Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

In the episode "The Pen" where Jerry goes to Florida for his father's testimonial dinner and Jerry's capilaries burst and he's forced to wear sunglasses. Anyway, Uncle Leo says to him:

LEO: (to Jerry while he's grabbing his arm as usual) What's with the sunglasses? Who are you? Van Johnson?

I know Van Johnson was an actor, but that's about it. Anyone know why Uncle Leo chose Van Johnson of all people?

Thanks

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

Google is a wonderful thing.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

yeah, I googled it and didn't find an answer so I posted a thread here.

these "google is your friend" posts are pretty retarded, by the way. If it's so easy to find, post the damn link rather than......

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

I'm thinking it's because although VJ was a semi-major movie star way back when, it's funny because it's an obscure reference. Just like an older member of any family would make. It's not as if VJ and sunglasses are synonymous, probably even in those days.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

thanks. that's pretty much what I assumed. I thought maybe it was explained on the dvd commentary or something or that there was something about Van Johnson that I didn't know. The fact that Uncle Leo would use him of all people as his model for "cool" is pretty funny. Well, just about everything Uncle Leo does is genius.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

Van Johnson? Why, he's a regular Rory Calhoun!

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

Van Johnson was a major movie star.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

Well, people who wear sunglasses indoors are dicks, except for Corey Hart, and then only at night.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSHDOIwHI5...-at-night1.jpg
Johnson is a euphenism for penis, which has "dick" as a euphenism as well, so they're equivalent in that respect. And a Van is big. So calling an indoor sunglass-wearing Jerry a name by using a reference to Van Johnson is the same as calling him Corey Hart (at night).

I can't believe that you couldn't Google that.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

And the Minstrel, a Batman foe!

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

That is exactly the joke.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

One of the funniest out-of-nowhere name drops was another episode of The Simpsons. Homer says something like, "When it's time to do your laundry, where's Ray Bolger? I'll tell ya. Ray Bolger is looking out for Ray Bolger!"

So obscure that it makes me laugh every time I hear Bolger's name mentioned elsewhere.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

You think he's obscure? He was the Scarecrow in Wizard of Oz. I've never even seen the entire movie and I know that.

But then, I am a super genius.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

Genius. 5/5 :up: :lol:

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

Yeah, I think he's fairly obscure. Aside from the Wizard of Oz I couldn't tell you a single thing he's been in. But for all I know he was Hot shit in the '30's and '40s.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

Maybe there's a semi-famous film where Johnson played a blind character. And he was a major movie star.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

You sure you don't mean Snoop Doggy Dogg? Bob Barker? David Brenner?

"No, no. The person that's always standing and walking." :lol:

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

Baby, on Board, something something, Dick Ward

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

Yeah... that Roy Orbison was a real asshole. :rolleyes:

I'm guessing they wanted to get more "ancient" and dated than Roy Orbison who would have be more contemporary and therefore not as funny.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

so Van Johnson was known for wearing sunglasses all the time?

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

Wasn't it Burt Ward?

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

I guess I combined Dick Grayson and Burt Ward; this is exactly why Batman the show needs to come out on DVD.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

im glad someone finally said it..
it amazes me too that someone would read a thread they dont want to just to reprimand the thread starter for not using google

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

I don't like them either. If it's so easily found in google, why not just post a link to it?

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

You're good, Milhouse. Van Johnson good.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

Wikipedia is your friend.

;)

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

how does this help?

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

the guy just didnt know the answer to your question, and thought he would try to appear smart.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

Unrelated to the Seinfeld reference, but he *was* secretly gay, and lived a pretty miserable life by most accounts. An earlier studio-aided-and-enforced closet case like Rock Hudson.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

Guys you may be overthinking this. I had the same question and the wikipedia page does seem to have the answer. And I quote: "Midway through the movie's production in 1943, Johnson was involved in a serious car accident that left him with a metal plate in his forehead and a number of scars on his face that the plastic surgery of the time could not completely correct or conceal; he used heavy makeup to hide them for years. "


Van used heavy makeup to hide scars, Uncle Leo is suggesting Jerry is also using something to hide some flaws on his face. I think this case is closed.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

23 Paces To Baker Street

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/23_P...o_Baker_Street

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

"Philip Hannon (Van Johnson) is a blind man who lives in a London flat "

Ok. If he's wearing sun glasses as a blind man then that would probably be a better explanation.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

He does not wear sun glasses in the movie.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

It only took 12 years to get the answer. We nailed it.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/dvdtalk...5ee4ed7ce1.gif

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

"He does not wear sun glasses in the movie."

Thanks for posting the movie. I couldn't find it on Amazon. Even if he doesn't wear sunglasses in the movie I still think that's the right reference. Leo is basically saying "What are you, blind?"

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

12 years late, but I always interpreted the line as Uncle Leo accusing Jerry of behaving like a self-important celebrity --the kind that would wear sunglasses all the time, and in Uncle Leo's mind Van Johnson was the biggest movie star he could think of, which kind of puts the joke on Leo because it is such an odd reference even for someone from his generation. And I still think that's the point of the reference. if anybody watching the episode 30 years ago (or today) got that there was a deeper dive into the fact that Johnson played a blind man in a movie, then hooray for them. And Johnson is another word for penis, so there's that.

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

Was Johnson or even Dick used as penis slang back in Uncle Leo's day?

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

Why would that matter?

The premise of the line from a character standpoint is just that Leo is an oddball and his frame of reference on Hollywood is out of step.

The choice of Van Johnson versus, for example, Alan Ladd or Dana Andrews is (theoretically and very subliminally) a dick joke on the part of the writer..

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

That makes sense. And it's funny how people are saying check google when this thread is the first result on Google for Seinfeld questions about Van Johnson! (that's how I got here)

Re: Seinfeld reference question: Van Johnson?
 

Funny enough, I'm working my way through Seinfeld: The Complete Series on DVD in the background at work and this episode came on the same day this thread was resurrected. I am watching the show with the "Notes About Nothing" feature, little tidbits of trivia on the screen instead of subtitles It's a really well done feature on every episode. There's even a Kramer entrance counter! Anyway, here's what the DVD producer team wrote:

"Van Johnson was born in 1916. He was a popular film star during the 1940s and '50s. In 1942, Johnson was injured in a major car accident that left him with a metal plate in his head. This may help to explain Uncle Leo's reference."

Between that and Uncle Leo just plain being weird, that's the official word.