In Sunday's USA Weekend magazine of the Star Advertiser there was an article in the Who's News? section about Johnny Crawford.
I had to laugh. It brought back so many foggy memories.
Then I got an e-mail from my childhood friend, Yvonne asking me if I'd seen it.
Now that really brought out a chuckle. Johnny Crawford was such a big part of our girlhood. We were all madly in love with him. He played the part of Mark McCain with Chuck Connors in the Rifleman series and had a string of hit songs like Cindy's Birthday.
Yvonne reminded me that we rode the bus into Honolulu's Civic Auditorium to see him when he came to Hawaii to perform. That was a really big deal! We didn't often go into Honolulu from way out in the country.
My memory might be faulty, but I think he was handing out flyers at the door and my baby finger might have brushed against his hand. Siiiighhhh.... I don't think I wanted to wash my hand for a week.
My mother was totally perplexed as to why we were all so ga-ga over him. Almost 50 years later, I'm wondering too. Was it just a Hawaii thing? No, I don't think so. When I mentioned Johnny Crawford to Peggy, in Illinois, she said she had a little crush over him too. I don't remember my daughter quite going so overboard over a teenage idol.
I think perhaps we were crazy over him because he was so sweet, baby faced and appeared gentle and kind. He was the sort of boyfriend lots of girls wished for. He could also sing.
No, I wasn't an Elvis fan. My heart always belonged to Johnny...
...until the Beatles came along.
I do remember Johnny Crawford and this is the first time I realized he is my age and I should have had a crush on him but I didn't. My crush was on The Rifleman, Chuck Connor.
ReplyDeleteI do remember him but he was too young for me to get excited about. Child services would have come down on me.
ReplyDeleteGood to know he is still around and looking good.
I do miss those westerns however. Still my favorite time period for TV.
I can understand the fans of famous people. It is fun to idolize people who seem bigger than life, even though we know they are just people like us. They also have a lot of problems and many problems I wouldn't want. I was a fan of Elvis briefly, as well as the Beatles. I thought Tom Selleck was quite a hunk.Now he is old, just like the rest of us of his era.It keeps life interesting and entertaining.
ReplyDeleteI was always in love with John Lennon. I thought he was so nerdy looking that he was actually handsome. And Elvis was exciting but just not my kind of guy.
ReplyDeleteAnd then I got hooked on all the doctor shows on TV and thought they were all so intriguing. But that was a long time ago. However, Grey's Anatomy is still one of my favorite shows, so maybe I haven't changed at all! :-)
well i must be old, don't remember Johnny Crawford but I do remember Chuck Connor, Elvis and the Beatles-I loved them and their music in the 1960s.
ReplyDeleteHow did I never know this boy way back then? Maybe some other show was on TV at the same hour as The Rifleman?
ReplyDeleteIt's fun to try to imagine you like what you describe here, Kay. :)
I remember him! Loved THE RIFLEMAN, too.
ReplyDeleteDon't remember Johnny Crawford. But, I did have a crush on the KPOI disc jockeys. I used to cut out articles in the newspaper that told about their latest publicity stunts. Tom Moffatt, Tom Rounds, George West. Remember those DJs?
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm just enough older than you that I missed the whole Johnny Crawford thing. I seem to remember loving Ricky Nelson.
ReplyDeleteI thought George Harrison was cute and still today love his songs so much. I don't remember watching The Rifleman so I can't say, but being part of the Mousketeer, his face does look familiar.
ReplyDeleteL.
L from Waianae: If it's alright could you send me your e-mail address since I can't contact you from my blog?
ReplyDeleteI must be older than you. I thought Chuck Conners was the bees knees. :) Yes, I too like that fuchsia ice plant. I believe it has a long and convoluted Latin name. Yes, also on blogging. I began blogging on Open Diary, but it's software crashed all the time. I tried a few other sites but Blogger has suited me well. Now I have two groups of very different folks reading and noting.
ReplyDeleteSounds like it was a fun time for you!
ReplyDeleteOh my I remember...he was a cutie...
ReplyDeleteHi Kay, I am sorry I forgot to make my signature different (from L.) the other day when I commented on the bug bite entry. I am not trying to impersonate her, just forgot to make sure I did a different signature. I do enjoy reading about what it is like to move back to Hawaii after so many years away.
ReplyDeleteL~
L~ : Hi there, I didn't realize there was another L~. I guess you're not from Waianae? It's wonderful to meet you.
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ReplyDeleteKay, I am not able to email you using your link. On my end I get a strange pop up saying something about default. I was never able to fix this problem since I'm not tech savvy. Sorry about the mixup with the other L. Forgot I'm supposed to sign differently but I got lazy.
ReplyDeleteL.
Hi L., My e-mail is travelerswife@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteI hope it works this time. :-)
Oh I so remember sweet Johnny, swoon!
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