The Lone Ranger Fan Club :: John Hart December 13, 1917 - September 20, 2009 Who was that other masked man? John Hart was also that masked man by Joe Southern For one season, in 1952, Clayton Moore was replaced as the Lone Ranger on the popular television series. For 52 episodes, John Hart dashed across the television screen as the man behind the mask. John Hart played the part from 1952 to 1954 on 52 episodes when Moore held out in a contact dispute. While Hart has done numerous television and film projects, he is often most remembered as the "other" Lone Ranger. Before his death hart commented in an interview; "I've dined out on it forever," Hart said in a telephone interview. "It's never bothered me at all," he said. "I went on and did 'Hawkeye' and did other things." His counterpart, however, took to the mask and played the role to the hilt. "He (Moore) decided to be the Lone Ranger and he made it his job and he did it very well," Hart said.

Prior to temporarily replacing Moore, Hart made two guest appearances on the show as one of the heavies opposite the masked man. After the show ended in 1957, he made two cameo appearances as the Lone Ranger on television, once on an episode of "Happy Days" in the 1970s and later in 1981 on "The Greatest American Hero." Hart's last connection to the legendary masked rider of the plains came in 1981 in The Legend of the Lone Ranger.' "I worked on 'The Legend of the Lone Ranger.' I played an old editor of a Western country paper," he said. While his character was hanged by the bad guys early in the film, Hart's involvement lasted well beyond the bit part. "The guy who played the Lone Ranger was such a disaster," he recalled. "Having been the Lone Ranger they got me into doing all his press conferences and stuff. Working in the lead role on the television series was enjoyable for Hart. He said he made a lot of friends through it and forged a close relationship with Jay Silverheels, who played the faithful Indian companion, Tonto, throughout the series and the two theatrical releases that followed.

He was with Silverheels shortly before he died in 1980 following a series of strokes. "He was a sweetheart of a person," Hart said. Work on the television series was challenging. The 52 episodes Hart did were all shot in a matter of weeks. "We worked six days a week, every other week. We worked Monday through Saturday. The scripts ran 30-some pages ... We shot every (episode) in two days. "I'd have anywhere from 15, 16, 17 pages of dialog to memorize. I'd get up at 5 a.m. with a cup of coffee to start memorizing my lines," he said. Being a real cowboy in his younger days, Hart was able to do things that Moore and others couldn't do, especially with the great, white horse Silver. "I was very attracted to the horse, Silver. He was half Arabian and half American saddle bred," he said. He said Silver was very jumpy and difficult to ride. "Clayton wouldn't ride him, the radio guy (Brace Beemer) wouldn't ride him ... I took him when I knew I had the part. I took him out and rode him for a few days ...

When we started shooting he was very friendly. I wore spurs, but I didn't have to spur him," he said. In revealing another little-known tidbit about the show, he said Silver and Tonto's horse, Scout, didn't get along. "They hated each other, it was really funny. We'd pull up and have some dialog and the horses would start nipping at each other and dancing around," he said. To compensate for that, the saddles were placed on sawhorses for close-up scenes. "Then, they'd bring in the real horses and we'd ride out," Hart said. One of the biggest mysteries of the old '50s television show is why Hart replaced Moore in the middle of the series. Some sources say George W. Trendle, who created the character, fired Moore because he was becoming too closely associated with the Lone Ranger. But Hart subscribes to the more widely held belief that Moore, in a dispute with producer Jack Chertok, held out for more money. "I have no idea (why Moore came back)," he said. "I had long been gone and happy doing other things. Clayton was bound and determined to be the Lone Ranger. I'm sure it was over money ...

He (Chertok) was the cheapest guy I ever worked for." In addition to "The Lone Ranger," Hart has appeared or starred in many movies and television shows. He wore the hero's mask in "The Phantom" and had lead roles in "Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans," "Jack Armstrong, the All American Boy," and "The Adventures of Captain Africa." On television, he made numerous appearances in "Rawhide" and also showed up on such programs as "Sky King," "Sgt. Preston," "Dallas," "The Addams Family," "Leave it to Beaver," "Perry Mason," "Bat Masterson" and "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin," to name a few. His first film appearance was in Cecil B. DeMille's "The Buccaneer." He went on and did several projects with DeMille. "He took a liking to me and kept me on the show," Hart said. He has worked with several old Hollywood greats, including Lon Chaney Jr., who was his sidekick in "Hawkeye," and Olympian/actor Buster Crabbe. "Buster and I were old friends. I knew him before the '32 Olympics," he said.

He also recalled the time he had a "nice scene with Elizabeth Taylor." He said he considers his work as Hawkeye to be his favorite part. "The stories were good, the thing was a wonderful show," he said. But only 39 episodes were made, despite the show's popularity, because of a dispute between the producer and the advertisers. In more recent years he wrote a cookbook called "Cowboys in the Kitchen." He also sold autographed pictures for $20 each (plus $4 shipping). This is John Hart in 2004. He is posing with a "John Hart as the Lone Ranger" action figure given to him for his birthday by his fans in the Lone Ranger Fan Club. The figure was made by Ben Molina of Legends Reborn. Ta-i Kemo Sabe, welcome! You have reached the home of the Lone Ranger Fan Club. Click on the links below to explore the best source of information on the Web about the Lone Ranger and Tonto. OBITUARIES FOR YOUR EYES ONLY d. September 20, 2009 Who else played the Lone Ranger on television?

John Hart, 91, the B-movie, serial and TV actor whose career highlight was the answer to a trivia question, died Sept. 20 at his home in Rosarito Beach in Baja California. He had dementia. Clayton Moore, who died in 1999, is a beloved idol of the first TV generation for his portrayal of the masked man through most of the show’s run (1949 to 1957 on ABC). But Hart replaced him in 52 episodes shot after Moore fell out with the producers (Jay Silverheels played Tonto through the entire run with both Moore and Hart). In those early days of filmed TV series, production was not always divided neatly into seasons. Moore starred in some 78 episodes made in 1949 and 1950 that ran during the show’s first three years on the air. When production was set to resume in 1952, Moore asked for a salary increase that producer George W. Trendle, who created the Lone Ranger in 1933 for his Detroit radio station, refused to pay.

