As a friend and associate of the cousins, Johnny Ventura's first assignment was to assist in retrieving a special pool cue at the local pool halls in the episode WEDDING BELL BLUES. He had no idea what he was getting himself into until he discovered dead bodies in his search. It was then that the reluctant Micki briefed him on the real course of business behind the doors at 666 Druid Avenue. Notwithstanding the dangerous work, Johnny offered to help Ryan, Jack, and Micki in their quest to recover the cursed objects that Uncle Lewis had unleashed into the world. Of course, Johnny wasn't always immune from the evils of the antiques. Subsequent to the shooting death of his father by an escaped convict wearing a World War II kamikaze jacket in THE PRISONER, Johnny was wrongfully sent to jail for the crime where he witnessed further deaths resulting from the use of the bloodied jacket that rendered the wearer invisible. After seeing first-hand the powerful grip that the evil Astaroth had on Ryan, and which led to his soul being captured by Satan, Johnny decided to pour his energies into helping Micki and Jack run the store and track down other cursed objects to prevent further harm to innocent people.

Johnny is a street smart young man who was taught right from wrong from his father, Vince. A calm, cool, and collected individual who appears tough and stoic on the outside, Johnny is not always so resilient. He was devastated by the senseless murder of his father and while he was still quietly mourning his death in BAD PENNY, he dug out his father from the cemetary and resurrected him with the Coin of Zaecles instead of returning the coin to the Vault. His rationale was that Jack had used the coin earlier to revive Micki. This way, he could have some quality time with his father, if only briefly. This wasn't the only time Johnny committed a grave error in judgment. In HATE ON YOUR DIAL, he sold off a car radio from a 1954 Chevy without checking the Manifest beforehand. Not surprisingly, the radio was listed. In CRIPPLED INSIDE, he allowed a mysterious elderly stranger to convince him to return the cursed wheelchair to a teenaged quadraplegic only to have her use the chair to kill off her attackers one by one. These mistakes, however, depicts the softer side of Johnny, one who is kind at heart and shows sympathy to the plight of the disabled and of women and children. In THE TREE OF LIFE, Johnny was a true hero who came to the aid of a woman who pleaded for his help in finding her missing daughter. Not only did he locate the stolen child and reunite mother and daughter, but he also put an end to a group of female Druids who sacrificed men and kidnapped the daughters to become Druid priestesses.

Outside of his work at the store, Johnny is an aspiring writer of fiction stories. Although he is interested in writing about the goings on at the store, Micki and Jack would not allow it. Regardless, Johnny is an asset to Micki and Jack. He uses his police contacts whenever possible to obtain leads and follow ups to cases. But more importantly, his high level of drive and determination as well as his dedication and loyalty as the third member of the Curious Goods team has proven invaluable as they collectively set out to continually search for those cursed objects that are out there ready and able to destroy mankind.

SEASON 2 EPISODE SCREEN CAPTURES

Wedding Bell Blues	The Prisoner