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The weekly newsletter of the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association
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Patriot-News movie critic's candor, wit will be missed
By Barry Fox, The Patriot-News
Sharon Johnson, The Patriot-News entertainment critic known for her intelligent reporting, sophisticated writing style and acerbic movie reviews,
died Oct. 3, 2003.
She was 60.
Shy and reserved in person, Johnson enjoyed a national reputation, attending studio screenings, interviewing stars and covering local theater, television and literary events.
But it was her film reviews that gained her recognition. Her witty and thoughtful critiques drew passionate responses. Moviegoers read them religiously, whether they agreed with her or not.
Readers recognized her mastery of the well-crafted phrase.
"This is an unbelievably sad day for all of us at the paper, her numerous friends and her thousands of loyal readers," said Patriot-News Editor and Publisher John A. Kirkpatrick. "Sharon was extraordinarily talented in so many ways. She was a first-class critic in the best sense of the word, a gifted writer who was extremely well read, and a talented journalist. Few papers of any size, much less the size of The Patriot-News, are fortunate enough to have someone of Sharon's stature on the staff. But even more than that, she was a truly wonderful person who you couldn't help but like and admire.
"To say she will be missed doesn't come close to capturing how much she has meant to the staff, the paper and the community."
The Wilkes-Barre native was a graduate of Penn State University and lived in Lower Paxton Twp. She came to The Patriot-News in 1970 as a copy editor after earning a master's degree from Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
Johnson was named an entertainment writer and editor at The Patriot-News in 1978 and for a time was the lone staffer of the former Weekend section.
A voracious reader, she founded The Patriot-News Book Club and had a voluminous collection of books and film memorabilia.
Her work was also her passion. When on vacation, she often would come into the office to write reviews. When she did travel, it was to a theater festival in Canada or to study Shakespeare in England.
She liked to review films early in the morning, watching by herself or with the theater manager. If she attended a public screening, few knew she was in the audience.
"She kept a very low profile," said Allen Brown, owner of Harrisburg's Midtown Cinema. "I would talk to her afterward and sometimes she would say, 'You have to read the paper' if I wanted to know what she thought about the film."
Thomas G. Hostetter, artistic director at Theatre Harrisburg, knew Johnson for 30 years and often asked her for film recommendations.
"I admired her for her extraordinary ability to articulate what it is she loved about movies," he said. "It was more than a job to her."
Johnson also reviewed some of Hostetter's productions -- loving some, panning others.
"If she liked what you did, she said so. If she didn't, she said so," he said. "You have to admire her for being true to herself and her honesty."
Colleagues remember Johnson as a smart, skilled journalist and a gentle soul with an easy laugh.
Johnson was a critic/fellow in the critics program at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and a member of the American Theater Critics Association.
She was a member of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, Penbrook.
"Sharon's loss is one for the community as well as our newspapers," said Raymond L. Gover, retired publisher of The Patriot-News. "Her talent was such that she would have met the quality test for any newspaper in the country. We all were the beneficiaries of her incredible knowledge of the theater and the movie industry, her perception of what was talent as opposed to what was trash, and, importantly, what were incredibly well-honed interviewing skills."
Johnson reviewed thousands of movies, theater productions and television shows, frequently traveling to New York and Philadelphia for premieres.
Joyce Persico, film critic for The Times of Trenton (N.J.), attended many of those premieres.
"With her love of film, of theatre, she took criticism to such a high level," Persico said. "She was an intelligent, highly educated woman but with an earthy sense of humor. She was just such a classy woman."
Connie McNamara, director of the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association Foundation and a former colleague, called Johnson "an incredibly gifted writer."
"More than my friend, she was part of my family," McNamara said last night. "My most cherished memory of Sharon will be the inspiration she was to my daughters who adored her and, through her, learned a lifelong love of the arts."
Staff writer Jim Lewis contributed to this report. BARRY FOX: 255-8225 or bfox@patriot-news.com
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