Casting about for a replacement, Trendle settled on Hart, who had played another famous radio hero brought to film in Columbia’s 1947 “Jack Armstrong” serial. Hart spent the 1940s as a supporting player in numerous action programmers, B-westerns and serials (including “Brick Bradford,” “Batman and Robin” and “Atom Man vs. Superman”), and he had played a villain in several episodes of The Lone Ranger with Moore. No matter who played the Lone Ranger, Trendle and sponsor General Mills ground out the shows as quickly and cheaply as possible. “We worked Monday through Saturday,” Hart told the Longmont, Colo., Daily Times in 2001. “The scripts ran 30-some pages. We shot every episode in two days.” Hart also noted with amusement that the Ranger’s famous horse Silver and Tonto’s horse Scout did not get along. “They hated each other, it was really funny,” he said. “We’d pull up and have some dialogue and the horses would start nipping at each other and dancing around.” The misbehaving horses often forced the actors to shoot their close-ups in saddles mounted on sawhorses, Hart said.

Those who have seen Hart’s Lone Ranger episodes generally agree that he was a poor substitute for Moore, whose real talent lay in his ability to effortlessly project the Ranger’s authority and charisma from behind the mask. Hart appeared stiff and charmless in comparison. Preparing to shoot a further 52 episodes in 1954, Trendle settled his differences with Moore, who was happy to regain the role after being forced back into his pre-Ranger work as just another player in B-westerns and serials. Trendle also was happy to have Moore back since he was preparing to sell every asset connected with The Lone Ranger to producer Jack Wrather. Hart was cut loose to appear in some I Love Lucy episodes and to find work in segments of Sky King, Fury, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon (another Trendle property that went to Wrather), Highway Patrol, Bat Masterson and Tales of the Texas Rangers among others. In 1955, Hart starred in Columbia’s “Adventures of Captain Africa,” one of the last movie serials made, in a role that not so coincidentally required him to wear a Ranger-like mask.

The cliffhanger started production as another adventure of the masked jungle hero of comic-strip fame, The Phantom, subject of a 1943 Columbia serial. Only after shooting started did the producers discover their rights to the character had expired. Production halted just long enough for Hart to be outfitted in a slightly different mask and hood and dubbed Captain Africa. Hart landed another TV series lead in 1957 as early-American frontier scout Hawkeye in Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans, rather loosely based on the James Fenimore Cooper story. The syndicated series ran for 39 episodes, with Lon Chaney Jr. co-starring as Chingachgook. Hart continued to appear in small roles in films like “The Shaggy Dog,” “The Horizontal Lieutenant,” “It Happened at the World’s Fair,” “The Cincinnati Kid,” “Captain Newman, M.D.” and “Marnie,” and in episodes of Leave It to Beaver, Ben Casey, Rawhide, The Lieutenant, The Addams Family, Perry Mason, Hec Ramsey, Barbary Coast and CHiPs. But as acting jobs fell off, he also got into business, producing educational and sales films and selling film stock.

In 1981, he became associate producer and post-production supervisor of Jack Klugman’s series Quincy for its last two seasons. And surprisingly, Hart revisited the Lone Ranger several times, first in “The Phynx,” a 1970 low-budget spy spoof made long after the 1960s spy craze ended. The plot had Albanian spies kidnapping American celebrities who played themselves in cameo appearances — everyone from Georgie Jessel, Guy Lombardo and Johnny Weissmuller to Ed Sullivan, Joe Louis and Colonel Harland Sanders. Hart and Jay Silverheels played themselves playing the Lone Ranger and Tonto. Even more surprisingly, Hart stepped in for Clayton Moore again when Moore once again ran afoul of the Lone Ranger’s owners. After playing the Ranger for the last time in the 1958 feature “The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold,” Moore retired from the screen and created a second career by virtually becoming the Lone Ranger, appearing in costume at rodeos, hospitals, Savings Bond rallies, parades, in public service announcements and commercials.

That lasted until 1979, when the huge success of “Star Wars” and “Superman” triggered a spate of big-budget features reviving classic adventure heroes. Wrather planned to cash in with a splashy new Lone Ranger movie. Top, John Hart in Lone Ranger publicity shot; above as Captain Africa; below, costumed as The Phantom in aborted 1955 serial. Above left, John Hart in “Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans”; above, Hart and Clayton Moore at 1990s western film fan gathering; right, The Lone Ranger ready for action. But in a truly idiotic move, Wrather and his new partners, who included the usually savvy Lew Grade, slapped Moore with an injunction forbidding him from appearing in public in the Lone Ranger’s mask, the better to promote their new movie and its star as the one and only Lone Ranger. All the publicity generated was as bad as it could be, painting the filmmakers as heartless villains while Moore rode a wave of public sympathy (and continued to appear in his Ranger outfit, substituting wraparound sunglasses for the mask).

The perfect end to the story came when “The Legend of the Lone Ranger” was released in 1981 — it was a dreadful picture and a huge flop, and its star, one Klinton Spilsbury, was never heard from again. However, the situation allowed Hart to step into the ancillary appearances that otherwise probably would have gone to Moore, beginning with the obligatory cameo in the movie itself. Hart appeared as a frontier newspaper editor named Striker, a salute to Fran Striker, who was Trendle’s chief writer and the true creator of the Lone Ranger. Hart also played the Ranger, or more accurately the aging actor who once portrayed him, in a 1981 episode of The Greatest American Hero. He then played the Lone Ranger one last time in an episode of the 1950s-set Happy Days in which Fonzie gets his birthday wish to meet the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains. All the publicity also got Hart his last real acting job in several 1981 episodes of Dallas.

Photos courtesy Clayton Moore - Biography - IMDb Clayton Moore Biography Showing all 43 items Jump to: Overview (5) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (4) | Trade Mark (3) | Trivia (23) | Personal Quotes (5) | Salary (2) Overview (5) 6' 1" (1.85 m) Mini Bio (1) Clayton Moore grew up in Chicago, Illinois and although his father wanted him to become a doctor, he had visions of something a little more glamorous. Naturally athletic, he practiced gymnastics during family summer vacations in Canada, eventually joining the trapeze act The Flying Behrs at 19. During the 1934 Chicago World's Fair, Clayton performed in the position of catcher. Playing off his good looks, he was signed by the John Robert Powers modeling agency and enjoyed a print career in NY for several years. But a friend urged him to make the move to Hollywood in 1938 where he entered films as a bit player and stuntman. In 1940, at the suggestion of his agent Edward Small , he changed his first name from Jack to Clayton.

