Skip to content
HOLLYWOOD METRICS
HomeAboutCraftNewsAnalyticsScriptsBooksPricingAPIMCP
Catalog/Comedy/Too Much Johnson
Too Much Johnson poster
B
Strong
MASTER SCORE 60.2 / 100
1938·Comedy·1h 7m

TOO MUCH JOHNSON

This film was not intended to stand by itself, but was designed as the cinematic aspect of Welles' Mercury Theatre stage presentation of William Gillette's 1894 comedy about a New York playboy who flees from the violent husband of his mistress and borrows the identity of a plantation owner in Cuba who is expecting the arrival of a mail order bride. The film component of the performance was ultimately never screened due to the absence of projection facilities at the venue. Long-believed to be lost, a workprint was discovered in 2008 and the film had its premiere in 2013.

Above the Line
Orson Welles·DirectorOrson Welles·ScreenplayWilliam Gillette·Theatre PlayPaul Dunbar·Director of PhotographyWilliam Alland·Editor
Cast
Joseph Cotten·Augustus BillingsVirginia Nicolson·Lenore FaddishArlene Francis·Mrs. DathisMary Wickes·Mrs. BattisonOrson Welles·Keystone KopJohn Houseman·DuelistJudy Holliday·(uncredited)Edgar Barrier·Leon DathisRuth Ford·Mrs. BillingsEustace Wyatt·Francis Faddish
Full Crew
(16 credits)
Directing· 2
Orson Welles·DirectorJohn Berry·Assistant Director
Writing· 2
Orson Welles·ScreenplayWilliam Gillette·Theatre Play
Camera· 2
Paul Dunbar·Director of PhotographyHarry Dunham·Director of Photography
Editing· 3
William Alland·EditorOrson Welles·EditorRichard Wilson·Editor
Art & Design· 2
James Morcom·Production DesignLeo Van Witsen·Costume Design
Production· 5
John Houseman·ProducerOrson Welles·ProducerJohn Berry·Co-ProducerRichard Wilson·Associate ProducerRichard Wilson·Unit Production Manager
By the Numbers
60.2
OF 100
Master Score
5.7
OF 10
IMDb
—
CRITICS
Rotten Tomatoes
—
Worldwide Gross
0
Oscar Wins
Where to Watch

THE AVAILABILITY MAP

The canonical record of where this film lives across the streaming map.

Provider Index In Progress

Streaming, rental, and purchase availability for this title is being ingested from the TMDB watch-providers feed and will appear here once the next catalog refresh runs. Until then, the canonical source links below remain the fastest route.

Find on TMDB
Poster DNA

THE VISUAL DECONSTRUCTION

A bespoke vision agent's reading of the design language behind Too Much Johnson's key art.

Dominant Palette
3 colors
#E0E0E0
#F7E000
#000000
Mood
Mysterious, Retro
Composition
Centered
Era
1940s
Visual Style
Graphic Design

“A stylized graphic design features a black and white portrait of a man with a yellow horizontal stripe across his eyes. The man is depicted from the chest up, w”

Key Elements
Man's PortraitYellow StripeAbstract Background PatternText 'too Much Johnson'
Atmosphere
Gritty
Color Mood
Mixed
Setting
Abstract
Design Score
8/10
More Like This

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Neighboring films in the catalog's similarity graph.

Keep Going

THREE WAYS DEEPER

Auteur
AUT
MORE BY ORSON WELLES

Every catalog entry where Orson Welles is credited as director.

Open
Family
GEN
MORE COMEDY

Top-ranked films inside comedy, sorted by master score.

Open
Era
DEC
MORE FROM THE 1930S

The best films of the 1930s, ranked across every available metric.

Open
View on IMDbView on TMDBCatalog
HOLLYWOOD METRICS

The definitive mathematical oracle for cinematic success and creative script intelligence.

74,000+ Films100 Years1.1M+ Reviews
PRODUCT
  • Dashboard
  • Pricing
  • Script Analysis
  • Watch the Demo
  • The Red List
  • News
  • Analytics
  • API
  • MCP Connector
COMPANY
  • About
  • Track Record
  • Trust & Script Privacy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
CONNECT
  • ▶YouTube
  • ◉Instagram
  • ♪TikTok
  • @Threads
  • fFacebook
Get Started Free →
© 2026 Hollywood Metrics. All rights reserved.Powered by bespoke agents and autonomous agentic workflows