THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 2, 1994 TAG: 9406020044
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
DATELINE: 940602 LENGTH: Medium
Van Johnson? Everybody's favorite boy next door during the World War II years? The guy who co-starred at MGM with June Allyson, Lana Turner, Judy Garland and Ava Gardner?
Johnson, 78, will be the grand marshal for the the D-Day parade in Virginia Beach Saturday at 9 a.m.
The parade is a part of a weekend-long commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the invasion Normandy. It will begin at Atlantic Avenue and 16th Street and end at the Tidewater Veteran's Memorial across from the Virginia Beach Pavilion.
Highlights will include numerous World War II-era American vehicles. Veterans and World War II re-enactors will march and pass out U.S. flags. Vintage aircraft and bombers will perform flyovers.
The movie and stage star will also participate in a black-tie ``Operation Overlord-Victory Dance'' at Oceana Naval Air Station Friday from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m. In best World War II style, the dance will be held in an airplane hanger and will feature the big-band sound of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, conducted by Buddy Morrow.
The Overlord dance is named after the World War II code name for D-Day. Patrons are encouraged to wear 1940s period costume, or black tie. Cost for the dance is $75 per person and $65 for World War II veterans. For reservations or additional information on the dance, call Brac Gilbert at 247-8523.
Johnson is an appropriate choice as celebrity guest for the events. He appeared in a number of World War II dramas, including ``A Guy Named Joe'' (1943) with Spencer Tracy, ``The White Cliffs of Dover,'' ``Two Girls and a Sailor'' and ``Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (all 1944).
In 1949, he co-starred with Clark Gable in ``Command Decision'' and the memorable ``Battleground,'' which received an Oscar nomination for best film. Still in WWII uniform, in 1954, he starred with Humphrey Bogart in ``The Caine Mutiny.''
Johnson issued a statement saying that he doesn't consider looking backward. ``I live each moment to the fullest, and when a chapter is finished, I go right on to the next - there just isn't enough time to look back. As far as I'm concerned, THESE are the good old days.''
The D-Day Normandy Commemorative Celebration is co-sponsored by the War Memorial Museum of Virginia in Newport News, Camp Pendleton State Military Reservation, the Virginia Army National Guard, Fort Story and the City of Virginia Beach.
by CNB