Johnny & More
Another baby boomer icon has left the stage. RIP Johnny Crawford, 75, who succumbed to complications from Alzheimer’s. He is best known for his role as Mark McCain, son of Lucas, in 168 episodes of The Rifleman, for which he received an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1958. He cites series star Chuck Connors as a mentor. Before the iconic show, he was an original Mouseketeer. There are 61 titles under his name at IMDb. He competed in rodeo and was particularly adept at roping. During the ‘60’s he did some singing. Wiki lists 16 singles and several albums released under his name. Cindy’s Birthday, written by Hal Winn, reached #8 on the Billboard chart in 1962. I do not recall having ever heard it. In 1992 Crawford led the California-based Johnny Crawford Orchestra, a vintage dance unit that for years performed standards at special events. Well done, sir. Thank you. Here’s a three-minute clip of his band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXSH-zeKiXo And here’s a two-minute-plus video of Cindy’s Birthday played against a nice montage of photos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhkK_gAuDlM
I tried to track down info on Hal Winn but met with frustration. He was prolific as a producer and songwriter, and even recorded a few albums of his own, but I’m not sure any of his other work broke big. My apologies if that is not the case.
I guess buffalo are no longer sacred cows. According to an article at foxnews.com by Julia Musto: “The National Park Service (NPS) is looking for volunteers to assist in killing hundreds of bison on the North Rim of Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park…” How many? “…the NPS looks to reduce the herd by about two-thirds, down from 600 to 200 bison.” The beasts have become an environmental hazard, impacting “resources such as water, vegetation, soils, archaeological sites and values such as visitor experience and wilderness character.” Decades ago I came to believe that environmentalism has a huge death toll. I learned DDT was banned in Africa without an effective replacement remedy, and it led to the demise of millions from malaria. The disease also caused birth defects.
Biden has banned travel to the USA from India because of Covid — the right move. The only thing missing is the cries of racism that President Trump suffered when he banned travel from China. Quid Pro Joe previously claimed that such bans accomplish nothing.
A pedestrian bridge has just opened in Portugal. Is the view worth it? It seems more like a thrill walk.
The stiff wind blew the fun right of the floating book shop today. My thanks to the woman who bought Iron River by T. Jefferson Parker and, a blast from the past, Serpico by Peter Maas; and to the three ladies who donated books.
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