Beginning with Perils of Nyoka (1942), he eventually became King of the Serials at Republic Studios appearing in more than cliffhanger star Buster Crabbe . During this period, he also worked in many B westerns earning his acting chops along side Roy Rogers , Gene Autry and interestingly Jay Silverheels . Later in 1942 he entered the military, was stationed in Kingman, Arizona and assigned entertainment duties including the production of training films. While in Arizona, he asked his future wife Sally Allen to marry him; she said "yes" and joined him in Kingman for the balance of his enlistment. After the war, he returned to these supporting roles while concentrating on westerns. His turn as Ghost of Zorro (1949) came to the attention of the radio's hugely successful Lone Ranger producer George W. Trendle who was casting the lead role for the new television series. After the interview, Trendle said, "Mr. Moore would you like the role of the Lone Ranger?" Moore replied, "Mr.

Trendle, I AM The Lone Ranger." The premiere episode appeared on ABC on September 15, 1949 and was the first western specifically written for the new medium. Although Moore's voice was a natural baritone, Trendle insisted he sound more like the radio actor Brace Beemer , so Moore worked with a voice coach to mimic both the speech pattern and tone. He starred in television's The Lone Ranger from 1949-1952 and 1953-1957. Along with William Boyd ("Hopalong Cassidy"), Moore was one of the most popular TV western stars of the era. Because of a salary dispute, he was replaced by John Hart , for one season. It was during his time away from the TV show that Moore returned to the big screen (as Clay Moore) to continue his movie career with such memorable movies as Radar Men from the Moon (1952) and Jungle Drums of Africa (1953). where he co starred with Phyllis Coates , TVs first "Lois Lane".

Hired back to the series, at a higher salary, Moore remained as The Lone Ranger until the series ended in 1957, after 169 episodes. He appeared in two color big-screen movies continuations of that character, in The Lone Ranger (1956) and The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (1958). After a lifetime of "B" movie parts, Clayton Moore finally found success in a TV series and continued to make commercials and personal appearances as "The Lone Ranger" for the next three decades. The commercials for Gino's Pizza Rolls and Aqua Velva have become legendary in their own right. At his appearances, he recited The Lone Ranger Creed, which he deeply believed in, and that image was never tarnished by the types of personal scandals that often affected other stars. In 1978 the Wrather Corp., which owned the series and the rights to the title character, obtained a court order to stop Moore from appearing in public as "The Lone Ranger". The company planned to film a new big-screen movie of the popular hero and did not want the public to confuse its new star with the old one.

It would be the only screen appearance for Klinton Spilsbury , this "new Lone Ranger". Although the former "Arrow" shirt model appeared rugged and handsome in the "umasked" sequence, his voice projected so poorly it was overdubbed by the more melodious voice of James Keach . The film was one of the biggest flops of the 1980s and The Lone Ranger story wasn't attempted again until 30 years later with Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp as Tonto. Again, however the film flopped without a nod to the original tenets of the integrity of the character. After his death in 1984, Wrather's widow actress Bonita Granville dismissed the lawsuit allowing Moore to continue to appear as the masked man. Moore's legacy to the entertainment industry and western film genre has been cemented with the installation of his legendary mask in the Smithsonian, his star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and a United States Postage Stamp bearing his image alongside Silver.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com>/efffee@aol.com Spouse (4) The white Horse Silver he rode as the titular character Blue shirt,white cowboy hat, black mask, and red scarf he wore as The Lone Raner Deep voice Best remembered as TV's "The Lone Ranger." Inducted into the Stuntman's Hall of Fame in 1982. Received the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1990. "The Lone Ranger" premiered on WXYZ-AM radio in Detroit, MI, in 1933. The show was created because WXYZ, a small station, could not afford network programs. After getting the role in the TV series The Lone Ranger (1949), Moore had to train his voice to sound more like the radio Lone Ranger, Brace Beemer . Moore's favorite character was "The Ol' Prospector", in which the Lone Ranger would dress up as a crotchety old miner and infiltrate places to gather information. He used the character on his home answering machine in Calabasas, CA, and would greet callers with it.

Having a history of heart trouble, he died at 9:20 am PST of a heart attack, at West Hills Regional Medical Center in West Hills, Los Angeles. Liked to quote and live by "The Lone Ranger Creed" written by Fran Striker around 1940, which began, "I believe that to have a friend, a man must be one" and included moral lessons such as, "God put the firewood there, but every man must gather and light it himself". He is the only person to have a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame with both his name AND the character he was famous for playing. His star says, "Clayton Moore, The Lone Ranger". Adopted a baby girl, Dawn Angela, in December of 1958. Inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1990. The Lone Ranger (1949) premiered on September 15, 1949, exactly one day after his 35th birthday.

Of the nearly 200 appearances Moore made with co-star Jay Silverheels , they appeared together in just four features where they did NOT play The Lone Ranger and Tonto: Kit Carson (1940), Perils of Nyoka (1942), The Cowboy and the Indians (1949), and The Black Dakotas (1954). During his hiatus from The Lone Ranger (1949) in 1952-1953 he appeared in three serials: Radar Men from the Moon (1952), Son of Geronimo: Apache Avenger (1952) and Jungle Drums of Africa (1953). In an earlier "masked" role, he was the title character in Ghost of Zorro (1949). "Silvercup Bread" was the original sponsor of "The Lone Ranger" on radio. Hence, the use of silver bullets and his horse named "Silver". Appears as The Lone Ranger, with his horse Silver , on a 44¢ USA commemorative postage stamp in the Early TV Memories issue honoring The Lone Ranger (1949), issued 11 August 2009.

In 1952 when John Hart assumed the role of "The Lone Ranger" for 52 episodes on ABC, CBS began showing reruns of the first 78 episodes (1949-1951) with Moore as "The Lone Ranger", on Saturday afternoons. When Moore returned to the series in 1954, he was seen as the "only Lone Ranger", twice weekly, on ABC and with reruns on CBS. He performed a trifecta with regard to appearing with the contemporary western heroes of the day. In 1948, one year prior to assuming the role of The Lone Ranger, he appeared in the Roy Rogers feature The Far Frontier (1948). During his hiatus from "The Lone Ranger" (1952-53), he appeared in four TV episodes - three times on The Gene Autry Show (1950) and as outlaw Trimmer Lane in Hopalong Cassidy: Lawless Legacy (1952). Inducted into the Golden Valley [Minnesota] Hall of Fame in 2013. He was born on the 100th anniversary of the writing of the Star Spangled Banner.

