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Tor Johnson
1903-1971
Updated 6/10/2008 with more photos.
biography
Born in Sweden in October 1903, B-movie legend Tor Johnson began his studio wrestling career in the 1940s as "The Swedish Angel," after doing many bit parts and uncredited appearances in films in the 1930s. By virtue of his rather frightening visage and enormous 300+ pound frame, he gained a sort of notoriety in 1950s horror and science fiction movies, especially the films of Ed Wood. Interestingly, Johnson had a longer and more successful career in Hollywood than most of Wood's other regulars, making many films and a number of appearances on TV in the 1950s and early 1960s.
Today, Tor Johnson is probably best known for his appearances in the Ed Wood classics Bride of the Monster (1955; with Bela Lugosi and Dolores Fuller) and Plan Nine from Outer Space (1959; with Gregory Walcott and Dudley Manlove). However, thanks to Mystery Science Theater 3000, some of Johnson's other films have been rediscovered by cult film fans, such as The Unearthly (1957; with John Carradine, Sally Todd and Allison Hayes) and The Beast from Yucca Flats (1961; directed by Coleman Francis).
the films of tor johnson
The Lemon Drop Kid (1951)
From the Paramount comedy The Lemon Drop Kid with Bob Hope
Bride of the Monster (1955)
Tor Johnson menaces Loretta King in Bride of the Monster
The Black Sleep (1956)
From The Black Sleep. LEFT: With John Carradine. RIGHT: With Patricia Blair and Herbert Rudley
The Unearthly (1957)
LEFT: Poster from the film. RIGHT: Tor Johnson tries to strangle Myron Healy in The Unearthly
Plan Nine from Outer Space (1959)
With Mona McKinnon in Plan Nine from Outer Space
The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961)
Lobby card from the film. The Beast of Yucca Flats was directed by the notorious Coleman Francis
later years
Due to his sheer bulk, Johnson had the unfortunate tendency of shattering toilet seats when he sat on them, which explains his habit of stealing toilet seats from the hotel rooms he stayed in. He also drank copious amounts of beer (usually a case at a time), and dessert for Tor often included gallons of ice cream. Plagued by heart problems in his later years, Johnson passed away at age 67 on May 12, 1971. Tor Johnson's son, Karl, was once a policeman in San Fernando, California; in addition, he appeared in a few of his father's movies, such as The Unearthly and Plan Nine from Outer Space. Karl Johnson passed away in 1993 at the age of 69.
The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 3 [DVD] DVD
Special four-disc set includes "The Atomic Brain," "The Sidehackers," "The Unearthly," and "Shorts, Vol. 2."
The Ed Wood Box [DVD] DVD
Six-disc boxed set includes "Glen or Glenda?," "Jail Bait," "Bride of the Monster," "Plan 9 from Outer Space," "Night of the Ghouls," and "The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood, Jr."
The Best Of Bud Abbott And Lou Costello, Vol. 3 [DVD] DVD
The laughs are out of this world as "Abbott & Costello Go to Mars" (1953); they star as wrestling promoters who get involved with a sexy spy in "Abbott & Costello in the Foreign Legion" (1950); "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948) while trying to dodge Bela Lugosi (as Dracula); it takes a doctor's invisibility serum to help catch a crook in "Abbott & Costello Meet the Invisible Man" (1950); Bud and Lou suspect a swami of murder in "Abbott & Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff" (1949); the fellows search for gold in backwoods Kentucky in "Comin' Round the Mountain" (1951); they get "Lost in Alaska" (1952) while trying to help a prospector; and a stock scheme sends the duo south of the border in "Mexican Hayride" (1948). 10 3/4 hr
Behind Locked Doors [DVD](1948) DVD
Private eye Richard Carlson masquerades as a patient in an asylum in an attempt to find a missing judge and collect a reward, but will he crack the case before the conditions crack him? Well-made suspenser from Budd Boetticher ("Comanche Station") with a "Snake Pit"-type atmosphere; co-stars Lucille Bremer and the great Tor Johnson. AKA: "Human Gorilla." 62 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono; scene access.
