December 19th, 1999: Playing Mantis/Captain Action has an announcement on their web site that in the Spring of 2000, ( in late February ) they will re-release the blue outfit version of the Lone Ranger in their Captain Action line. The blue shirt and blue pants costume will come complete with mask, hat, and a variety of accessories including pistols, belt, boots with spurs, hat, scarf, and rifle. You can see a picture of the new version on my collectibles page: https://members.tripod.com/~ClaytonMoore/lonecoll.html
or you can go to the Playing Mantis web site at: http://playingmantis.com/ipaf/default_lvl2.asp

December 15th, 1999: Official Lone Ranger website is coming! Its not going to be mine but according to a tip from Lone Ranger fan, Sandra W., there will be an official Lone Ranger web site coming in May of 2000. There isn't much to see there yet but it appears that a company called StudioFX, Inc., is working with Golden Books Inc., to provide us all with an official web site. You can register your name and email address with them to be assured of receiving updates as the new web site progresses. At the following address, click on the words: Register Now! On the following page, on the left hand lower corner, you can click on a symbol to bring up another screen where you can register. I have already registered to keep up-to-date on their site and other Lone Ranger news that they may bring us. Maybe those letters and emails to Goldenbooks are finally paying off! Here is the web site address: http://www.studiofx.com/ranger.htm

December 14th, 1999: Just a tip or two for your fans looking for information about what collectible times are currently valued at and where you can find pictures and other items for purchase, etc. You might try some of the Internet web auction sites. You can generally get in without registering to view the items that are being sold and many times, pictures of the items are shown as well. One big web auction site is at Ebay and lots of things are bought and sold there everyday. Whether you buy or sell something is unimportant as you can get a lot of information from the sellers description of the items. Be sure to read and follow the rules at Ebay and at any other web sites that you visit. Amazon.com also has a web auction site but not nearly the quantity of sales that Ebay has available. There are other web auction sites available too, so check them all out. In regards to autographs at any web auction site, use extreme caution and check out the seller of any autographed photo or item before you purchase an item of that nature. The address for Ebay is: http://www.ebay.com/

December 14th, 1999: Lone Ranger items! If you have been wanting to add a commemorative pocket knife, such as the ones you have been seeing at Ebay, then you might want to try this source. Sharpeco Distributors of Kodak, TN, just sent me a copy of their latest catalog. They show four different Lone Ranger pocket knives that start at $5.99 for a Lone Ranger & Tonto novelty knife, to a Sunset Barlow knife with the Lone Ranger and Tonto on it, for $8.99, to a knife with the Lone Ranger's horse,Silver, on it for $5.99 and finally, a Master Barlow series knife for $12.99.. They also show a 20" X 24" Riders of the Silver Screen poster of Clayton Moore as the Lone Ranger on it for $149.99, a limited edition. They also have a John Hart limited edition print 20" X 24" in size for $29.99. They also show a generic looking Lone Ranger & Silver belt buckle for $9.99 each. They also have a large number of videos as well and lots more limited editon merchandise for many other favorite cowboy heroes. They have a slick looking color and black & white catalog that you can ask for. They can be contacted via phone at: (865) 933-9387, at their fax: (865) 932-1198 and are open for business from 9 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Saturday. They show a web site however, I just checked it and it is still under construction, so bookmark it and check it later. Their website is located at: http://www.collectorssource.net/

December 7, 1999: New DVD title available:VCI Home Video has released the DVD version of "THE LONE RANGER: DOUBLE FEATURE". The suggested retail price is $24.99. It "Contains Two Lone Ranger Features: Hi-Yo Silver! (1940), a feature-length version of the 1938 cliffhanger serial from Republic Pictures, and The Legend Of The Lone Ranger, a compilation of the first three episodes of the TV series starring Clayton Moore". The running time is 143 minutes. VCI also carries "HI YO SILVER!" on VHS for $19.99 which is the abridged feature version of the 1938 Republic serial "The Lone Ranger" and it runs 68 minutes, B&W, 1940.. Also on VHS is "LEGEND OF THE LONE RANGER", drawn from three early episodes of the popular 1950s television show -- Enter The Lone Ranger, The Lone Ranger Fights On, The Lone Ranger's Triumph. 78 minutes, B/W for $14.99. VCI carries other videos as well and their web site is at: http://www.vcihomevideo.com/

