The Legend of The Lone Ranger - Clayton Moore Lawsuit

Clayton Moore Lawsuit

In 1978 Jack Wrather and Bonita Granville gained the legal rights to the Lone Ranger character and were planning a feature film with a younger actor. In 1979, Wrather obtained an injunction to stop Clayton Moore from appearing as the character at county fairs, much to fans' displeasure. Wrather anticipated making a new film version of the story, and did not want the value of the character being undercut by Moore's appearances. Also, Wrather did not want to encourage the belief that the 65-year-old Moore would be playing the role in the new picture. This move proved to be a public relations disaster. Moore responded by changing his costume slightly and replacing the mask with similar-looking wraparound sunglasses, and by counter-suing Wrather. He eventually won the suit, and was able to resume his appearances in costume, which he continued to do until shortly before his death in 1999.