Moore's Lone Ranger mask is on permanent display in the Museum of American Popular Culture at the Smithsonian Institution and is considered one of their 101 Greatest Objects, as noted in the book by Dr. Richard Kunin. In 1988 when his pair of Colt 45s were stolen, he was given an unprecedented legal courtesy by the State District judge who allowed Moore to testify in his trademark white hat and dark glasses explaining, "I didn't want to be the one to reveal the identity of the Lone Ranger!". Appeared as The Lone Ranger welcoming guests to Frontierland on Disneyland's opening day July 17, 1955. Is the face of God in L.A. artist Kent Twitchell's mural of "The Holy Trinity" painted on the exterior of Otis Parson's Institute in downtown Los Angeles. Personal Quotes (5) Playing him [the Lone Ranger] made me a better person. Once I got the Lone Ranger role, I didn't want any other. I was playing the good guy. [on 2/4/85, about his Lone Ranger costume] I will continue wearing the white hat and black mask until I ride up into the big ranch in the sky.

[in 1982] Clayton Moore and The Lone Ranger are one and the same. I'm proud that I decided to wear the white hat for the rest of my life. [on working with Bela Lugosi in Black Dragons (1942)] [He] seemed like a nice man. He was very courteous, but he generally stayed to himself working on his lines. Salary (2) Clayton Moore - TV Celebrities - ShareTV [Complete List] BIOGRAPHY: Clayton Moore grew up in Illinois and was a circus acrobat at the age of eight. He would work his way up to aerialist with two circuses and also appear at the 1934 World's Fair. He then went to New York, where he found work as a male model. Hollywood was his next stop and he entered films in 1938 as a bit player and stuntman. In 1940, at the suggestion of producer Edward Small, he changed his first name to Clayton. He appeared in "B" pictures and serials through 1942, then entered the military. After the war he returned to these supporting roles while concentrating on westerns.

By 1949 he was playing the "Masked Man", but that man was Zorro in Ghost of Zorro (1949). In 1949 he was hired to appear in "The Lone Ranger" (1949), the television version of the long-running radio show. One thing he had to do was to work on his voice so that he sounded like the radio Lone Ranger. When he got that right, he became famous, along with Tonto, on the small screen. He was The Lone Ranger from 1949 to 1952, when he was fired in a salary dispute. Along with William Boyd (I) ("Hopalong Cassidy"), Moore was one of the most popular TV western stars of the era. He was replaced by John Hart (I), but Hart's tenure was terminated after one season. It was during his time away from the TV show that Moore returned to the big screen to continue his movie career with such memorable movies as Radar Men from the Moon (1952) and Jungle Drums of Africa (1953).

Hired back to the series, at a higher salary, Moore remained as The Lone Ranger until the series ended in 1957, after 169 episodes. He appeared in two color big-screen movies continuations of that character, in The Lone Ranger (1956) and The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (1958). After a lifetime of "B" movie parts, Clayton Moore finally found success in a TV series and continued to make commercials and personal appearances as "The Lone Ranger" for the next three decades. At his appearances, he preached the Ranger's Code of good behavior, which he also practiced, and that image was never tarnished by the types of personal scandals that often affected other stars. In 1975 the Wrather Corp., which owned the series and the rights to the title character, got a court order to stop Moore from appearing in public as "The Lone Ranger". The company planned to film a new big-screen movie of the popular hero and did not want the public to confuse its new star with the old one. It would be the only screen appearance for Clinton Spilsbury , this "new Lone Ranger".

Although appearing rugged and good looking in the "umasked" sequence , his voice projected so poorly it was overdubbed by a more gifted speaker.The film was one of the biggest flops of the 1980s, however, and Moore was given permission to again appear as "The Lone Ranger". TRIVIA: Was a stuntman for many years before becoming "The Lone Ranger". During 1952 when the producers of _"The Lone Ranger" (1949)_ (qv) replaced him for a year with 'John Hart (I)' (qv) due to a salary dispute, he appeared under the name of Rex Moore as a "Ryker" in _Shane (1953)_ (qv). It was a brief part consisting of a memorable fight scene between Shane and the Ryker family. "Silvercup Bread" was the original sponsor of "The Lone Ranger" on radio. Hence, the use of silver bullets and his horse named "Silver". He is the only person to have a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame with both his name AND the character he was famous for playing. His star says, "Clayton Moore, The Lone Ranger".

Liked to quote and live by "The Lone Ranger Creed" written by 'Fran Striker' (qv) around 1940, which began, "I believe that to have a friend, a man must be one" and included moral lessons such as, "God put the firewood there, but every man must gather and light it himself". From 1982 to 1999, though resuming public appearances as "The Lone Ranger", Clayton Moore appeared under the name of Jerry Potter in many roles on screen and TV. As Jerry Potter, he portrayed the general store owner in _Misery (1990)_ (qv), Jacob Walker in _The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory (1987) (TV)_ (qv) and George Washington in the screen version of _Wild Wild West (1999)_ (qv).

During his hiatus from _"The Lone Ranger" (1949)_ (qv) in 1952-53 he appeared in three serials: _Radar Men from the Moon (1952)_ (qv), _Son of Geronimo: Apache Avenger (1952)_ (qv) and _Jungle Drums of Africa (1953)_ (qv). _"The Lone Ranger" (1949)_ (qv) premiered on September 15, 1949, exactly one day after his 35th birthday. Best remembered as TV's "The Lone Ranger." Related sites for this celeb 16 TV Stars Who Got Replaced – EW.com 20th Century Fox/Courtesy Everett Collection Lisa Robin Kelly for Christina Moore (Laurie Forman on 'That '70s Show') Lisa Robin Kelly was introduced as Laurie Forman in That '70s Show's first season. Making her debut in the second episode, "Eric's Birthday," Kelly played the older sister to Topher Grace's Eric Forman.

The actress continued to play Laurie on and off for five years, making her last appearance in season 5's "Celebration Day." In the first episode of the sixth season, Laurie was played by Christina Moore with little explanation given for the change. Moore portrayed the promiscuous older sister for six episodes, wrapping her run at the end of the show's sixth season in 2004. Chris Cuffaio/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images; Chris Haston/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Janet Hubert for Daphne Reid (Vivian Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) Fresh Prince of Bel-Air viewers first met Aunt Viv in 1990 in thanks to Janet Hubert. Hubert played Vivian Banks from the show's September 1990 premiere episode through 1993, taking her last bow in the season 3 episode "Six Degrees of Graduation." Amid rumors of a feud with Fresh Prince star Will Smith, Hubert was replaced for the sitcom's fourth season.

