Park Ridge and "The Lake"
Fortune was still smiling on us, and we were always just a little leery of finding the right place to rent in Cedar Point Park in which to spend our summer vacation. The solution to this problem: buy a house to call our own. In scouting around we found the ideal location. It was a house on the side of the steepest hill in Williams Bay, in Walworth county, maybe in all of Wisconsin. Anyhow, this house had been on the market for two or three years and the asking price was $16,000. Through the local real estate broker I made an offer of $8,000 and the broker scoffed at the offer. By law he was required to present the offer to the owner. To everyone’s surprise — including my own — the offer was accepted. We now owned two houses, two refrigerators, two furnace etc. etc., plus we had two sets of real estate taxes. My family — me included — was ecstatic. The girls could spend all summer at “the lake,” just like their Daddy before them. As time would prove they had as much fun as their Daddy had and their memories were just as great.
The home at Cedar Point Park
Social Life in Park Ridge
Back home in Park Ridge, parties on the week end were always the “norm,” so it wasn't that unusual for us to be invited to The Farleys for cocktails and a hamburger dinner on the grill. We arrived at the Farleys and noticed that the other guests were all bringing gifts, all in fancy wrappings. Marilyn and I looked at each other. Had we missed something in the invitation, whether written or verbal? Now we found out that this was a “shower” party and we — Marilyn and I — were to be the recipients of the “shower” gifts. Had Marilyn neglected to tell me something? Marilyn wondered if had Roland been to the Doctor and the doctor told him he was to become a daddy again. That damned “Big Bird!” We thought we had destroyed the welcome mat and had bolted all windows shut. After a few ho-ho's and a few ha-hah's we learned that this was a white elephant shower for us. Every one had gathered old unwanted items from their homes and presented them to us as gifts to be used in our “new” home on Highland Ave., in Cedar Point Park in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Huge sighs of relief from Marilyn and Roland.
Surprise Time
It's shock time again!! Just as I thought I had the world by the tail, and everything was really going my way I was approached by my brother. He told me that he was going to sell his business, The Stuart W. Johnson and Co. He didn't have a buyer, but he was giving me the first opportunity to purchase this fantastic business. The business, in his eyes, was far more fantastic than it was in my eyes and the price he was asking was not only ridiculous but it was way out of my reach.
To make an excruciatingly long story kind of short, after some wheeling and dealing, Bob Morava, a salesman for the Stuart W. Johnson Co., and I came to an agreement with my brother to purchase the company. The year of this purchase was 1960. I am now 40 years old. Bob Morava and I were now partners. Because I was eldest I was appointed President. The company did not grow by leaps and bounds, but it did provide a very comfortable living for our families.
The Belfry Theater
Life went on for the Johnsons, both at “the lake” and in Park Ridge. At “the lake” there was, and still is, a small theater known as The Belfry Theater. This was a well-known summer stock theater where budding young actors and actresses would come to try their hand at acting. To supplement the cast of “wannabee” stars, the theater people would call on local folks to try out for parts for various and sundry plays. Our friend, Shirley McNeil, was on of these “locals” that would fill in as needed.
Shirley had the privilege of playing in several plays with Gary Burghoff, who went on to gain fame and fortune as Radar in the long running TV serial Mash. Shirley was also cast as Mrs. Joe Boyd in the then popular musical, Damn Yankees. Bill Fugate, the director of Damn Yankees had trouble finding some one to play the part of Joe Boyd, the aging, balding, overweight, perennial fan of the Washington Red Sox, who, of course, hated the “Damn Yankees.” Shirley recommended her friend Pleto Johnson, who was, of course, me. I tried out and I got the part. Joe Boyd, was transformed by the devil into a super star named Joe Hardy who went on to become an integral part of beating the Damn Yankees and winning the pennant. The character who played Joe Hardy was Harrison Ford!
Harrison Ford went on to become one of Hollywood’s great stars, but here I would like to relate a little story about Mr. Ford. During rehearsals for the finale we would form a long, single line and sing “You’ve Gotta Have Heart.” Harrison Ford, being the leading man would, of course, be in the center of the line to accept all of the accolades, and I, being a minor character would be away off on the end of this “chorus” line. Now, on opening night, just as the curtain was about to open for the finale, Harrison Ford grabbed me and put me in the center, in the “spotlight” of this line, while he took my place at the end of the line. When the show was over I asked him why he did what he did. His reply was “Nobody out there in the audience knows me, and those are all of your friends out there from town, so I thought you should be ‘the star,’ at least for tonight.” Needless to say, I’ll always be a Harrison Ford fan.
Houseboating
Marilyn and I continued with all our various and sundry activities, pot luck, many bridge parties, plus the Field School variety shows. We took a five-day houseboat trip with Shirley and Warren McNeil up the Mississippi River. Taking this trip up the Mississippi River was truly a great experience. Warren and Shirley McNeil and Marilyn and I arrived at Clinton, Iowa not knowing what to expect or how this whole ordeal would start. The owner of the 26-foot house boat that we rented gave us about a 10-minute tour of his boat, showing us all of the gadgets and how they worked, and so forth and so on. He then took us on a 30-minute “shakedown” cruise in the harbor and explained how the locks on the river were activated by blowing the horn on our boat. After this “shakedown” cruise he gave us an instruction book and told us that if we forgot anything that he had told us we could find the answer in this book. With that, he cast us off and away we went.
