Issue 111 June 2015
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I S S U E 1 1 1 - J U N E 2 0 1 5 - VOL. 27 NO. 2 The Official Chronicle for The Lone Ranger Fan Club Members Exclusive Interview: Q & A with Actor Marc Gilpin who portrayed Young John Reid in “The Legend of the Lone Ranger” in 1981 Full Feature Article On Henager’s Museum Located in Buckskin, Indiana By Randy Johnson THE SILVER BULLET Page 2 Marc Gilpin - One to One I have had the pleasure of chatting with Mr. Marc Gilpin. For those who don’t remember him, I will give you a reminder. Marc portrayed the young John Reid in the 1981 movie “The Legend of the Lone Ranger”. I sent him a few questions and here are his answers: 1) How old were you during the filming of "Legend of the Lone Ranger"? Let's see, I must've been about thirteen. I looked quite young for my age. We shot in Sum- mer of '80, I think.. Very hot in New Mexico. 2) Did your mother or father or both accompany you on location while filming? Definitely. I always had a parent on location with me, usually my mother. The family would come visit from time to time when they could. Depending on how long the film was shoot- ing, my little sister would tag along and go to school in the area. 3) How were you cast for the role? Most roles require an actor to perform the hardest scene in the film. The director and pro- ducer usually make sure the kid can do the job. It's already a big risk to use actors under eighteen because of the child labor laws in most states. I performed the crying scene with my dead "ma" to get the job. I'm pretty sure someone knew me or my work up to that point, because it really happened fast. The interview must have been a "let's just make sure" kind, before signing me on. 4) All of your scenes happen before the title screen setting the stage for the entire movie, how did you feel about that? Well, I was not aware of how they would use the scenes at the time. I understood I was at the beginning of the film, but that doesn't mean they shoot the movie in a linear fashion. I remember sitting around the set hanging out with Jason Robards, Michael Horse, John Perry or Christopher Lloyd. They were all there working scenes that appear much later. Some days, I was on hold around the set while other scenes were being staged and shot. 5) Did you and Patrick Montoya hit it off pretty good while filming? We really did. We had a chance to hang out and do some training with horses before get- ting to the set. I think he was from Albuquerque. We stayed in Santa Fe during production which is close to there. I remember him being a quiet, contemplative kid. Good memories. I S S U E 1 1 1 - J U N E 2 0 1 5 - VOL. 27 NO. 2 Page 3 6) Was a particular Native American tribe cast for all the extras? I don't know. I do remember that the chief in our scenes was a real chief of his tribe. He was highly respected on the set. I cringe when I hear his voice though, because I think that was dubbed, which is a shame because his real voice was very rich and deep. I'm not sure why it was dubbed. 7) When Tonto brings you to his tribe, where was the location for that scene? Everything was shot outside of Santa Fe and Albuquerque. We were really out there in the desert somewhere. I wish I could tell you more. 8) Did you keep any mementos from "The Legend of the Lone Ranger"? Oh yeah! I've still got the pigskin native leggings that I wore in the film. The costume de- signer literally bought up all of the pigskin suede that was available in the country at the time. She had to make hundreds of authentic leggings for everyone. Everything was au- thentic. They really wanted this western to feel real. I wish I had worked on another West- ern. They are so much fun to work on. And I have about 4 or 5 real silver bullets that the prop master gave me. They are still shiny. 