Daphne Reid stepped into Aunt Viv's shoes in the season 4 premiere, continuing the character's story from 1993 until the show's wrap in May 1996. ABC Photo Archives via Getty Images Dick York for Dick Sargent (Darrin Stephens on Bewitched) Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) met her match in Darrin Stephens on Bewitched, but the adman wasn't even played by the same actor through the show's eight-year run. Dick York originated the role, playing Darrin from the 1964 series premiere "I, Darrin, Take This Witch, Samantha" through season 5's "Samantha and Darrin in Mexico City," five years and 17 episodes later. Dick Sargent then took over, first playing Darrin in the season 6 premiere, "Sam and the Beanstalk," and continuing to do so until the show came to a close in 1972.

ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images; ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images Lily Nicksay for Lindsay Ridgeway (Morgan Matthews on Boy Meets World) Boy Meets World premiered in 1993 with Lily Nicksay playing Morgan Matthews, the little sister to Ben Savage's Cory Matthews. She continued the role through the end of the second season, bidding adieu in the 1995 season finale "Home." Morgan was nowhere to be seen the first half of the third season, finally returning in 1996's "A Kiss Is More Than a Kiss" with Lindsay Ridgeway playing the character. The show nodded to the absence, as Cory told his sister, "Morgan, long time, no see!" and she responded, "Yeah, that was the longest timeout I've ever had." Courtesy Everett Collection Barbara Bel Geddes for Donna Reed for Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie Ewing on Dallas) Dallas premiered in April 1978 with Barbara Bel Geddes playing Miss Ellie Ewing. She continued the role for six years, leaving after the season 7 episode "End Game" in May 1984.

In November 1984, Donna Reed stepped into her shoes, taking a turn as Miss Ellie Ewing beginning with the season 8 episode "Homecoming." Another swap was in the works, however, as Reed exited the show a year later, as Geddes made her return. Reed's final appearance was in May 1985's "Swan Song," followed soon after by Geddes' return in September 1985. Online USA via Getty Images; Courtesy Everett Collection Clayton Moore for John Hart for Clayton Moore (The Lone Ranger on The Lone Ranger) In September 1949, The Lone Ranger made its debut, with Clayton Moore playing the title character in "Enter the Lone Ranger." Moore continued to play the Lone Ranger through March 1951, leaving after the season 2 episode "Backtrail." When the third season premiered in September 1952, John Hart was the man behind the mask.

Hart played the Lone Ranger until September 1952, exiting after the season 3 episode "The Red Mark." Moore then made his return, coming back to the role in the September 1954 season 4 premiere "The Fugitive" and continuing the role until the show's wrap in June 1957. ABC via Getty Images; Bob D'Amico/ABC vis Getty Images Lecy Goranson for Sarah Chalke for Lecy Goranson for Sarah Chalke (Becky Conner on Roseanne) Lecy Goranson and Sarah Chalke did quite the complicated dance throughout the eight-year run of Roseanne. The sitcom debuted in October 1988 with Goranson playing Becky Conner. She continued to do so for five years, leaving the gig after the season 5 episode "Daughters and Other Strangers" in May 1993.

Chalke then stepped in, picking up the role of Becky in November 1993's season 6 episode "Homecoming." Chalke then exited in 1995, when the part went back to Goranson, who played Becky on and off from September 1995 through May 1996. Clarke popped back up during this time, taking on Becky for the final run through the series finale in May 1997. Clayton Moore, TV's 'Lone Ranger,' Dies - latimes Clayton Moore, TV's 'Lone Ranger,' Dies Obituary: Actor's identification with the masked hero long outlasted the series. December 29, 1999 |STEPHANIE STASSEL | TIMES STAFF WRITER Clayton Moore, whose hearty "Hi-yo, Silver" resounded on television throughout the 1950s and who personally identified so strongly with the Lone Ranger character that he refused even in old age to give up being a Western hero, died Tuesday. He was 85.

Moore died of a heart attack at West Hills Regional Medical Center in the San Fernando Valley, according to his publicist, Katy Sweet Public Relations. "I always wanted to be a policeman or a cowboy, and I got to do both," Moore wrote in his 1996 autobiography, "I Was That Masked Man." Already an experienced actor, he first appeared as the Lone Ranger in 1949, when the popular radio program of the 1930s and '40s gave rise to a visual version in television's infancy. Moore played the champion of justice from 1949 to 1952 and again from 1954 to 1957. But even after leaving the show, he continued appearing as the Lone Ranger in rodeos, parades and other public events, firing blanks from his twin Colt .45s and preaching to his young fans about honesty, law and order, and respect. "I believe, truly and always, in the Lone Ranger's Creed," Moore reiterated in 1996 during a book tour for his autobiography.

The creed includes such lines as "I believe that to have a friend, a man must be one" and "I believe that all men are created equal and that everyone has within himself the power to make this a better world." Although actor John Hart was seen on TV for two seasons in the part, Moore unabashedly claimed the Lone Ranger's image for himself, an attachment that eventually led to a legal battle with the owners of the rights to the character. "Once I got the Lone Ranger role, I didn't want any other," Moore said in a 1985 interview with The Times. "I like playing the good guy. I'll wear the white hat for the rest of my life. The Lone Ranger is a great character, a great American. Playing him made me a better person." The actor was born Jack Carlson Moore, the son of a real estate broker, in Chicago. He performed in a trapeze circus act for several years, after learning acrobatics, tumbling and swimming as a teenager at the Illinois Athletic Club. One of his instructors there was Johnny Weissmuller, the champion swimmer who later played Tarzan in the movies.

An injury ended Moore's circus career, and the ruggedly handsome athlete later became a John Robert Powers model. He first appeared in films in 1938, playing bit parts and performing stunts in serials including "Dick Tracy Returns" (1938) and "The Perils of Nyoka" (1942). Nicknamed the "King of the Serials" for all the cliffhanger episodes he helped churn out to encourage return visits to movie theaters, Moore first donned a mask in the 1949 serial "The Ghost of Zorro." His acting career, interrupted by World War II when he served three years in the Army Air Force, included more than 70 feature films. Among them was "Black Dragons," the very first World War II film, starring Bela Lugosi as a German doctor who altered the faces of Japanese spies to look like American industrialists and Moore as the handsome American hero who got the girl. A fan of the Lone Ranger radio series since its inception in 1933, Moore beat out 75 actors to become television's version of the classic hero. When producer George Trendle told him the good news, Moore said he replied: "Mr.