I was elected the pilot of this brand new 26-foot boat that was to be our home for the next five days. As we approached the first lock, I tooted the horn and waited for things to happen. Happen they did! This huge gate started to rise, exposing a little “room” into which I was to steer the boat. Both of the gals thought we could stay on the level where we were and just skip all of this lock nonsense. Marilyn was the most apprehensive. When we entered the lock, we tossed the mooring lines and what have you to the lock attendant. The girls were cowering in the cabin and wishing that we were back in Lake Geneva; however, the big gate that had been raised to allow our boat to enter was now closed behind us. Water was pumped into this lock and our boat was raised to the next level higher. When we arrived at this next level, the gate was raised and out we went heading up the river toward Wisconsin. After one more such lock experience, it became old hat and now as we'd approach a lock, Marilyn would blow the horn, toss the necessary lines and what have you, to the lock attendants and she'd josh with them as our boat was being raised from level to level. What a difference a few hours made.
Barges
I got to learn the various horn signals to use when approaching or being overtaken by other boats on the river. The four of us would take turns looking out for the various marker buoys to make sure that our boat would stay in the channels and not run aground. Passing, or being overtaken by barges was quite something. Some of the “trains” of barges could be a long as ten or fifteen barges long and they would be pushed by one little tug. How they maneuvered was awesome. Their horns they used were even more awesome. I swear they must have been many many “mega-dynes” louder than any other horn that I had heard and when blown they'd scare the ears off of you. You'd feel they'd blown your boat right out of the water.
Sharing a lock with a barge brigade was quite a thrill in itself. The first night out, we moored at a Marina located on a bend in the river. This was a mistake that we never made again!! It must have been about three o'clock in the morning when one of the tug boats that propelled the barges up and down the river approached our boat that, I might add, was securely moored at that marina dock. To make sure that we didn't suddenly start up in his way, he sounded this horn that I'm sure could have been heard all the way back to Lake Geneva. At the same time he turned his multi-million-watt spot light on our cabin. The four of us were up — zoom! — not knowing if we had been struck and were sinking or what had happened. We survived, but never parked on the bend of the river again.
During the week that we were on the river, it was the coldest weather that they had experienced for that week for years and years. This did not hamper our having fun. We cocktailed, we ate, we barbecued, we sang, we just had great fun. One of the marinas at which we stayed had an arrangement with a local restaurant about ten miles inland. This restaurant would send a car down, take us to their place and when we were through, regardless of the hour, would return us to our “ship.” We were living high on the hog and enjoying it, but the time went far too fast and soon we had to reverse the whole procedure. We'd go into the locks, and now we'd be lowered and soon we were back in Clinton, Iowa and the fun was over. I treasure those memories.
“Queen Marzy”
We took a trip to Hot Springs Arkansas with the same couple and this, too, was very exciting. Actually, Shirley and Warren McNeil were our very close friends and we did spend a lot of time with them. The McNeil's, and Jeed and Don Doherty and the Johnsons all had Summer Homes at “the lake”, so the six of us did spend a lot of time together.
One of the things that we did not have was a boat. John Simms, one of the Field School friends had a pontoon on the Fox River and he wanted to sell this boat. I went over to the Fox River, looked at the boat, liked it and bought it. Thus came in to existence, on Lake Geneva, one of the very first pontoon boats. It was christened very appropriately “THE QUEEN MARZY.” (Marzy was the nickname that I given to my wife.) The Queen Marzy was known all over Lake Geneva. Every Saturday the Clemens, the Fehrms and the Johnsons would take their cocktails and lunch and spend hours eating, drinking and swimming off of the Queen Marzy. Marilyn was so proud to have this boat named after her. The Queen Marzy has since gone to Davey Jonses’ locker, but the tradition is still carried on. Lunch is now held every Saturday on Clem Clemens’ boat. A few new names have been added to the “Crew,” to wit, Kohnke and Klemke.
New Inventions
This was the era of gadgets — Walkie Talkies, Hula Hoops, all kinds of labor saving devices, including the introduction of the Electric Carving Knife. My cohort, in inventing un-useful items, Al Canfield, was now residing in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, so I had to strike out on my own. I formed the Knot Electric Co., complete with the required letterheads and calling cards. The Knot Electric Co., invented the Electric Fork which did absolutely nothing. The Star item of the Knot Electric Co., was the Electric Fly Swatter! All of these items were powered by an electric cord that was unconnected at either end. Actually there was a knot tied in the cord at either end to avoid the possibility of accidentally bringing power to the piece of equipment at hand, hence the name Knot Electric Co. The Electric fly swatter was truly the prime item! The cord was approximately 8 inches long and it was truly effective if you struck the fly hard enough. The fame of The Knot Electric Co. spread like wild fire all through “The Field School Area” — no further.

End of Section Six: Go on to Next Section