‘The Lone Ranger’ Season 3: Clayton Moore Explained Why John Hart Replaced Him for a Year
The Lone Ranger introduced Clayton Moore in the titular role. Despite the fact that the character hid his identity behind a mask made out of his dead brother’s clothing, the actor still became known for the role. Nevertheless, The Lone Ranger Season 3 went ahead without Moore for the year and replaced him with John Hart for very specific reasoning that the actor later opened up about.
John Hart replaced Clayton Moore on ‘The Lone Ranger’ Season 3
Moore opened The Lone Ranger at the beginning of its television run that started in 1949 with “Enter the Lone Ranger.” As the sole surviving Texas Ranger after a lethal ambush, the titular character must ensure that his foes still believe him to be dead. He joins forces with a Native American named Tonto (Jay Silverheels) to bring justice across the West.
The Lone Ranger saw Hart take on the role of the lead character in season 3, replacing Moore in the legendary part. The actor primarily appeared in Westerns, such as 1949’s Cowboy and the Prizefighter. He gave the role his all, but the Lone Ranger mask would ultimately make its way back onto Moore’s face after the third season.
Clayton Moore took a break from ‘The Lone Ranger’ over contractual problems
In a 1979 interview, Moore talked about The Lone Ranger and what happened with season 3. The interviewer thought that it could be a sore subject, not entirely knowing why the actor didn’t return to the titular character for an entire year. However, Moore explained that it was actually due to contractual issues, which he didn’t pin on Hart.
“It was for one year, and it’s not a sore subject,” Moore prefaced. “I know John very well. He’s a very fine gentleman. He replaced me for 52 pictures. We had a contractual problem, or I did with the Lone Ranger company. I demanded more money. I would have wanted better treatment.”
Moore continued: “And so I had to ask them to get somebody else which they did. But thanks to the public, your listeners, they demanded me back. I made 78 pictures first, and then they replaced me for a year, and I came back on public demand and made another 150 or more pictures.”
The interviewer noted that Moore would always be the “true representative, to which Moore thanked him. “John is a very nice fellow, and he tried his best,” the actor said.
Clayton Moore was iconic as the Lone Ranger
After The Lone Ranger Season 3, Moore returned back to the role for the remainder of the series. Despite the dates implying a longer run, it only aired for a total of five seasons. Nevertheless, the television show left its mark on the history of the format and saw other mediums pick it up.
From feature films to comics, The Lone Ranger proved to have staying power. The 2013 Western action flick brought Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp to the iconic dual roles, but it bombed at the box office. Even so, Moore and Silverheels’ legacy in these roles will never be diminished.