Trendle, I am the Lone Ranger." The show was the first western filmed for television and a pioneer in its field. Until it came along, television cowboy programs consisted merely of segments cut from feature films. The legend of the Lone Ranger, as told in the original radio series, begins with an ambush of six Texas Rangers, including the two Reid brothers, by outlaw Butch Cavendish and his gang. Five Rangers are killed but John Reid, presumed dead by the outlaws, survives. Badly wounded, he is found and nursed back to health by an Indian named Tonto (played on TV by Jay Silverheels). Disguising himself with a black mask cut from his dead brother's vest to conceal his identity from the Cavendish gang, he sets out on their trail as the lone surviving Ranger of the patrol, the origin of the character's name. He and Tonto travel to Wild Horse Valley, where they rescue an injured white stallion, which the Lone Ranger names Silver. The Reids owned a silver mine that supports John Reid's crusade for justice while also providing the ranger's trademark silver bullets. The Lone Ranger was the purest of the white hats of the era and a favorite of both the young and their parents.

He spoke precisely, acted nobly, didn't drink or smoke and showed no interest in women, money or creature comforts. He always cooperated with the duly constituted officers of the law and never, ever seriously harmed anyone--a feat the writers explained by giving him such superhuman marksmanship that he was able to disarm villains by shooting the guns out of their hands at great distances. TV ACRES: Westerns >The Lone Ranger (starring Clayton Moore, John Hart and Jay Silverheels) Drama 30 Minutes Set in the Southwest of the late 19th century, this was the story of Texas Ranger John Reid (Clayton Moore/John Hart), a lone survivor of an ambush by the Cavendish Gang who was found by an Indian named Tonto (Jay Silverheels) and nursed back to health Recovered from his injuries, the ranger donned a black mask, vowing to avenge the death of his fellow rangers. Attaining his goal, he continued traveling with his faithful Indian companion to lead a fight for law and order in the early days of the Old West. "A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty hi-yo Silver! The Lone Ranger!

With his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains led the fight for law and order in the early West. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. The Lone Ranger rides again!" The Lone Ranger and Tonto Listen to Opening Theme The Lone Ranger was a friend to decent people everywhere. To protect them and himself he wore two six-shooters Especially made for him. He never shot to kill but wounded if necessary. Silver bullets were his ammunition of choice; he used the bullets as a means of identifying himself to local law enforcement. When the Lone Ranger needed to go undercover he donned a variety of disguises, often that of a bearded, or mustachioed character. Memorabilia TRIVIA NOTE: The Lone Ranger character was created by Fran Striker and George W. Trendle and debuted on WXYZ Detroit radio on January 30, 1933 and ran until episode No.2596 entitled "Cold Spring Showdown" that aired on September 3, 1954. The television adaptation ran on ABC-TV from September 15, 1949 through September 12, 1957.

The idea for the Lone Ranger can be traced back to a program written by Fran Striker called "Covered Wagon Days' that aired in Buffalo, New York on WEBR as early as 1929. During the 1952-54 season, John Hart played the role of the Lone Ranger. Clayton Moore who played the role of the Lone Ranger on the TV series was a stuntman, horseman and expert gun twirler. Born in Chicago on September 14, 1914, Clayton Moore spent his youth as a circus trapeze artist and later in his career became known as "King of the Serials" at Republic Pictures starring in Jesse James Rides Again (1947), The Adventures of Frank and Jesse James (1948), G-Men Never Forget (1948), and Ghost of Zorro (1949). In 1954, George W. Trendle, the owner of the Lone Ranger character, sold his interests to Texan Jack Wrather for the sum of three million dollars.

The Wrather Corporation purchased the entire Lone Ranger property including all of the radio programs, 182 half-hours Trendle black & white produced programs as well as all merchandising and related rights. During the 1956-57 season the Wrather Corporation produced the thirty-nine new LONE RANGER adventures (these were produced in color). In August of 1955, the color feature film The Lone Ranger began production at Warner Brothers Studios followed by a second feature film The Lone Ranger and The Lost City of Gold (1958) released through United Artist. Both films starred Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels. The Animated Series The Wrather Corporation later produced a Saturday morning cartoon series THE LONE RANGER/CBS/196-69 as well as the box-office bomb of a remake The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981) starring Klinton Spilsbury as the Lone Ranger and Michael Horse as Tonto, his faithful Indian companion (Michael Horse was part Cree Indian and part Caucasian).

Obituaries: Clayton Moore: 12/28/1999; Jay Silverheels: 03/05/1980; Lane Bradford: 06/07/1973; Gerald Mohr: 11/09/1968; Chuck Courtney: 01/19/2000. External Links The Lone Ranger Fan Club :: Clayton Moore (19 August 1940 - April 1942) (divorced) Picture is Clayton with his wife Sally at their "Lazy Trails" Home in Tarzana, California. A Tribute - from a boy that was in an Orphanage. Clayton Moore in his personal life and as The Lone Ranger meant a lot to many of the kids that grew up with him. These kids are now adults that are parents and even grandparents. Here is the best tribute that anyone could possibly get from this little boy, like many little boys that admired this great man, who is now an adult.

Turn up your volume and see Roger Dean Kiser's tribute here Clayton Moore, in his own words Excerpts from his book 'I Was That Masked Man' by Joe Southern No one is more closely associated with the Lone Ranger than Clayton Moore. And no actor has so closely associated with a character than Moore has with the masked man. Using his own words as quoted from his book “I Was That Masked Man,” co-authored by Frank Thompson, we take a look at the life of the man who brought joy, hope and happiness to millions of fans across the country and around the world. “I suppose I was destined to be a patriotic American from the day I was born in Saint Luke’s Hospital on the South Side of Chicago. My birthday, September 14, 1914, was the 100th anniversary of the writing of ‘The Star Spangled Banner.’” He was born Jack Carlton Moore. It wasn’t until he got to Hollywood that producer Eddie Small changed his name to Clayton. “I was born, the youngest of three boys, to Theresa Violet Fisher and Sprague C. Moore.

My brother Sprague was four years older than I was, and Howard was just nine months older.” As a teenager, Moore became involved in athletics at the Illinois Athletic Club. There he befriended Johnny Weissmuller. He learned to swim and, more importantly, to be a trapeze artist. He connected with Johnny Behr, who invited Moore to join his Flying Behrs. “Our biggest break came when we were booked at the 1934 Chicago World’s Fair. We performed there for the greater part of that summer. I would travel to the fairground on the El to do two shows a day, an afternoon and an evening show,” he said. After a brief move to live with his great-aunt in Florida, Moore dropped out of high school just weeks shy of graduation to tour with the Flying Behrs. “I loved the athletic challenge of what we were doing, but even more, I loved performing in front of appreciative audiences. Little by little, I began to realize that show business was my future — not trapeze work, but acting,” he said. Following the advice of his oldest brother, Moore got into modeling, first in Chicago, then in New York.

