o’ Fun opened December 1, 1941, just six days before the attack on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, and ran an impressive 742 performances. Laffing Room Only opened on December 23, 1944 and ran a respectable 232.
Hellzapoppin was translated into a film released in 1941. Assisted by Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
screenwriter Nat Perrin
Nat Perrin
Nat Perrin was an American comedy writer, who contributed gags and storylines to several Marx Brothers films and co-wrote the play Hellzapoppin that was adapted in to a film. He is credited with writing the screenplay or story for over 25 films, including The Great Morgan and Song of the Thin Man...
, Olsen and Johnson used the film as an opportunity to satirize Hollywood as well as score some impressive riffs off filmmaking convention. The picture, a movie within a movie within a play within a movie, foreshadowed a style of comedy that would later find its way into the films of Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer. He is best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. He began his career as a stand-up comic and as a writer for the early TV variety show Your Show of Shows...
, Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-noir film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film combines live action and animation, and is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters...
and TV’s Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
. The film is also known for having what many consider to be the finest example of swing dancing ever put on film, performed by Whitey's Lindy Hoppers
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers was a professional performing group of Savoy Ballroom swing dancers, started in 1935 by Herbert "Whitey" White. The group took on many different forms, with up to 12 different groups performing under this name or one of a number of different names used for the group over the...
(here billed as the Harlem Congeroo Dancers) with Frankie Manning
Frankie Manning
Frankie Manning was an American dancer, instructor and choreographer. Manning is considered one of the founding fathers of the Lindy Hop.-Early years:...
. Although the film is tied up in litigation, a Region 2 DVD has been released.
Olsen and Johnson's Hollywood career was very much a hit-and-miss affair. Hellzapoppin,’ following their string of earlier failures, was then followed in turn by the much less inspired Crazy House, which was then followed by the extremely wild Ghost Catchers. Full of trick photography and guest stars, one of the film’s more inspired gags occurs during a séance
Séance
A séance is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word "séance" comes from the French word for "seat," "session" or "sitting," from the Old French "seoir," "to sit." In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma"...
, in which prim and proper Gloria Jean
Gloria Jean
Gloria Jean is an American singer and actress who starred or co-starred in 26 feature films between 1939 and 1959. She also made radio, television, stage, and nightclub appearances.-Career:...
gets a surprise when the spirit of a deceased playboy enters the room—"He... he pinched me!"
Later years
After their final starring movie, See My Lawyer was released in 1945, the team tried but failed to make its mark on television with Fireball Fun-For-All, a summer replacement for Texaco Star TheaterTexaco Star Theater
Texaco Star Theater is an American comedy-variety show, broadcast on radio from 1938 to 1949 and telecast from 1948 to 1956. It was one of the first successful examples of American television broadcasting, remembered as the show that gave Milton Berle the nickname "Mr...
starring Milton Berle
Milton Berle
Milton Berlinger , better known as Milton Berle, was an American comedian and actor. As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater , in 1948 he was the first major star of U.S. television and as such became known as Uncle Miltie and Mr...
. They attempted to make a comeback with one last Broadway revue, Pardon Our French, but the show failed to catch fire and they entered semi-retirement.
With the advent of Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
as a gambling and entertainment mecca, the team was able to find steady work until Johnson became too ill to perform. Chic Johnson died of kidney failure on February 26, 1962 in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. He was buried on March 1, 1962 and eventually joined in an adjacent plot by Ole Olsen in Palm Desert Memorial cemetery in Las Vegas.