Behind Locked Doors(1948) VHS
Private eye Richard Carlson masquerades as a patient in an asylum in an attempt to find a missing judge and collect a reward, but will he crack the case before the conditions crack him? Well-made suspenser from Budd Boetticher ("Comanche Station") with a "Snake Pit"-type atmosphere; co-stars Lucille Bremer and the great Tor Johnson. AKA: "Human Gorilla." 62 min.
Bride Of The Monster [DVD](1955) DVD
Wood and Lugosi team up again in this tale of a mad scientist out to create a race of "atomic super-giants." See Tor Johnson as Lobo, Lugosi's mute lab assistant! See Bela wrestle with an obvious rubber octopus! See Tor wrestle with Bela's platform-heeled stand-in! "He tampered in God's domain!" With Tony McCoy, Loretta King. 70 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Bride Of The Monster(1956) VHS
Wood and Lugosi team up again in this tale of a mad scientist out to create a race of "atomic super-giants." See Tor Johnson as Lobo, Lugosi's mute lab assistant! See Bela wrestle with an obvious rubber octopus! See Tor wrestle with Bela's platform-heeled stand-in! "He tampered in God's domain!" With Tony McCoy, Loretta King. 70 min.
The Unearthly [DVD](1957) DVD
Mad scientist John Carradine's experiments on human transplants have left him with two problems: a pesky undercover police officer and a cellar full of grotesque mutants! Campy horror film also stars Allison Hayes ("Attack of the 50-Foot Woman") and the inimitable Tor Johnson as Lobo, uttering the immortal line "Time for go to bed!" 76 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; photo gallery.
The Unearthly(1957) VHS
Mad scientist John Carradine's experiments on human transplants have left him with two problems: a pesky undercover police officer and a cellar full of grotesque mutants! Campy horror film also stars Allison Hayes ("Attack of the 50-Foot Woman") and the inimitable Tor Johnson as Lobo, uttering the immortal line "Time for go to bed!" 76 min.
Night Of The Ghouls [DVD](1959) DVD
The long-lost "sequel" to "Bride of the Monster" stars Criswell, Vampira and the ever-popular Tor Johnson in a tale of fake mediums who find themselves up against the true "walking dead." Writer/director Wood calls them "Monsters to be pitied...monsters to be despised." Who are we to argue? 69 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Night Of The Ghouls(1959) VHS
The long-lost "sequel" to "Bride of the Monster" stars Criswell, Vampira and the ever-popular Tor Johnson in a tale of fake mediums who find themselves up against the true "walking dead." Writer/director Wood calls them "Monsters to be pitied...monsters to be despised." Who are we to argue? 69 min.
Plan 9 From Outer Space (1958)/The Ed Wood Story [DVD](1992) DVD
Recognized on six continents as ``the worst film ever made,'' this sci-fi travesty from Ed Wood features anti-nuclear aliens whose ships look like paper plates, Tor Johnson and Vampira as zombie slaves, Bela Lugosi in two minutes of stock footage (a stand-in with a cape took his place), and narration by famed psychic Criswell. "Can you prove it didn't happen?" Plus, take a behind-the-schlock with this retrospective that tells the story of the man whose complete cinematic incompetence turned him into a legend. Includes interviews with Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Vampira, Bela Lugosi, and Mrs. Wood herself, Dolores Fuller. 120 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English; theatrical trailers.
Plan 9 From Outer Space [DVD](1958) DVD
Recognized on six continents as "the worst film ever made," this sci-fi travesty from Ed Wood features anti-nuclear aliens whose ships look like paper plates, Tor Johnson and Vampira as zombie slaves, Bela Lugosi in two minutes of stock footage (a stand-in with a cape took his place), and narration by famed psychic Criswell. "Can you prove it didn't happen?" 78 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; featurette.
Plan 9 From Outer Space(1959) VHS
Recognized on six continents as ``the worst film ever made,'' this sci-fi travesty from Ed Wood features anti-nuclear aliens whose ships look like paper plates, Tor Johnson and Vampira as zombie slaves, Bela Lugosi in two minutes of stock footage (a stand-in with a cape took his place), and narration by famed psychic Criswell. "Can you prove it didn't happen?" 78 min.