His modeling career led him to Hollywood where he pursued his dream of becoming a cowboy actor. After a rough start, Moore began to get parts in films, first at Columbia Pictures and then at Warner Brothers. He was hired away to MGM and six months later signed on with Edward Small Productions to play in “South of Pago Pago.” He never did get the part, but he did get something else. “Besides the money, Edward Small would make another big change in my life. He didn’t think that my name, Jack Carlton, had enough personality. He asked me what I thought about changing it to Clayton Moore, which he thought had a nice ring to it,” he said. While Moore was still working as a contract player, he was hired to escort Lupe Velez, the Mexican Spitfire. They never dated as such but went out to a lot of glamorous spots where Lupe could get publicity. Moore began getting better parts, including a role in “Kit Carson” (1940). Just before it’s premier, Moore married Mary Francis. It was a stormy marriage that ended in less than a year. A short time later Moore left Small to work for Republic Pictures.

“I’ll never forget the first day I walked through the gates of Republic Pictures. … Back in the silent days, comic genius Mack Sennet had run the place, but now it was a Western paradise. Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and John Wayne were Republic’s biggest stars. I felt as though I really come to the right place. But it would be quite a while before I appeared in a Republic Western,” he said. Before getting into Westerns, Moore made what was probably the best of his Republic serials — “The Perils of Nyoka” (later changed to “Nyoka and the Tigermen”). Around the time he was filming “Perils,” Moore and Velez attended a pool party where Moore met Sally Allen. While working on “Black Dragons” in 1942, Moore was drafted into the Army. While he was stationed in Kingman, Ariz., he married Sally. In 1945 he was transferred from Kingman to the motion picture unit in Culver City. A short time later he was honorably discharged and went back to work at Republic Pictures.

For the next four years he worked in numerous serials, enough to earn him the title “King of the B’s.” “‘The Ghost of Zorro’ completed filming in February 1949, and the first episode was released on April 12. I thought that it had turned out well and was proud of what we had accomplished. But there was no reason to think of ‘The Ghost of Zorro’ as anything other than just another serial. I went home to wait for my next assignment from Republic, eager for rest after taking off the Zorro mask. “What I didn’t realize is that I wouldn’t work for Republic again for a while. And as for masks — I was about to put one on that I would never truly take off again,” he said. In the summer of 1949, Moore took on a role that would redefine his life. “So, when my agent told me in the spring of 1949 that I was being considered for the leading role in a proposed television version of ‘The Lone Ranger,’ I was thrilled — and more than a little scared,” Moore said. The nerves, however, quickly passed when he finally met Lone Ranger creator/owner George Trendle. “Mr.

Trendle looked directly into my eyes. ‘Mr. Moore,’ he said — he didn’t call my Clayton, never got that informal — ‘would you like the part of the Lone Ranger?’ I stiffened up just a little bit and my knees stopped quaking. I looked back at him and said, ‘Mr. Trendle, I am the Lone Ranger!’” The next day he was introduced to Jay Silverheels, the man who would play the part of Tonto. “As we shook hands for the first time, I felt as if I had known Jay Silverheels for a long time,” Moore said. “My first costume was made by Frank Acuna, an independent costumer. It was very similar to the standard Lone Ranger costume except that the first mask was slightly smaller and covered less of my face. The mask was made of plaster and molded right to my face, then covered with purple felt. I developed the molded mask. In previous movies, masked men had trouble moving around because the mask hindered their vision. But with this mask I had no trouble at all,” he said. “We began production on the series on June 21, 1949. Even by the standards of the day, our budgets were low.

For the first two seasons, ‘The Lone Ranger’ cost $12,500 per episode. Our sponsor General Mills raised the budget to $15,000 in 1951, $17,000 in 1952 and $18,000 by 1954. Today it isn’t unusual for a four- minute music video on MTV to cost a million dollars. We were masters at stretching a buck,” Moore said. While Moore didn’t make much money doing the show, he did find a way to earn a little extra off of it. “But remember the opening scene in front of "The Lone Ranger Rock", where Silver rears up? That’s me. I did all the rearing of the horse. Not because I thought I was such an excellent horseman that no one else could rear Silver as well as I could, but because every time they used that shot to advertise the show, I got fifty dollars. So I made sure that every time we reared that horse, I was on him,” he said. The shows were cheap and quickly made, but that didn’t stop the actors from enjoying the experience.

“In one episode Jay had a tongue twister of his own. We rode into the scene, dismounted, ran up a short hill, crouched down at a fallen log, and Jay said, ‘Kimo Sabe, me see snoke sniggle,’” he said. One time on the set Silverheels came away from a fight scene walking funny. When Moore found him in his trailer, Silverheels was holding his chest. He’d had a heart attack. While he was recovering, the scripts were re- written to have Tonto away. The Dan Reid character was introduced to fill in the gap. In the show’s third season, in 1952, John Hart replaced Moore. During that time Moore returned to Republic Pictures and made the last of his serials. Not long after Moore returned to “The Lone Ranger” the character was sold by Trendle to Jack Wrather for $3 million. Moore played the Lone Ranger for the rest of the run from 1954 to 1956, starring in 169 of the 221 episodes.

He also starred with Silverheels in two major motion pictures, “The Lone Ranger” (1956) and “The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold” (1958). “Although neither of us were through with the characters yet — not by a long shot — we would never again appear in film or on television in adventures about the Lone Ranger and Tonto,” he said. The year 1958 was very memorable for Moore. He made a famous tour of England and returned home to a major event. He and Sally adopted a baby girl, Dawn Angela Moore. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Moore continued to appear as the Lone Ranger at public appearances and on television commercials. He quit acting in order to portray the masked man for a living. But in 1975 something happened to threaten that. The Wrather Corp. demanded that he stop representing himself as the Lone Ranger. At a hearing in August of 1979, a judge did the improbable — he ripped the mask off the ol’ Lone Ranger. “It felt like a slap in the face,” he said. Things didn’t get much better. The next year Jay Silverheels died.

