!ssue 117 December 2016 Volume 28, No. 4 1 I S S U E 1 1 7 - DECEMBER 2016 - VOL. 28 NO. 4 Howdy, Pards... Well, another year has done come and almost gone. I’ve been editing the Sil- ver Bullet now for a year and each issue I find something different and rele- vant to TLR and the world we live in. This issue is no exception. We’ll explore what it’s like to actually live with the Lone Ranger, as we talk to Clayton Moore’s daughter, Dawn. She sent along some family pictures that are very special. She’s a remarkable woman raised by a remarkable man. I’ve also been following some new threads that relate to TLR. Like the Green Hornet series recently penned by Michael Uslan and drawn by Giovanni Tim- pano. The Reed (Reid) legacy lives on. There are six issues so far and more in the works. You’ll find a link to the series on that page. Continuing the installments of The Cowboy this issue, we hear about the first cowboys and how they came to be called that. In preparation for the first issue of 2017, I’ve expanded Tonto’s role in this issue. Next issue, we will explore the Indian/Native American side of things (thanks to Dawn for bringing it up). We’ll interview a modern Tonto, look at the different Tontos (Tontoes?) and follow a little of Jay Silverheels life. In light of current events, it’s refresh- ing to see how TLR has always treated others with re- spect and dignity. Hi-yo, Silver…..Away!!! Bo Shaffer, Ed. ….and to all, a good night! Silver Bullet 2 Dawn Moore - Interview We had a chance to chat with Dawn Moore, daughter of Clayton and Sally Moore. She has been in the news of late for the celebration of her Dad’s 100th birthday, and was kind enough to spend some time and insights. Editor— I guess my first question would be a sort of general question, and you must get asked this on a regular basis, but still the foremost one in *my* head….What was it like growing up with the Lone Ranger? I mean your Dad was something very special with his relationship with his character. Hard to separate the two sometimes. Did this flow over and affect his family life….for good or bad? Dawn Moore— Ha! Yes, I get asked this often. It didn’t flow over into “family life” as much as it shaped him as a person. So, how do you separate the threads from the tapestry? Dad was an actor who fell upon a role at a time in his life when he too, needed guidance. So, The Lone Ranger and everything it stood for became his calling. He was a pretty regular guy - could do his own plumbing (I still have his tool box!), en- joyed a new sports car every two years, helped resurface a neighbor’s pool, and taught me how to ride a bike. He had a natural love of - and respect for - children which they understood immediately. He also had a fantastic sense of humor making days with him always playtime. But no, The Lone Ranger did not live with me. As every- one does with their parents, I often hear his voice as vari- ous dilemmas cross my path. One of his favorite quotes was “I may not agree with what you’re saying, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Which, in hindsight, makes me think I was saying a lot of stuff he didn’t agree with! ED - I heard that you didn’t suffer a lot of celebrity problems because no one rec- ognized the masked man without the mask (except for the voice of course), but you lived every day with the guy who lived the role and made TLR Creed his own…. I grew up as an impressionable kid watching him on TV all across the country and was really into being a cowboy in the mid to late 50’s. I was impressed merely by the Wild West cowboy action…..it wasn’t until I was an adult that I really under- stood more of what the LR stood for and how your Dad promoted it. My next ques- tion would be….How did growing up with Clayton as a Dad affect your later Merry ChristMas to all,….. !ssue 117 December 2016 Volume 28, No. 4 3 3 life? How did it affect you as a kid…compared to what effect it had on you as an adult? As the only child I heard you got a lot of Tomboy training, so to speak? DM - As a child, I didn’t watch the show (it was off the air before I was born) and didn’t really have a sense of him being different than any other father. I mean, did- n’t all father’s practice slicing a rolled-up newspaper in half with a bullwhip with their 10 year old kids?? Into the late 60s and early 70s the idea of the American cowboy and all that represent- ed was rapidly falling out of favor. So what my father did for a living was something I was teased about caus- ing it to be a subject I spent little time engaging with. Until September 11, 2001. When the country was first in shock, I too was looking for solid ground. The Lone Ranger Creed became - quite literally - a passage of sentiments that not only gave me direction, but al- lowed me to start to understand the power of those ten- ants written in 1933 and it’s timeless relevance. ED - As the third follow up question…..How do you think your father influences you today? Influences the rest of the world today? Last issue of the Silver Bullet I talked about TLR being a meme. What comes to your mind when you see something about TLR….? Do you look at it as your father’s legacy….or as the larger than life character it has become? DM - I have come to understand my father’s legacy through the millions of fan let- ters he received during his lifetime and I continue to get to this day. From police- men, firemen, teachers and even spiritual leaders - all saying they chose a profes- sion of service due to his example. And I want to be clear - not just his example as an actor reciting another man’s words, but as Clayton Moore who took a stand in his personal life. Pretty powerful stuff. But - spoiler alert! - like the rest of us, was only human. But what made him extraordinary was his ability to stand by his convictions when they weren’t always the popular opinion. Or to take action and protect those in need. Essentially, “…to be prepared physically, mentally and morally to fight when necessary for that which is right.” The combination of those three words - “physically, mentally and morally” - is compelling. Easy to say; very, very difficult to do. But, as he was quoted many times, he fell in love with The Lone Ranger charac- ter and strove to live those tenants because it “made me a better person.” And real- ly, isn’t that our journey here? ED - And….what about the character? Clayton was the definitive LR. On the web- sites, people are all the time comparing the different actors that have played TLR. ….and to all, a good night! Silver Bullet 4 THE SILVER BULLET Page 4 The clinical psychologist in me wants to ask…”How does that make you feel?” But, it must be somewhat odd to see other people in the role that your father defined. Like watching Roger Moore do 007. (Which actually might have more interest to you, as a distant relative….LOL) But, out of the half dozen or so actors who have portrayed TLR besides your father….who do you think carried it off the best? The worst? DM - I would have loved for the Johnny Depp/Armie Hammer version to have been successful, but unfortunately they strayed too far from the original concept and movie goers rejected it. (I specifically say “movie goers” versus “fans” because it didn’t reso- nate even with children who were not aware of the Lone Ranger before then.) The char- acter has so much to offer and values that we’d be well served to emulate. Disney was the perfect conduit to bring this into the 21st century and the success of “Pirates of the Caribbean” really was the template for a successful LR re-boot - tongue-in-cheek action and adventure. So, am I secretly thrilled it died? Not really. Because that failure was a lost opportunity for the character who practiced the positive examples of racial equality and tolerance, protecting those in need, fair play and justice without violence to continue to influence children. And that makes me sad. ED - And as a final question……more of an informational thing. Are you doing an- ything these days with LR stuff….I mean besides this obvious article and the 100th anniversary interviews? Like speak- ing tours or anything? Have you noticed an uptick at all in the frequency of TLR memes appearing? DM - Ah, well…. I have completed a story of my father’s life that I am talking to PBS about, so fingers crossed that we find the funding to make it hap- Photo courtesy Bud Lee pen!! Maybe we should start a GoFundMe campaign!! ED - Anything else you’d like to say…..or question I should have asked? DW - I was thinking more - after I hit “send” of course - about the Lone Ranger’s posi- tion on racial equality.