October 19, 1999: I have gotten a couple of inquiries about the availability of Lone Ranger T-shirts and although I just found one company this morning, there are probably others too. The pictures on 3 of the shirts are interesting as two are colored pictures of Clayton and of Clayton and Silver. The third one is the sepia tone of Clayton and Jay on Silver and Scout. This company has a web address and when you get there, just select Lone Ranger in their Category button: http://www.t-shirtking.com/

October 1st, 1999:If you have a high ended computer with a high speed connection, you may be able to take advantage of streaming video at a web site that Lone Ranger fan, Willy K., tipped me off to this morning. They have two Lone Ranger episodes currently available and they also have currently available, the first 3 chapters of "Radar Men From the Moon" in which Clayton Moore appears in. The two Lone Ranger episodes are #4 and #8. There is also a Lone Ranger bulletin board available at this web site too, so take advantage of it as well. This web site is called Like Television and they are located at: http://www.liketelevision.com/starter/index.shtml

September 21, 1999: For those of you who missed it, as I did, you might want to track down the September 6, 1999 issue of People magazine. On page 17, there is a nice but short article about Clayton's 85th birthday as well as a mention of the 50th anniversary of the Lone Ranger on television. A couple of pictures of him, then and closer to now, as well. They conducted a short interview with Clayton and asked him several questions such as: Do people recognize you on the street? What kind of guy was Jay Silverheels? What happened to Silver? etc. I did order a copy of it direct from People magazine and it ran me $4.50 including shipping in case you want to add it to your collection. You can also view it at your local library.

September 6th, 1999: Looking for Clayton Moore and other celebrity 8x10 photos? I received a catalog the other day in which they sell 8x10 glossy black and white photos for $3 each and color ones are $5 each. The shipping is $2 per order so you might save some money. They have 11 different black & white poses of Clayton and 2 of Clayton and Jay Silverheels together and 1 of Jay alone. These are fairly common poses but if you are just starting a collection, its an inexpensive way of getting started. They have loads of other cowboy stars to choose from including two poses of John Hart. Ask them for their latest catalog (mine was # 9). All the information is at their web site: http://www.empirepublishinginc.com

August 24th, 1999: For those of you who are fans of Sheb Wooley and knew that he was in the hospital for the past week or so, there is some good news. Sheb was released from the hospital and went home last night. He has enjoyed the cards of well wishers and if you want to add your get well wishes to Sheb, you can mail the cards & letters to him in at his office. The address is: SHEB WOOLEY, 123 WALTON FERRY RD, HENDERSONVILLE, TN 37075-3616. Sheb appeared in 3 episodes of the Lone Ranger and was on Rawhide many times besides all of his other roles and preformances.

August 21st, 1999: I recently received a copy of a Jay Silverheels fan club newsletter from 1962. Thanks Jim! If you knew of anyone that belonged to the fan club, which began around 1955 and which ran at least through 1962, please contact me via my email address: sj12969@cedarnet.org . I'd love to find an original club member to talk with in regards to the fan club. I also understand that there was also a Clayton Moore fan club around the same time period and if you were a member, please let me know.

August 14th, 1999: NEW MOVIE? Lone Ranger fan, Joe M. in Ireland, sent me a copy of a newspaper clipping from the Evening Herald in Dublin from August 12th. The article concerns new western style movies are apparently in vogue again in Hollywood, with a number of new ones scheduled to be made. The article goes on to say that a new Lone Ranger movie may be in the works. The scriptwriter is reportedly to be Ed Solomon ("Men in Black" and others) and the director is reportedly, John Landis. Landis has directed many movies from "Animal House" to the "Blues Brothers 2000". Who is reportedly going to play the role of the Lone Ranger? Casper Van Dien is the actor picked and the role of Tonto is reportedly to be filled by Lou Diamond Phillips. Lou has starred in a number of movies as well as being a writer and director. He played Ritchie Valens in the 1987 movie "La Bamba" as well as appearing as Jose Chavez Y Chavez in "Young Guns" and "Young Guns II". Remember, it was a year ago when another Lone Ranger movie was supposedly in the works so hopefully if this one does come about, I hope it will be a good one.

