Production was delayed while Johnson recovered from an appendectomy.

Her film debut came in Dynamite (1929), written by Jeanie Macpherson and featuring Charles Bickford and Conrad Nagel. The play was produced by Simeon Gest of the Figueroa Playhouse. DeMille following a performance of The Silver Cord at the Repertory Theater in Los Angeles, California. Johnson was signed to a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer by Cecil B. Johnson's Broadway credits included State of the Union (1945), A Free Soul (1928), Crime (1927), No Trespassing (1926), One of the Family (1925), All Dressed Up (1925), The Morning After (1925), Beggar on Horseback (1925), Beggar on Horseback (1924), and Go West, Young Man (1923). She was accompanied by her soon-to-be husband John Cromwell, who worked as a director in Hollywood.

She moved to California after appearing in The Little Accident in Providence, Rhode Island. Johnson's professional acting debut was in Beggar on Horseback, and she acted in R.U.R. When she was a junior, she dropped out of Grew Seminary to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Johnson, who worked in the firm of Cass Gilbert, the architect of several noteworthy buildings in New York City, including the Woolworth Building, the New York Customs House, and many library buildings. Johnson was born in Mount Vernon, New York. Catherine Townsend Johnson (Novem– November 17, 1975) was an American stage and film actress.

Kayson by Jenny Wood