Anyone who has ever watched the old television show, The Rifleman, knows why Johnny Crawford is listed here today. Chuck Connors may have been the star, but this talented actor was the heart of the program. And like so many other gifted child actors, he vanished from the lime light after the series ended.
He started as one of the original Mouseketeers in 1955, but was cut by Walt Disney after the first season. This firing was probably the best thing that ever happened to his career, for instead of being type cast as a Disney player, Johnny Crawford ended up guest starring in a slew of television programs that ranged from The Loretta Young Show to the Lux Video Theatre and the Lone Ranger to Make Room For Daddy, just to name a few.
And while The Rifleman remains his most seen work, he managed to continue to act long after that series ended, with some nice performances in The Restless Ones, The Naked Ape and many television shows too numerous to mention.
Unless you happen to catch an old rerun of The Rifleman, or happen to hear one of his hit songs that he made as a teen idol in the early 1960's, Johnny Crawford has joined the Hollywood obscure, making him my pick of the day for Not Very Famous...but should be.
He started as one of the original Mouseketeers in 1955, but was cut by Walt Disney after the first season. This firing was probably the best thing that ever happened to his career, for instead of being type cast as a Disney player, Johnny Crawford ended up guest starring in a slew of television programs that ranged from The Loretta Young Show to the Lux Video Theatre and the Lone Ranger to Make Room For Daddy, just to name a few.
And while The Rifleman remains his most seen work, he managed to continue to act long after that series ended, with some nice performances in The Restless Ones, The Naked Ape and many television shows too numerous to mention.
Unless you happen to catch an old rerun of The Rifleman, or happen to hear one of his hit songs that he made as a teen idol in the early 1960's, Johnny Crawford has joined the Hollywood obscure, making him my pick of the day for Not Very Famous...but should be.
ADDENDUM
Johnny Crawford passed away on April 29, 2021, at the age of 75. However, The Rifleman is still around for everyone to either discover or revisit. His work on that show is impressive. Thank you Mr. Crawford. Your fans will never forget, and neither will new generations that will inevitably stumble upon your work.
Since 1992, Johnny Crawford has provided and led a California-based vintage dance orchestra for special events. His band has been sponsored by the Playboy Jazz Festival, and has been the repeated choice for 15 annual Art Directors Guild Awards at the Beverly Hilton. A remastered version of the orchestra's highly rated first album, "Sweepin' the Clouds Away," was officially released on September 30, 2011.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update, Tom. Readers, Tom B. has two wonderful blogs, Westerns...All Italiana and Boot Hill. You should check them out if you're interested in western movies and actors as well as being kept up to date on the passing of actors famous and not very famous.
ReplyDeleteJohnny Crawford had Alzheimer's in the last few stages of his life and wasn't making as many public appearances. His final public appearance was on the popular YouTube channel "A Word On Westerns" His final film appearance was in the 2019 independent Western film, "The Marshal" where he played his matinee idol William S. Hart along with Don Collier, Robert Carradine, Darby Hinton, and Lana Wood. His brother, Bobby Crawford, played Andy Sherman on the TV Western series "Laramie". He is also known for his role as Luke McDonald, the young kid that John Wayne shoots and kills in 1967's "El Dorado". But I will always remember him for "The Rifleman" because I would rather remember him for how he lived and not how he died. RIP Johnny Crawford.
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