Johnny Crawford, 1946-2021

By Nicholas Stix

On Sunday, as we were watching an episode of The Rifleman from 1961, a banner on the screen at MeTV announced that Johnny Crawford, who had played Chuck Connors’ son for five years on the show, had passed away, at 75 years of age.

I’ve seen interviews with Crawford over the years. He always praised Chuck Connors as a friend, but never slighted his own father.

And Crawford was in no need for surrogates—he’d gotten home training. Somebody from the show once said that when Crawford started work on the show, on Day One he addressed every adult in the crew, no matter his title, as “sir” or “ma’am,” and that on the series’ last day, after five years, Crawford, who had since become an Emmy-nominated TV star, still addressed everyone the same way.

A note to Johnny Crawford and John Wayne fans. At the beginning of Wayne’s swan song, The Shootist (1976), the picture introduces the protagonist, John Bernard Books, by showing a review of his life, via clippings from Wayne’s career. One scene from that montage shows a young man trying to shoot Wayne’s character from a rocky hill in the distance, and Wayne’s character shoot him dead. That bad guy was Johnny Crawford, and the picture was El Dorado (1967).

 

R.I.P. The Rifleman’s Johnny Crawford! His Co-Stars Remember! Thank You All for Helping!
889,092 views
•Sep 22, 2019

 

 

By A Word on Westerns’ Rob Word

Johnny Crawford RIP, 1946-2021.

Before Alzheimer’s claimed Johnny Crawford’s memory, the Emmy-nominated actor worked non-stop, played and sang with his wonderful orchestra, rode horses, appeared at multiple film festivals and hung out with his many friends and fans.

Unfortunately, the debilitating Alzheimer’s Disease took control and he slowly drifted away from the boisterous, funny man who many of us grew up watching. From the very first season of The Mickey Mouse Club to his stunning weekly performances as Mark McCain in the hit TV series, The Rifleman (1958-63), and his many appearances in dozens of films and TV shows, we have all enjoyed his company.

Johnny was a dear friend of mine for 40 years and, while his death came as no surprise, his loss of memory these past few years has been difficult to watch.

Fortunately, Johnny’s family and friends came together for multiple fundraisers and events to ensure that he would be comfortable and safe. This video was one such event.

As you’ll see, Johnny, while having difficulty speaking, was still alert, and recognized and interacted with his many friends and fans that night.

This party was a spectacular, star-studded evening, held at the Joel and Frances Dee McCrea Ranch, August 2019.

I think you’ll enjoy these memories of Johnny from his friends and co-stars. Plus, you’ll see Johnny's brief appearance in his last film...a western! The movie, Bill Tilghman and the Outlaws was shown that night, now called The Marshall.

Actors from the film who joined Johnny include Don Collier, Darby Hinton, Lana Wood and Robert Carradine.

Rest in Peace, cowboy. Glad we could ride with you.

So, now, when there's an opportunity to help with the expenses incurred by Johnny's care, there's an easy way to do it by going to:

https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbWJOWXFWOFRKYjM2V2N2SHpMWnc3amFON3p6UXxBQ3Jtc0ttQkVmR2ItSmlEOFpmalRJTVB3eE15SUY5WlVJbUJTWlh2RUp4ZE1lR3BsYi1mckpBLWhPQzRiYnc0OW8tTkUzSndhY01PSzY4YzBXMTNzc25leGhVazBybGF0em1XYjNZU1QzMG9pdTJabXpZZ1U4UQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gofundme.com%2Ff%2Fjohnny-cra...%E2%80%8B

Or, simply send a check or money order, made out to his wife, Charlotte –

Charlotte McKenna P.O. Box 7073 Burbank, CA 91510.

https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbVRseTBiSXZJcXdhd3djOTlUT1czc0dKYmVrd3xBQ3Jtc0tsMl9YNU55UW55MnItOHdHWV83YjBPOTRWTUYyNV95UVNzM3ZUX3h4eDk2TUgtYkNoMENjalMyZU5mcjF4cXM3NGRtdEJKTXZYVS1sLXFjcTQ4QXZKU2I2cXU1LXM1TDdfamc5SERlcmdDZFRnanVkOA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gofundme.com%2Ff%2Fjohnny-crawford039s-alzheimer039s-fund%3Futm_source%3Dcustomer%26utm_medium%3Dcopy_link%26utm_campaign%3Dp_cp%2Bshare-sheet