JOHN HART - EPHEMERA SIGNED - HFSID 277364

JOHN HART
Military rifle case signed by the Lone Ranger
Unsigned rifle case with "Master Sgt./John Hart" printed on case side. Green canvas with green canvas shoulder strap and brown leather. Hart had his acting career cut short by World War II. He served from 1941 to 1945 in the Army Air Force, known today as the Air Force. This case held Hart's service rifle, possibly a U. S. M1 carbine. American actor Hart (1917-2009) was a cowboy before becoming an actor and had numerous roles in westerns, including small parts on TV's The Lone Ranger, before being offered the role from 1950 to 1953. He replaced Clayton Moore, the series' original Lone Ranger, for 52 episodes when Moore was fired for demanding a higher salary. In one interview, Hart claimed that all 52 episodes were shot in a matter of weeks, with each episode taking only two days to shoot. Hart forged a close relationship with Jay Silverheels, who played Tonto, and his cowboy training helped him to ride the Lone Ranger's horse Silver, whom he said was jumpy and difficult to ride. Hart went on to other roles, including parts on Bat Masterson, Rawhide and Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans. He played another masked hero in The Adventures of Captain Africa, a Columbia serial intended to be a sequel to The Phantom but which had its name and hero changed after Columbia lost the rights to the character. He also played the Lone Ranger for one episode of Happy Days and was cast as a reporter in The Legend of the Lone Ranger, the movie adaptation of the Lone Ranger story. "U.S." is faded on case. Leather is creased and slightly dry. Otherwise in fine condition.