August 10th, 1999: I received a report that the late Jay Silverheels was inducted into the Western New York Entertainment Hall of Fame on Thursday, August 5th, 1999. If any of you New York fans have some information about the induction, I'd love to see it, so please send me an email.

August 4, 1999: NEW Lone Ranger lunchbox: The other day, I received a catalog with a NEW Lone Ranger lunchbox advertised in it. The top of the box has the classic sepia picture of Clayton on Silver next to Jay on Scout and there are other graphics on the box. The box contains candy according to one ad and another ad says it has candy and cookies inside it. It is approximately 7 3/4" x 6" in size. Ken in Arizona told me he received a different catalog ( "The Lighter Side" ) with the lunchbox in it. The catalog ( "Soitenly Stooges" ) I received was for primarily The 3 Stooges merchandise but it did have other things, including this Lone Ranger lunchbox. The box is around $12 to $13 plus shipping so watch for it showing up in any catalogs you receive or maybe even one of your local stores. I have added a picture of it on my Collectibles page for your viewing pleasure.

July 27, 1999:Two videos to look for: Thanks to Lone Ranger fan, Joe McCarthy, I have found out that VCI Home Video will be releasing a couple of Lone Ranger videos. The first will be "The LEGEND OF THE LONE RANGER" and VCI describes it as the 3 first episodes of The Lone Ranger TV series combined to make a feature. It will initially be available (September 7th at Amazon) on VHS and later, in the Fall of 1999, it will be released on DVD. Their second bit of information is interesting too. VCI Home Video will also release "HI-YO SILVER" (1st time on video, and licensed to VCI so it is top quality) the restored version digitally remastered from 35mm print taken from the 1940 serial starring Lee Powell, Herman Brix, Hal Taliaferro, George Letz Lane Chandler, and Chief Thundercloud which will also be released for DVD in the Fall of 1999. "Both videos have beautiful art work on the packaging which we are very proud of. Of course, Clayton Moore is on Silver with Silver's front legs in the air as we so often saw him and the feature serial has a similar picture but it was taken from one of the old pictures put out to promote the serial originally." VCI carries other videos as well and their web site is at: http://www.vcihomevideo.com/

July 21, 1999: Sheb Wooley was in three episodes of the Lone Ranger and there is a link to his web page on my Links page. For you who are fans of his from his Rawhide (Pete Nolan) days or his many music achievements, there is a new magazine issue out that would interest you. In the August issue of American Cowboy, there is a 4 page story about Sheb with some very nice pictures. The story was written by Thomas McNulty.

June 29, 1999: Just in from the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum. Clayton Moore has accepted an honorary appointment to the Advisory Board of the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum. Here is the web page with that announcement and thanks to the Director, Byron A. Johnson, for the information: Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.

May 22, 1999: Lone Ranger 3 pack For those of you still looking for the Lone Ranger 3 pack of videos which consists of the first 3 episodes titled "The Legend of the Lone Ranger", 1949 and the two feature movies from 1956 and 1958, you still have a chance to find it. I just ordered and received the set for a friend at my local Sam Goody store. The SKU number I used was # 8700585 although that number on the package was crossed out and written in its place was # 1078658 . Supply both these numbers and perhaps you will find yourself the owner of these tapes. The cost for them was $14.95 and the set was put out by Brentwood Home Video of Westlake Village, CA. **BE SURE TO LOOK AT THE NEXT ENTRY BELOW...

May 10, 1999: "The Old Cowboy Picture Show" is now listed on my Links page so be sure to check out the information there about their web site and about a neat little newsletter that George Coan publishes once a month. I received their latest newsletter today and the feature article is about Guy Williams and Zorro.

April 18, 1999: Interesting Music CD!Thanks to Don F., those of you trying to find "The Music of the Lone Ranger" CD might have an alternative that is available. Don found a CD titled "Shoot 'Em Ups! Music From The Classic Republic Westerns" which was released in March of 1996. There are 40 titles on this CD and many of the same titles from "The Music of the Lone Ranger" CD are included. I found this CD listed at three big Internet CD sellers although only one listed the titles on the CD. If you want to see the titles, check out the borders.com web site and do a search on the phrase: Shoot 'Em Ups! Two of the web sites list it at $14.99 and the 3rd site lists it at $12.99. You might also check your local music retailers for the title too. One of the sites has a picture of it too. I haven't seen or heard it myself but Don said its a good choice.

