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MIDWAY — "Bob tells the story. He says, ‘Charlene and I thought we'd died and gone to heaven,' " Charlene Johnson said of their family move in 1985. "Our kids thought they'd died."
Feeling a need to take their family out of Hollywood, Charlene and her late husband, Bob Johnson, found an old flour mill in Midway, ironically at the end of Johnson Mill Road, and they knew they had to have it.
"Coming here was an adventure because we came into a flour mill that was so worn down that we had to live in a tent outside for the first while," said Charlene's son, Brad Johnson.
Life in Utah was different from what the Johnson's seven children had grown up with in California. Their mother, Charlene, was a well-known makeup artist and hair stylist in Hollywood. She got her start working on the TV show, "Ozzie and Harriett" and kept on working.
She did hair and makeup on "The Brady Bunch," "Mork and Mindy," "Charlie's Angels," and lent her talents to movies like "Newsies," "Dante's Peak," "Lethal Weapon 4," and more recently, "Batman" and "The Lone Ranger."
Often, she would bring her kids with her on set during her preparation days.
"I had no idea what I was doing when I used to have them come to work with me," Charlene Johnson said laughingly. "I just thought I'd give them a fun day off."
Influenced by their mother's career, all three Johnson sons have active careers in film. Bart Johnson playz Zac Efron's dad in the "High School Musical" movies, Adam Johnson is acting in five projects filmed locally in Utah, and Brad Johnson, an actor and producer, just returned from a trip to Europe to scout possible film locations.
Through marriage, the connections to Hollywood continue. Bart Johnson is married to actress Robyn Lively, who starred in 80s classics like "Teen Witch" and "Doogie Howser." She is also sisters with actress Blake Lively, who is married to Green Lantern co-star, Ryan Reynolds.
With a growing family, the Johnsons are grateful to still have the old flour mill in Midway. It's a reminder of family patriarch, Bob Johnson, who passed away in 2006 and it's the family home base for holidays and get-togethers. The rest of the year, it's run as Johnson Mill Bed and Breakfast.
Charlene said they've had their share of memorable moments at the bed-and-breakfast over the years. One of her favorites was when the German Women's Cross Country Ski Team stayed there in 2002 during the Salt Lake Olympic Games.
Of the experience, Charlene said they had no idea security around the team would be so tight. She recalled that a friend, who lived just north of them, would have their sled dogs run with the German team each day.
"One day he came close to the back gate," Charlene said. "And, a big helicopter came over and said ‘What are you doing here. Get away.' " She chuckled as she recalled the incident.
The Germans made it to the medal stand and Bob and Charlene bought them all cowboy hats to help them remember their stay at Johnson Mill.
"It was really great," Charlene said. "We really had a lot of fun with them."
When asked what her greatest memory at the Mill has been over the years, she said, "Oh, just fun times with the kids. We had a lot of fun in our home. A lot of laughter."
And, despite all she's done in Hollywood as a long-time hair stylist and makeup artist and at the mill as the innkeeper, Charlene said she knows what her greatest masterpiece has been.
"The kids are my greatest accomplishment," she said. An accomplishment she continues to nourish and treasure today.
