Diane Meets Johnny in Honolulu

It was either the summer of 1962 or 1963, I was just an 11 or 12 year old girl with a huge crush on Johnny Crawford. In addition to watching him on "The Rifleman", I was already a member of his fan club. I bought all of his records and listened to them every day. Imagine my thrill to hear that Johnny was coming to Hawaii to appear on Tom Moffet's Productions of a "Show of Stars". My dad took me down and we stood in line and bought tickets to the show when they became available. I was fortunate that my uncle worked at the Honolulu Civic Auditorium where the show was to be performed, and I got great seats close to the stage.

I remember that I wore a blue and white Hawaiian print mini-dress that I made for the show. Johnny looked so handsome in a sports jacket and dress slacks as he sang "Daydreams" as his first number. Some of the other performers that night included: Ray Peterson, the Everly Brothers, and Bobby Vee, but Johnny was the headliners for me as he sang his songs. About halfway through the show, Johnny changed into a western outfit: cowboy boots, jeans, a western shirt, and a brown cowboy hat. That made me happy because he looked the part of Mark McCain. During the show, Johnny talked about his love for the rodeo and his pinto horse named "Two Bits". He even did an impressive roping demonstration.

After the show, I rushed to the front, just below the stage, where all the show performers gathered to sign autographs. It wasn't long before I was standing in front of Johnny. He was very soft spoken and a little shy... not at all the pop star type that some might have thought. I remember that his complexion was so smooth and he had a wave of brown hair that fell softly across his forehead. I don't know why, but I was a little surprised that he had a tan. Johnny smiled so sweetly when I complemented him on his performance and handed him a program to sign. As he handed the autographed program back to me, I impulsively stood on my tip toes and leaned over the table and kissed his cheek. He smiled and said, "Thank you." I said, "Aloha" as I left to allow others to get his autograph. I stood to the side for about 10 minutes and watched as Johnny continued to sign autographs for his fans. I remember how gracious he was to everyone. It was a day I will never forget!

~Diane