2021, History, Media, News, Songs, TV, Uncategorized

RIP Johnny Crawford

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Johnny Crawford was one of my idols when I was a kid.  Although he is best known for his role as Mark McCain on The Rifleman, he was a very busy young man, appearing in not just Mickey Mouse Clubhouse but a myriad of other movies and tv shows.

He also had a musical career with several of his songs making it to the top ten on the charts.  His most famous was Cindy’s Birthday.

He appeared on the rodeo circuit for a time; apparently he was a master at rope tricks, which he had learned during his years on western/cowboy pictures.  He served in the armed forces for a few years as well, but kept returning to acting.  His last picture was a piece with Chuck Conners in which the roles from The Rifleman were reprised.  Apparently Johnny and Chuck had remained close in all the years since their television show.

Crawford’s career was cut off when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2019.  Sadly he passed away from complications of Covid last week.  He was apparently a really nice person and had a beautiful smile right up until the end.

Who did you have a crush on when you were younger?  (Or now for that matter!)

29 thoughts on “RIP Johnny Crawford”

  2. I’ll mention a current crush: Alexi McCammond. A political journalist working for several major markets, Alexi is in her 20s. She writes brilliantly, a favorite topic being talented black women in politics. She’s model-gorgeous, articulate and friendly. I have to believe she has a strong future either making the news or reporting on it.

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      1. I don’t think anybody needs to apologize when misery is heaped upon them. I’m guessing you didn’t do this to yourself on purpose. But we missed you and I’m glad to hear your voice again this morning.

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      4. So sorry, Steve. Are you back in your own apartment, or have you moved to assisted living? Hope you’re getting the help you need.

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        1. Own apartment. The potential “move” to assisted living would be a movement of bureaucratic label, nothing more. Until I file papers for that change the nursing staff here is unable to assist me in any way.

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  5. Rise and Shine, Baboons,

    I only dimly remember Johnny, but in the late 50s and 60s, we were a Bonanza and Gunsmoke family. Not much Rifleman in there, although I sure remember the intro to that show in which the main character fired off a dizzying volley of shots at the end of their theme song.

    My childhood crush was Adam Cartwright, the brainy lawyer son of Bonanza. Every other girl I knew had a crush on Little Joe, who did not appeal to me at all–just a pretty boy.

    As for today, I have to think about that. I don’t like the grungy, unshaven look so many actors sport today, so that cuts them out. I am a real fan of Sterling Brown on This Is Us, but it does not go so far as a crush,.

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  6. Paul Petersen (Jeff from The Donna Reed Show), Don Grady (Robbie from My Three Sons), Davy Jones (The Monkees), and Paul McCartney to name a few. I developed crushes easily as a youngster.

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  7. I love that song Cindy’s Birthday – and had forgotten that it was done by Johnny Crawford! Glad to hear it again.

    Crush on John Kerr, who was Lt. Cable in 1958 film South Pacific – he got to sing You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught, My Girl Back Home, and Younger than Springtime. (but I just looked it up, and they were all dubbed by Bill Lee). I just thought he was the COOLest thing.

    Also George Chakaris in West Side Story – sigh – so good looking AND he could dance like that?

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  8. Then there was Corey, a neighbor boy whose dog bit me when I was 6 and I had to get rabies shots because his family wouldn’t lock up the dog for observation. It wasn’t rabid.

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        2. I’m sorry about the rabies shots. But I’m not really sure about the reason – that the family wouldn’t lock up the dog for observation. My understanding is that in this situation the choice is for the bite victim to get the shots, or the biting animal to be euthanized and tested for rabies. Usually by the time the biting animal has shown definite signs of disease, it’s too late to treat the bite victim. So observation isn’t useful.
          Maybe it’s comforting to know that, if so, your taking the shots saved the dog’s life.

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  10. I was rather sweet on Davy Jones too. I also watched Here Come the Brides in the late sixties, and Bobby Sherman was quite the teen idol then. What can I say – I was ten. Also High Chaparral. Mark Slade and Henry Darrow.

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  11. I’m English. The top girl singers in the sixties, not counting Petula Clark, who was no longer a girl, were Dusty, Sandie, Cilla and Lulu. I love Dusty’s more today than I did then. But when en I was doing gardening work for elderly people in the early 2000’s,they would say to me, my son used to like the girl with the bare feet. Sandie Shaw. And that’s the one I was in love with, she WAS a good singer, and a fabulous looking girl.

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    1. I’d add to that, that in retrospect, she probably rarely spoke a word of sense. But on certain songs, in a certain mood, she could still raise the hairs on the back of my neck. Haven’t been listening to the sixties lately though.

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        1. Verilee, no. I’m retired and living in Spain, but not for the usual reasons, whatever they are. My home is in Devon, in the Southwest of England, but I don’t know if I’ll make it back to the field I’d designated to die in. But that’s not for 30 years yet, so who knows?

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