HERE’S JOHNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of the most charismatic characters I ever met as I aspired to learn the game was the handsome, charming John R. Crawford, a teammate of Norman’s, who died at 62, long before his time.  He was well built, magnificently groomed and had steel gray eyes, to boot.   He was born in Philadelphia and was married  to a woman who was a descendant of Martha Custis Washington.   They had three daughters (Dudley, Fenton and Ames) which always reminded me of a law firm.  After his first marriage, he wed Leslie Bolton, the Reynolds Tobacco heiress and eventually moved on, marrying Carol Stolken, a good bridge and backgammon player in her own right, who died prematurely at 48.  Johnny had finally found his true love and was kidded that the only time they were apart was when he strolled down the street for a haircut.

My favorite Johnny Crawford story (no doubt told before) occurred when Johnny and his teammates returned from an international tournament, landing in New York.  Norman’s parents and an aunt and uncle offered to motor to New York to pick Norman up for his return to his home in Merchantville, NJ.   Before hanging up the phone, Norman asked his mother to bring along several thousand dollars with no further explanation as they were having dinner at one of the New York race tracks.   The money turned out to be for Johnny, an uncontrollable, inveterate gambler – but usually with great vibes.  Norman, in the next teller line, heard Johnny instructing his man, “Keep Punching till the bell rings.”  A few days later my mother-in-law received a package from Johnny, paying off his debt.  They always used to say he would bet on two cockroaches crawling along the floor, putting up a line which one would reach there first.  He just loved the action.

Another facet of Johnny’s charm was he loved playing host at Leslie’s gigantic estate in Camden, S.C.   He would send airline tickets to dozens of friends and have them met at the airport.   It was swimming, drinking, eating, card games and of course betting the ballgames.  Not even sure whether it was on radio or television though I had heard the stories so many times.   Norman, the youngest of the group, did not want to be an outcast so he approached Johnny, asking for a part of the action (whatever that meant).   “O.K., kid.” muttered Johnny.   I’ll give you 5% of mine.  As they left for the airport Sunday night, Johnny handed Norman a bundle of money.   Norman always laughed when he recounted the story that if he had lost (being a lowly trainee at Merrill Lynch on the way to the big time), it might have taken him a year to pay off his debt.   Luckily, he won.

Johnny’s bridge career took off soon as he touched the cards.  As the Encyclopedia says, “He demonstrated his adaptability by achieving national successes with many different partners and earned a reputation for competitive repartee, table presence and psychological awareness.”  He lectured extensively and helped to found the New York Card School in 1950 and departed Philadelphia in 1959 to make New York his new home base, at least temporarily.

I also recall that in honor of our wedding, although The Crawfords could not attend, a package arrived from Tiffany’s with a dozen French Limoges plates.   Since grilled cheese sandwiches were my specialty back then, I never had the pleasure of using them and my friends tease me about it to this day.

Johnny was always impeccably dressed and without a doubt the most fascinating bridge player of his era.   Being with and getting to know Johnny Crawford (even from afar) was a special experience!   He was in a league by himself.

Bringing my memories of Johnny to a close, I am compelled to include a story Bobby just imparted to me.  Whether apocryphal or true, we are unlikely to know.  The first Bermuda Bowl was held in 1950.   They did not have so-called Trials but rather tryouts by the potential applicants. Johnny chose to flaunt his skill and make a stab at it, being a  performer with incredible ‘table feel.”   As the story goes, he made a slam by picking off a singleton king off-side (missing four pieces) — to score up the contract — but was not chosen by the committee as the selectors failed to appreciate that fact that sometimes ‘table genius’ trumps the percentage tables (and his play was considered to be anti-percentage).  Rumor or legend?   A good subject for Ripley.