Modern Screen (Jan-Dec 1960)

The Two Faces of Troy Donahue (Continued from page 50) And what happened? When she caught him making love to another girl in his apartment — while they were still going steady for two years — and demanded an explanation, he threw her out bodily — !" Could this be one and the same Troy Donahue? It is! But how could a fellow like Troy have such a wonderful reputation with some people, and create such a strong antipathy with others? Why has it never been brought to the surface before? And what turned him into the kind of guy he is — which is a far cry from the typical young Hollywood leading man type of the Tab Hunter, Rock Hudson. Edd Byrnes tradition? Those who know him closely agree that there is in Troy a temper, a fire, a drive, an ambition that seems in direct contrast to the easy-going, pleasing mannerisms that has endeared him to Hollywood mothers and daughters alike. Much of the answer to Troy's twin behavior can be found in his own background. Troy's father was the head of General Motors' motion picture division. His mother was a stage actress, who retired after her marriage. The Johnsons — Troy's real name was Merle Johnson. Jr. until agent Henry Willson changed it to Troy Donahue— had a fashionable home in Long Island, and an equally fashionable apartment on New York's East Side. Troy himself attended some of the best schools in the country, including the New York Military Academy at Cornwall-onthe-Hudson in upstate New York. And if it hadn't been for a severe knee injury he suffered during a track meet in his senior year, he would have continued to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Undoubtedly he had all the advantages of a rich man's son. And this is where his trouble started. He remembers being sent to first grade in flannel slacks, jacket, white shirt and imported tie, and expensive custom-made moccasins which were in dire contrast to the dungarees and tee shirts worn by the other boys. Right away they treated him like Little Lord Fauntleroy. During the very first recess, Troy found himself at the bottom of the heap of six boys who were beating up on him, and tearing his clothes to shreds. Yet when he came home he would not tell his parents what happened, and why. But thereafter, he tried to assimilate in his own way. On the way to school he would mess up his clothes by rolling in the dirt, by tearing his shirt, by ripping off buttons. In wanting to look like the other boys, however, he went overboard to such an extent that the teacher finally sent a note to his parents, demanding to know why they sent him to school looking like a little tramp. As a result, he got it from the other side too. They could not understand how a boy like Troy, raised by a governess, could feel so indifferent about his own appearance! Troy*s attempts to be like others con:inued to get him in trouble. He was twelve when he snitched his father's double-barrelled shotgun out of --he glass -enclosed cabinet in the den, and sneaked out of the house to meet a pal, with whom he went on a hunting expedition. They stalked through the swampy area near the Johnsons' Long Island home, but Jie only thing they could find were some crows. It was good enough for them. Troy fired two shots in quick succession before he reloaded and handed the gun to his friend, who managed to get off just one more shot before they heard someone call out. "Wouldn't it be funny if this were a cop?-' Troy giggled. ''Sure would be," his friend agreed. It was! A few seconds later they were whisked to the nearest station, and booked on six counts — hunting out of season, hunting without a license, hunting in a residential area, trespassing, walking around with a loaded gun, and carrying a gun while being under age! Needless to say, his father was not in a cheerful mood when he had to bail out his son. It wasn't long, however, till even the restraint of his father was gone. Merle Johnson died when Troy was barely fourteen. Yet if anything, Troy's ambition to be accepted by the group, to be one of them, to be important in his own rights, grew with age. At fourteen, except for his family's wealth — which he tried to ignore — there were other things he felt he could boast about to raise his importance, such as the famous people he met at his house, and the trips he had taken. But instead of winning his fellow students' respect, he earned their jealousies. The situation changed for the better in the next couple of years, when Troy shot up to nearly his present six-foot three. Tall, well-built, and strong, he became a member of almost every athletic team in school, and was instrumental in winning victory after victory for it. And with it, the adulation and admiration of his fellow students. Troy wanted more than just to prove himself on the football, baseball and basketball field. He wanted to be accepted so badly that he went to any length to achieve being a "regular" guy. This often ran counter to Mrs. Johnson's wishes. The relationship between Troy and his mother had become strained already during his father's long illness. Looking back, he now recognizes the tremendous responsibility she took on when her husband became incapable of making decisions, and it was entirely up to her to raise Troy and his younger sister, Eve, who is now fifteen. Yet Troy began to resent more and more what he considered his mother's over-concern. He was afraid she would make a sissy out of him, by keeping him from doing what the other boys did. And so he rebelled — never realizing that the other boys' parents were often just as opposed to their offsprings' actions as she was. For instance, after ball games the other boys would frequently sneak off to a little beer joint, strictly off-limits to them. When Troy's mother heard about it, she promptly forbade her son to go along. 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