JOHN HART - EPHEMERA SIGNED - HFSID 277382

JOHN HART
Crown signed by actor who played the Lone Ranger
Crown signed "John Hart". Polished metal crown with engraving "King of the Pacific Northwest/Presented by the Crown Stations/KGW-TV Portland - Oregon/KING-TV - Seattle KREM-TV - Spokane". 7 inches in diameter x 3½ inches high. Signature on back. This crown belonged to Hart. American actor Hart (1917-2009) had over 100 credited and uncredited roles on TV and the big screen. Baby Boomers probably remember him best as the Lone Ranger. Hart, who was a cowboy before becoming an actor, had numerous roles in westerns, including small parts on TV's The Lone Ranger (1950-1953), before being offered the role in 1952. 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. Lightly scuffed. Polish is partially rubbed off reverse side of crown. Otherwise in fine condition.