“I could only hope that Jay, wherever he was, knew how much I loved him and respected him and how much of an impact he had on my life and so many other lives,” Moore said. In 1981, “The Legend of the Lone Ranger” opened and immediately flopped. “Lone Ranger fans across the country were so angered by my treatment during this whole ordeal that they stayed away in droves. … When ‘The Legend of the Lone Ranger’ bombed at the box office, many people expected me to feel smug and satisfied. But I would never wish failure on anyone,” he said. The year 1985 brought a mixed blessing. With Jack Wrather’s passing, the restraining order was lifted and the mask was returned. But Sally became ill and passed away the next year. Moore married two more times after that. “It doesn’t matter that I am Clayton Moore, an actor, and that The Lone Ranger is a legendary figure of folklore. In more ways than I can count, we have become one and the same.” To read his full life story with pictures get the book "I was that Masked Man" by Clayton Moore written by Frank Thompson.

You can purchase it on our For Sale page of Books and DVD's. It is for sale here on this website Under For Sale - then look for the dropdown "Books & DVD's." P.S. - If you find any broken links on this fansite please use the "Contact Us" page and let us know where the broken link is located. Ta-i Kemo Sabe, welcome! You have reached the home of the Lone Ranger Fan Club. Click on the links below to explore the best source of information on the Web about the Lone Ranger and Tonto. John Hart John Hart Location of death: Rosarito Beach, Mexico Cause of death: unspecified Executive summary: Replaced Clayton Moore as TV's Lone Ranger Military service: US Army (WWII) Studied acting at Pasadena Playhouse before signing a contract with Paramount. World War II interrupted his career, and in 1947 he played the lead in a 15-episode serial, Jack Armstrong: The All-American Boy. Following that he entered a slump, landing only undistinguished and often uncredited film roles. But in 1952, during Clayton Moore 's contract dispute with George W.

Trendle, Hart appeared as the title character for 52 episodes of the The Lone Ranger. The reason for the dispute remains hazy, Trendle (a notorious cheapskate) suggesting it was over money, but Moore in his autobiography claimed it was over the public's identification of Moore as the Lone Ranger. The dispute somehow settled, Hart relinquished his role. A second serial, The Adventures of Captain Africa followed, and then in 1957 he was cast as the star of Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans, with Lon Chaney, Jr. playing Chingachgook. Hart reprised his Lone Ranger role in episodes of The Greatest American Hero (1981), and Happy Days (1982). He died in 2009 at his home in Mexico, sufferering dementia in his ending years. Wife: Beryl Braithwaite (m.

1957, until his death, one daughter) Daughter: Robyn Hart Proiette The (Court-Ordered) Unmasking of the Lone Ranger | Mental Floss The (Court-Ordered) Unmasking of the Lone Ranger Photo: Wikimedia Commons/User: We hope It's not unusual for actors to become so synonymous with the characters they play that they're forever known as that character. Think Adam West as Batman, Wayne Knight as Seinfeld's Newman, and Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. Usually actors try to avoid this kind of relationship with their characters, but there was one man who really embraced it – Clayton Moore, better known as The Lone Ranger. Moore played the Ranger on TV from 1949 to 1951, when he was replaced by John Hart, allegedly due to a contract dispute with the producers. But when oil baron-turned-television producer Jack Wrather bought the rights to the Ranger for $3 million in 1954, Moore returned to the saddle again, lasting until 1957 when the show was canceled.

During this time, Moore also starred in three Lone Ranger movies – 1955's The Lone Ranger Rides Again, 1956's The Lone Ranger, and 1958's The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold. Between the big screen and 169 episodes of the show, there was no question that Clayton Moore was The Lone Ranger in the eyes of America's kids. Although the TV show and movies had run their course, that didn't mean Moore was done with his iconic cowboy persona. He was so in love with the character that he quit acting to become the Lone Ranger full-time. Along with a white horse he called Silver, Moore donned the black mask and silver six-gun revolvers to appear at charity events, fairs and festivals, and in paid advertisements. Everywhere he went, he always took time out to talk to youngsters about staying away from drugs, alcohol, smoking, and swearing. The crowds loved him and he was in high demand for years to come.

A Slap in the Face But Moore's career hit a speed bump in 1978, when Jack Wrather, who still owned the rights to the character, obtained a court order barring him from appearing in public as the Lone Ranger. The suit came because Universal Pictures felt it was time for a new take on the legendary masked man. The reboot was going to be a younger, hipper, more modern cowboy, so the last thing they wanted was a 64-year-old man traveling around the country yelling “Hi-yo, Silver! Away!” Aside from the intellectual property issues, Wrather pointed out that Moore's original contract contained a clause saying that he could not present himself as The Lone Ranger without written consent from Wrather, which Moore had never received. After a year-long court battle, Moore lost the right to wear the mask in 1979, a move that devastated both him and his fans. Moore was quoted as saying, “It felt like a slap in the face.” But while Wrather might have won in the eyes of the court, it was Moore who won in the eyes of the public.

After the verdict had been handed down, Moore appeared on more than 250 talk shows, now wearing dark, wrap-around sunglasses instead of the mask. In addition, Moore claimed, “I received nearly a half-million passionate, supportive letters” from adoring fans. Perhaps the most famous moment of his post-mask career occurred in 1980, when the popular show Real People ran a story on the controversy. After a taped segment featuring interviews with fans upset over how Moore had been treated, the man himself came onto the stage for a live broadcast interview. The studio audience exploded in riotous applause that lasted so long it ate up the entire time Moore was slated to appear. The producers had to cut away to commercial before he even got the chance to thank his fans for their support. "Yes, Tonto, I am... the Lone Ranger." In part because of the bad press surrounding the de-masking of Clayton Moore, when Universal Pictures' The Legend of the Lone Ranger was released in 1981, audiences stayed far away. The picture was a box office bomb, marking the beginning and unceremonious end of the Hollywood career of its young star, Klinton Spilsbury.

True to the spirit of the character he loved, in his 1996 autobiography, I Was That Masked Man, Moore had this to say about the film's poor reception: “...many people expected me to feel smug and satisfied. But I would never wish failure on anyone.” Moore counter-sued Wrather, hoping to regain the right to wear the mask again, but the proceedings carried on for many years until September 20, 1984, when, in a surprise move, Jack Wrather suddenly dropped the case. Although no official reason was given, Wrather died a month later, so it would seem the old man had a change of heart. On October 17, Moore's agent received a letter from Bonita Wrather, Jack's wife, that read, “please be advised that Wrather Corporation hereby grants to Clayton Moore the rights to wear the Lone Ranger mask.” Finally, the Lone Ranger could ride again. Clayton Moore continued to appear as the Lone Ranger for many years, before dying of a heart attack on December 28, 1999. As any Hollywood icon should, he received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1987.

However, his is the only star to feature both his name and the name of the character he personified.

Question: Clayton Moore and John Hart both played which US TV character?
Answer: The Lone Ranger