Friday, April 30, 2021

Musical Interlude: The Girl Next Door (1964-5)

 From Hollywood a Go-Go:

Johnny Crawford (ex-The Rifleman, The Mickey Mouse Club) swapped his chaps and cowboy hat for a full time singing career after Rifleman ended. If memory serves, his first hit, "Cindy's Birthday", was released during his run as Mark McCain on Rifleman (1958-63).

In the winter of 1964-5, Johnny turned up on another series in the Four Star catalogue, the short-lived Hollywood a Go-Go, where he performs the David Gates-penned "The Girl Next Door". Host Sam Riddle does the intro:


I'm sure a lot of young ladies saw Johnny as a boy next door by that time.

In memory of Johnny, who passed away from a pneumonia, Alzheimer's disease, and, supposedly, since I've only seen this in one source, COVID. Rest in peace.

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