Hats Off toClayton Moore &
Jay Silverheels
As The Lone Ranger
& Tonto
The life, career, and accomplishments of Clayton Moore as masked lawman "The Lone Ranger" was truly astounding. Presented here - in no particular order - are some facts and trivia about Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels. I hope you enjoy reading this tribute as much as I enjoyed compiling it.
In Chicago on September 14th 1914, Jack Carlton Moore was born. At an early age, Moore became an accomplished acrobat and aerialist. Shortly after a performance at the 1934 Chicago World's Fair, Moore landed wrong during a workout, injuring his knee and finishing his career as a aerialist. The accident forced him to look in other directions, and soon the hansom young Moore got into modeling, first in Chicago, then in New York. His modeling career eventually led him to Hollywood in 1937, where his acrobatic skills made it possible for him to find work as a stunt man and bit player between his modeling assignments. 
By 1940 Jack Moore, with 17 minor bit parts behind him, gave up modeling altogether to concentrate on an acting career. That was when Hollywood producer Edward Small convinced him to adopt the stage name of "Clayton" Moore. By the end of 1942 Clayton had a total 24 movie credits, most of which where minor parts in westerns. Then in 1943, he was drafted into the Army Air Force. Retuning to Hollywood after the war Clayton's career blossomed as a cowboy in B-westerns and serial cliffhangers at Republic Studios. In the summer of 1949, when Moore was told by his agent that he was being considered for the leading role in a proposed program for the new "television" medium, he was thrilled. Several months later when Moore was asked by Lone Ranger creator George Trendle, if he would you like the part, Clayton replied, "Mr. Trendle, I AM the Lone Ranger!" Trendle's search from over 200 actors that were being considered for the role was finished. Clayton Moore was signed on the spot to the role that would later define his life.
The next day Clayton was introduced to Jay Silverheels, who had already been chosen to play his saddle partner. By that time Jay had an impressive list of screen credits of his own in films along side Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Shelley Winters, Tyrone Powers, Alan Ladd and other cinema greats of that era. The two hit it off immediately, and thus began the television saga of the masked lawman and his faithful Indian companion Tonto. Roles that would bring them both fame and immortality.Facts and Trivia:
- Filming for the Lone Ranger television series began on June 21, 1949, with a production budget of $12,500 per episode, which was very low, even by the standards of the day. - The opening television episode aired on September 15, 1949, and told the familiar story of how the Lone Ranger got his name, how he met Tonto, how he got his horse Silver and his mission in life.
- The Lone Ranger made television history as the first western written specifically for that medium.
- The series became the ABC network's first true "hit", and it's highest rated program to that point.
- The Lone Ranger show was nominated for an Emmy award in 1950.
-The program's early sponsors where Tootsie Rolls and General Mills, who would alternate weekly sponsorship.- On the television show, the Lone Ranger, never killed anyone, never kissed the girl, shot only to disarm, never drank, cussed or smoked, never accepted reward money, never showed his face to anyone but Tonto, always upheld a moral code, and always respected the rights and beliefs of others.
- Episodes of The Lone Ranger featured many guests that would later go on to greater Hollywood fortunes. Among them are Chuck Courtney, Rand Brooks, House Peters Jr., Glenn Strange, DeForest Kelley, James Arness and Slim Pickens.
- Once, while filming on the set Tonto came away from a fight scene
walking funny. Moore followed him to his trailer and found Silverheels, holding his chest. He’d had a heart attack. The script had to be re-written to have Tonto away, while he was recovering.- In 1952 Clayton was fired, and was replaced by actor John Hart. After only one season Hart's tenure was terminated and Clayton was rehired. There are conflicting stories about why Moore was released and later rehired. Rumor has it that it was over salary, but according to Moore's
own autobiography he never requested a salary increase and he was given no reason when he was fired. Nor was he given any reason when they asked him to return. - According to George Trendle, Clayton Moore was fired because he objected to Moore doing other roles outside of his Lone Ranger character and he thought John Hart was more like Brace Beemer who had made the role famous on radio. Moore's return to the show was just before the selling of the program and property rites to the
Wrather Corporation. It's speculated that Trendle realized that Hart's Lone Ranger portrayal wasn't as popular as Clayton's and thought the deal would be worth more with Moore back in place.- During his hiatus from the program in 1952-53 Clayton appeared in three films - Radar Men from the Moon, Son of Geronimo, and Jungle Drums of Africa.
- Tonto's famous "kemo sabe" line is in
fact a real Indian word, from the Potowatomie Indian language, meaning - faithful friend. - According to the story line The Lone Ranger owned a silver mine that he and Tonto would periodically visit to stock up on silver to trade for supplies and to make the famous silver bullets.
- In 1958 a Lone Ranger saving stamp program that was promoted to school children as a way to save money by the U.S. Treasury Department. - The series ended in 1957 after 169 half hour TV episodes and two big screen movies.
- When the show ended in 1957, Clayton Moore made TV commercials for Jeno's Pizza Rolls, Dodge, Aqua Velva and Amoco. He would also continue doing personal appearances as the "Lone Ranger", for three decades
. Moore used the Ranger's upright character to lecture to children against the evils of using drugs, drinking alcohol, smoking and swearing. Clayton became a real life role model as he also practiced the moral and personal conduct principles in his own life, that he so eloquently preached. - Moore quit acting altogether in order to portray the masked man for a living. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he continued to make
appearances as the Lone Ranger. However, in 1975 the Wrather Corporation which now owned the rights to the Lone Ranger was planning to revive the character on the big screen, and demanded that Clayton stop representing himself as the masked hero. At a hearing in August of 1979, a California judge ordered Moore to no longer appear in public as the Lone Ranger, something he had been doing for over thirty years. - The Legend of the Lone Ranger starring Klinton Spillsbury in 1981 was a flop at the box office and in 1984 the Wrather corporation
quietly dropped it's objections to Moore's on going court battle. To the delight of thousands of fans, Clayton was finally allowed to wear the mask again.- Clayton Moore was, and still is, the most known actor to play the Lone Ranger, but there was eight other Hollywood notables to portray the part on both the silver screen and radio. They were George Seaton, Jack Deeds, Earle Graser, Brace Breemer, Lee Powell, Robert Livingston, John Hart, and Klinton Spillsbury.
- Clayton is the only actor to have a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame with both their name and their character's name: Clayton Moore - The Lone Ranger. The star is located at 6914 Hollywood Boulevard. Jay Silverheels was also given a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.- After the TV series ended Jay Silverheels landed a few minor roles in Hollywood but was unable to break his image as Tonto. He devoted his later years to helping other Native American actors by forming the Indian Actors Workshop in Echo Park, Ca. in the late 1960's, where he actively encouraged talented young native American performers to study their craft.
- For his early work in Hollywood as a stuntman, Clayton Moore was inducted into the Stuntman's Hall of Fame in 1982.
- In 1983 Clayton Moore was among the first recipients of the Golden Boot Award to recognize significant involvement in the film and TV western industry.- In 1990 Clayton Moore was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
- In 1990 Jay Silverheels was presented a Golden Boot Award in memorial.
- In 1993, Jay Silverheels was also inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame.
- Clayton was the recipient of the Gene Autry Western Heritage Award in 1994.
- Jay Silverheels passed away as a result of complications of pneumoniaon March 5, 1980, at the Motion Picture Country Home and Hospital in Calabassas, Ca., at the age of 60.
Clayton Moore a.k.a. The Lone Ranger died as the result of a heart attack, on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 1999, in a Los Angeles hospital. He was 85 years old.
Happy Trails, Kemo Sabe...until we meet again!
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