9) Did you appear in any other films? Before the Lone Ranger, I co-starred as Roy Scheider's son in Jaws 2 and many other films. Most are not remembered. Ha! Also typical TV shows like Chips, Fantasy Island, etc. from the '80's. 10) What do you do for a living now? I spent my first 21 years as an actor growing up on a set all the time. So, at one point, I just walked away from it all. I had come so close for too long at landing really big roles, but it just wasn't meant to be, I guess. I felt like trying a go at a normal life and not leaving it up to someone else if I would be happy or successful. The funny thing is, I work behind the camera now in animation and technology. I have a wonderful wife, Kaki, and two boys, Spencer and Presley. I wouldn't have such a great fam- ily if I'd not given up acting because it can be very difficult to have real relationships where one is grounded. I think that's why all of my favorite actor's had a normal life before they became stars. They had that background they could pull from and use to connect with the audience. …….Special thanks to Mr. Gilpin for taking the time to answer my 10 Q Challenge. THE SILVER BULLET Page 4 John Bennett Perry - Part 2 - The Rest of the Pictures Please DO NOT SHARE to public media - These are from Mr. Perry’s personal archive Top: Henry Wills and John Bennett Perry Middle: Klinton Spilsbury and Mr. Perry Bottom: Mr. Perry in the Ambush Scene I S S U E 1 1 1 - J U N E 2 0 1 5 - VOL. 27 NO. 2 Page 5 Portrayers of Dan Reid, Sr. on the Silver Screen Tristram Coffin (1949: Enter the Lone Ranger) Tristram Coffin (1909-1990) was born in a Utah mining community, grew up in Salt Lake City, and started acting while in high school. He later contin- ued acting with traveling stock companies. Having earned a degree in speech at the University of Washington, he worked as a news analyst and sportscaster until a Hollywood talent scout approached him with the idea of putting him in films. Coffin's sinister looks served him well in the roles he played in serials like Perils of Nyoka (1942) and Spy Smasher (1942), but there were occasional hero roles, too, as in the feature The Corpse Van- ishes (1942) with Bela Lugosi. He donned the bullet helmet and gadget- laden leather jacket of Rocket Man in the 1949 serial King of the Rocket Men (1949). Baby boomers might remember Coffin best as the Arizona Ranger Captain in the 1950s Western series 26 Men (1957). John Bennett Perry (1981: The Legend of the Lone Ranger) John Bennett Perry has enjoyed a diverse and successful ca- reer that spans over the last few decades. Born a natural en- tertainer in Williamstown, Massachussetts, he started a band with his brother Tony and enjoyed local success. His acting roots were firmly planted in New York where he starred in many Broadway plays and musicals. Splitting time on both coasts, he appeared in numerous commercials, and became easily recognizable as the "Old Spice" sailor in the seventies. John went on to appear in a long list of dramatic and comedic features using both his sarcastic wit and emotional depth to gain fans of moviegoers and critics everywhere. In 1988 he won a Western Heritage Award for his work on the television drama Independence. John enjoys working with his son, Mat- thew Perry, and has played his father in the film Fools Rush In and the television show Scrubs. He also enjoys touring with his folk/country/comedy band "The Ojai Boys." He lives in Ojai with his wife Debbie, two dogs, a couple of horses and about James Badge Dale (2013: The Lone Ranger) was born on five chickens. May 1, 1978 in New York City, New York, USA as James Badgett Dale. His most notable works to date are in the 1990 film adap- tation of Lord of the Flies (in which he played the part of Simon) and the role of Chase Edmunds in the third season of the Fox TV series 24 (which he later reprised in the video game of the same title). He also appeared in CSI: Miami and CSI: NY as serial killer Henry Darius. In 2006, he was cast in the pivotal supporting role of Trooper Barrigan in The Departed. He then was cast as the lead in AMC's political thriller Rubicon. He also stars as one of the three leads in the big-budget HBO miniseries The Pacific from executive pro- ducers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. In 2013, Dale played Eric Savin in the Marvel Comics-based Iron Man 3, Captain Speke in the science fiction thriller World War Z, and the brother of Lee Harvey Oswald in Parkland. THE SILVER BULLET Page 6 A “Lone Ranger” Museum in Indiana? By Randy Johnson Is there a museum that features both Westerns and The Lone Ranger? YES! I’d like to introduce you to Henager’s Memories and Nostalgia Museum located southwest Indiana, at 8837 S.