The Beast Of Yucca Flats [DVD](1961) DVD
You'll really ``yuc'' it up at this hilarious sci-fi turkey starring the legendary Tor Johnson as a Russian scientist who gets caught up in an A-bomb blast and becomes a cave-dwelling wildman ("Tor not like nuclear proliferation!"). With Douglas Mellor, Barbara Francis, and off-screen narration a la "The Creeping Terror." Special video edition includes a conversation with producer Anthony Cardoza and actor Conrad Brooks. 54 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
The Beast Of Yucca Flats(1961) VHS
You'll really ``yuc'' it up at this hilarious sci-fi turkey starring the legendary Tor Johnson as a Russian scientist who gets caught up in an A-bomb blast and becomes a cave-dwelling wildman ("Tor not like nuclear proliferation!"). With Douglas Mellor, Barbara Francis, and off-screen narration a la "The Creeping Terror." Special video edition includes a conversation with producer Anthony Cardoza and actor Conrad Brooks. 60 min.
filmography
FILM
The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961) with Anthony Cardoza; directed by Coleman Francis
Night of the Ghouls (1959) with Kenne Duncan, Duke Moore, Paul Marco, Harvey B. Dunn, and Valda Hansen; directed by Ed Wood
Plan Nine from Outer Space (1959) with Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Dudley Manlove, Joanna Lee, John Breckinridge, and Lyle Talbot; directed by Ed Wood
The Unearthly (1957) with Allison Hayes, Myron Healey, Sally Todd, and John Carradine
Journey To Freedom (1957) with Eve Brent
The Black Sleep (1956) with Basil Rathbone, Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, and John Carradine
Carousel (1956) with Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Cameron Mitchell, and Barbara Ruick
Bride of the Monster (aka Bride of the Atom) (1955) with Bela Lugosi and Dolores Fuller; directed by Ed Wood
Houdini (1953) with Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh
The San Francisco Story (1952) with Joel McCrea and Yvonne De Carlo
Lady in the Iron Mask (1952) with Louis Hayward, Patricia Medina, Alan Hale Jr., and Steve Brodie
Dear Brat (1951) with Mona Freeman, Billy De Wolfe, Edward Arnold, Lyle Bettger, Natalie Wood, William Reynolds, and Frank Cady
The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) with Bob Hope, Marilyn Maxwell, Lloyd Nolan, Jane Darwell, Andrea King, Fred Clark, Jay C. Flippen, and William Frawley
Abbott And Costello In The Foreign Legion (1950) with Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Patricia Medina, and Walter Slezak
The Reformer and The Redhead (1950) with June Allyson, Dick Powell, David Wayne, Cecil Kellaway, and Ray Collins
Alias The Champ (1949) with Robert Rockwell, Barbra Fuller, Audrey Long, and Gorgeous George
State of the Union (1948) with Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Van Johnson, Angela Lansbury, and Adolphe Menjou
Behind Locked Doors (aka The Human Gorilla) (1948) with Richard Carlson
Road To Rio (1947) with Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Gale Sondergaard, and Frank Faylen
Sudan (1945) with Maria Montez, Jon Hall, Turhan Bey, Andy Devine, and George Zucco
The Canterville Ghost (1944)
Lost In A Harem (1944)
Ghost Catchers (1944)
Meanest Man in the World (1943)
Swing Out The Blues (1943)
Under Two Flags (1936)
Man On The Flying Trapeze (1935)
Kid Millions (1933)
TELEVISION
People's Court (1962)
The Red Skelton Show (196?)
Bonanza, episode San Francisco Holiday, originally aired April 2, 1960
Peter Gunn, episode See No Evil, originally aired February 1, 1960
You Bet Your Life (1959), the quiz show hosted by Groucho Marx. Johnson was a contestant who was quizzed on mythology
Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, various episodes, series originally aired 1954-1955
You Are There, episode The Surrender of Corregidor, originally aired April 25, 1954
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