I Was That Masked Man

Clayton Moore was the actor who fixed a burning image in millions of baby boomer minds and whose TV character spawned uncountable little white suits, cowboy hats, and black masks on children all over the world. Moore portrayed "The Lone Ranger" in the original TV series between 1949 and 1957. He became a modern immortal with the signature tune of Rossini's "William Tell" overture and his catch line "Hi Yo Silver!" This biography, written with Frank Thompson, author of Lost Movies, details Moore's career before and after his years with Tonto (he began as a trapeze artist), sketches in his personal life (three marriages), and relates how his fans were outraged when, in 1979, Moore was legally forbidden to wear his famous mask in public appearances.