Osa Johnson

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Osa in her Sikorsky S-39 Spirit of Africa

Osa Johnson (born May 14, 1894 in Chanute , Kansas , † January 7, 1953 in New York ), born Osa Leighty, was an American adventurer and documentary filmmaker .

Life

Osa Helen Leighty was the daughter of Sherman Leighty and Ruby Isabelle Holman. On May 15, 1910, she married Martin Johnson (born October 9, 1884, † January 13, 1937), a photographer who documented safaris .

At first she was not impressed by his work, but soon became enthusiastic about Johnson's travels. As his partner, she took over the planning and coordination of the safaris and took care of the crew. As soon as camp was set up, she would plant a vegetable patch and hunt. In addition, she always stood on the sidelines with a rifle during filming to protect the film crew from attacks by wild animals.

In 1932 she completed a pilot training and took over the transport services for crew and luggage. On January 12, 1937, she and her husband flew in an airliner on Western Air Express Flight 7 from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles . The machine crashed into a mountain near the Californian town of Newhall, now part of the city of Santa Clarita . Martin Johnson succumbed to his injuries.

On January 7, 1953, Osa Johnson died of a heart attack .

In 1961, the Martin and Osa Safari Museum was founded in their hometown to honor the two and to remember their adventures

Safaris

Osa on one of her safaris in 1930

The couple left San Francisco for their first South Sea trip on June 5, 1917. On April 8, 1919, they embarked on their second trip together, which took them to the South Pacific.

In September 1921 Osa, Martin and his father traveled to Mombasa for the first Africa safari. On January 26, 1924, Martin and Osa traveled to Kenya for their second safari. This became known under the title "Four Years in Paradise". On December 14, 1927, Osa and Martin set sail for their third safari to Africa. In November 1929 they traveled on their fourth Africa safari. This resulted in the film Congorilla . The special thing about this film was that it was accompanied by original sound from Africa. In 1933 they set out on their fifth and final safari to Africa.

On August 12, 1935, they traveled to Borneo . This was also the couple's last trip together.

Services

She and her husband explored East Africa , Central Africa , the South Pacific Islands, Kenya , Congo and the British north of Borneo . Up until then, these areas were largely unexplored and little or nothing was known about the culture, people and wildlife there. Through the work of the Johnsons, all of this was brought closer to other people in their films, photos, books, and articles.

They have also created an invaluable collection of ethnological and zoological material for today's filmmakers and researchers. Her films and photos show nature as it has not been for a long time and show how the native tribes used to live. In addition, she and her husband were the first to fly over Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya in Africa by plane, taking aerial photographs . The couple also created the first pictures of Borneo from an aerial perspective.

Osa Johnson later designed detailed children's toys in the shape of animals for the National Wildlife Federation .

Books

Book cover from 1940
  • Jungle Babies The Knickerbocker Press, New York 1930.
  • Jungle Pets The Knickerbocker Press, New York 1932.
  • Osa Johnson's Jungle Friends JB Lippincott Company, Philadelphia 1939.
  • On a voyage of discovery with Osa Johnson FABrockhaus, Leipzig 1939. (known as "Adventures with Camera, Gun & Aircraft".)
  • I Married Adventure; The Lives and Adventures of Martin and Osa Johnson JB Lippincott Company, Philadelphia 1940.
  • Pantaloons; Adventures of a Baby Elephant Random House, New York 1941.
  • Four Years in Paradise JB Lippincott Company, Philadelphia 1941.
  • Snowball; Adventures of a Young Gorilla Random House, New York 1942.
  • Tarnish; Adventures of a Young Lion Wilcox & Follett, Chicago 1944.
  • Bride in the Solomons The Riverside Press, Boston 1944.
  • Last adventure; The Martin Johnsons in Borneo William Morrow and Company, New York 1966.

Films (selection)

  • Simba (1928)
  • Across the World with Mr. and Mrs. Johnson (1930)
  • Congorilla (1932)
  • Baboona (1935)
  • Borneo (1937)
  • Stanley and Livingstone ( sole production by Osa Johnson ) (1937)
  • Jungles Calling ( sole production by Osa Johnson ) (1937)
  • I Married Adventure ( sole production by Osa Johnson ) (1940)
  • African Paradise ( sole production by Osa Johnson ) (1941)
  • Tulagi and the Solomons ( sole production by Osa Johnson ) (1943)

literature

  • Baboona. A Fox movie . In: Throughout the world . Issue 17, April 1935, p. 28 (with 7 illustrations)

Web links

Commons : Martin and Osa Johnson  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files
personal data
SURNAME Johnson, Osa
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Leighty, Osa (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American adventurer and documentary filmmaker
DATE OF BIRTH May 14, 1894
PLACE OF BIRTH Chanute ( Kansas )
DATE OF DEATH January 7, 1953
Place of death new York