I Was That Masked Man

January 1, 1996
In this plainspoken autobiography by the man who played the Lone Ranger on TV from 1949 to 1957, Moore professes to have followed the principles of the hero he portrayed, to have tried his best "to live up to the standards of honesty, decency, respect, and patriotism that have defined the Lone Ranger since 1933." A divorce or two notwithstanding, he seems to have kept his pledge, working most of his career in the lower echelons of show business--in serials and TV--as a professional and personal straight arrow. This may be admirable, but it makes for mostly dull reading, despite the writing help of film scholar Thompson (Lost Films). Brushes with more colorful characters, such as Bela Lugosi and Marilyn Monroe, are dispensed with quickly: Lugosi was "nice to work with"; Monroe had "a spectacular figure." Most of Moore's own difficulties, e.g., when he was removed from the TV series only to be asked back again, are also given short shrift: Still, there are passionate passages here, including Moore's fond memories of his lifelong friendship with Jay Silverheels, who played Tonto, and his embittered account of the five years in the early 1980s when he was forbidden by court order to appear in public as the Lone Ranger. There are also amusing anecdotes about the making of low-budget productions, and, bizarrely, a brush with the Manson family. This memoir is likely to appeal exclusively to avid fans of The Lone Ranger and of old movie serials. The text features a foreword by Leonard Maltin and lists all of Moore's film and TV appearances. Photos.

September 15, 1996
Moore "never kissed a girl on the Lone Ranger show . . . only Silver" (the horse). Readers surprised by this simply haven't been paying enough attention to their pop cultural literacy and should immediately sit down with Moore's memoir. Moore is famous for portraying the not-so-mysterious masked man (more mysterious was Tonto; why did he hang around with this troublemaker in the first place?), but his career included several other roles, mainly in westerns and serials like the gloriously ridiculous "Jungle Drums." After the demise of the "Lone Ranger" TV series, Moore made a career of personal appearances as the character and eventually became embroiled in controversy over whether he had the legal right to do so. His earnestly told story includes a listing of "Lone Ranger" TV episodes that gives it reference value. Meanwhile, Moore's reminiscences afford a banquet of details on just how B pictures, serials, and westerns were put together. And there is a whole chapter on Jay Silverheels, aka Tonto. ((Reviewed Sept. 15, 1996))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1996, American Library Association.)