February 3, 1999:Yes, 1999 is the 50th anniversary of The Lone Ranger on television with September 15th, 1949 being the broadcast date of the first episode on t.v. I am anticipating on seeing some commemorative items of several types in the coming months to help celebrate such a marvelous occasion. If you get a chance to mention the anniversary to some of your favorite manufacturers, please do so. Golden Books is the copyright owner of The Lone Ranger and permission must be secured from them for licensed products. There is also some interest in getting commemorative stamps issued to honor some of the favorite t.v. and movie western heroes. One deserving actor is Jay Silverheels. The more fans that write in, requesting a stamp to honor Jay, the better the chances are to get one issued. According to the United States Postal Service, here is the address to send suggestions for new stamps.

Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee
c/o Stamp Management, U.S. Postal Service
475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, Room 4474EB
Washington, DC 20260-6756

A short, but heartfelt letter, explaining why you think Jay Silverheels should be honored with a stamp is the first step to take in achieving the goal of a commemorative stamp. One of the rules the USPS has is that no stamp will be issued for a living person and that there has to be at least 10 years between the death of a person and a stamp being issued.

If you have any questions about new stamp criteria, here is the web address at the USPS for more information:

http://www.usps.gov/fr_stamps.html

Click on: Criteria for Stamp Subject Selection

GOLDEN BOOKS WEBSITE:At long last, the copyright owners of The Lone Ranger, Golden Books Family Entertainment, now have their website up and operating. They have some information about our favorite show when you click on the words, The Lone Ranger near the lower portion of their front page. Hopefully they will be adding more more information in the coming days. It should be a good place to check for information about new Lone Ranger products and news. They have some bits of trivia there now and they have hinted about the Fox Family Films having the option on a new Lone Ranger movie.The web address for Golden Books is: http://www.goldenbooks.com/

Sources to check for episodes:Here are more Internet sites to try for the Lone Ranger episodes and Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels films:
http://www.ccvideo.com/
http://www.videoflicks.com/
http://www.uavco.com/
http://www.facets.org/
http://www.amazon.com/
http://www.borders.com/
http://www.moviesunlimited.com
Be sure to check out those sources before ordering. From what I have seen, the best results are received by searching by the last name of the person you want to look for and then checking out the information it retrieves for you. At videoflicks, they show a lot of the video tape boxes in color, although most of the tapes are actually black & white. UAV Entertainment just revamped their website so be sure to check the Classic TV and Multi Pack areas for Lone Ranger videos. UAV also carries the Kansas Pacific with Clayton Moore in it too. At Borders, click on the Video box and then do a search on Lone Ranger, Clayton Moore, etc.

Here's one for you to check out! Thanks to Terry & Kay from The Silver Bullet newsletter. Click on The Silver Bullet to e-mail them for information on their newsletter. Or, click on this one to go to the Silver Bullet Website Silver Bullet Website."Television Chronicles" is a quarterly magazine and in issue No. 11, they had a big feature on The Lone Ranger t.v. show. Also featuredwas the t.v. show, "Branded", with Chuck Connors. They have a website and they cover different t.v. shows in each issue. A previous issue, No. 5,was about "The Roy Rogers Show". If you are interested in getting more information, here is their new website address as: http://home.earthlink.net/~tvman/
I received my copy of the No.11 issue from Television Chronicles. It appears that they did a very nice job of covering The Lone Ranger. The t.v. episode guide is quite good and they acknowledge that there have been several guides published over the years in which errors were made. They state that they have tried to address those errors and to have a fairly complete guide of their own to offer to readers. They also cover the history of The Lone Ranger from its radio beginnings to the animated cartoons. Its definitely worth picking up a copy for your personal reference library. **NOTE**I have now learned that Television Chronicles have ceased publication (hopefully just temporarily) but are still selling their remaining issues in stock.
January 12th, 1999:I just found out that Television Chronicles has a new web address as indicated above but I will repeat it here also: http://home.earthlink.net/~tvman/
Although they may not be publishing again, it appears they may still have copies of a number of issues and I recommend the Lone Ranger issue as a good episode guide to have in your library.