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(From Old Corral image collection) Above, Ted Adams (left) is all tied up in this discussion with Lee Powell. Powell looks like he's wearing a shirt patterned after those worn by Gene Autry. (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above, Powell puts a necklock on I. Stanford Jolley in PRAIRIE PALS (PRC, 1942), another entry in the Frontier Marshal series. The half dozen films in this group marked the end of Lee Powell's film career. (Courtesy of Pat LaRosa) In the above lobby card from PRAIRIE PALS (PRC, 1942), Lee Powell is delivering a left to the jaw of prolific western villain I. Stanford Jolley. Note that Powell is billed third behind singers/musicians Bill 'Cowboy Rambler' Boyd and Art Davis. (Courtesy of Les Adams) Above from L-to-R are Lee Powell, John Elliott and Karl Hackett in a still from the Frontier Marshals film ROLLING DOWN THE GREAT DIVIDE (PRC, 1942).

Powell worked with the Barnett Bros. and Wallace Bros. circuses to pick up some cash after his exit from Republic Pictures --- and he and the circuses attempted to bill him as Lee 'Lone Ranger' Powell.  However, a court action was filed in an attempt to halt Powell and the circuses from using that tie-in to the Lone Ranger character and Republic cliffhanger.  Before the legal shenanigans could be settled, Powell exited the Wallace Bros. show to enter the Marine Corps for World War II duty.

(Courtesy of Fred D. Pfening, Jr.)	(Courtesy of Fred D. Pfening, Jr.) Powell with the Wallace Bros. Circus, 1942
(Courtesy of Fred D. Pfening, Jr.) Powell with the Wallace Bros. Circus, 1942	(Courtesy of Fred D. Pfening, Jr.) Powell with the Wallace Bros. Circus, 1942

In September, 1999, I received a batch of circus-related material from Fred D. Pfening, Jr., and that material is displayed above.

In late November, 1998, I got a nice e-mail from cowboy and serial fan Stan Segal.  He writes in part: "When I was about 7 years of age I saw Lee Powell in a circus.  He rode a horse and was wearing a mask. I was with a group of other kids.  I had already seen the Lone Ranger serials in the movies several years before ...".  Stan thinks the year of this circus performance was either 1940 or 41.  In some follow-up e-mails, I asked Stan about the horse that Powell was riding, and he thought it was white.  Stan also recalls that Powell's 'uniform' seemed different than the outfit he wore in the LR serial.  Thx for that great info Stan!

Stan Segal also sent me a copy of a two-page 1938 magazine article titled 'I Am The Lone Ranger' which was supposedly authored by Lee Powell.  My guess is that the Republic publicity department did much of the writing.  Anyway, it's too big for the website, but I can e-mail it to you if you want.  The article is on 2 jpeg/jpg images and the total file size for both is about 1/2 meg.  Send me an e-mail.  Thanks for the articles Stan!

In late July, 1998, I received an e-mail from western and serial fan Bob Siler.  Bob was able to provide lots of information on Lee Powell, including his full name, birth date, hometown, and most all of the details on Powell's internment.  A big thank you to Bob for providing this info.

If you came here directly, you may want to read more about Lee Powell and his experiences at PRC in the Frontier Marshals cowboy films by clicking HERE.

In late 2005, the Hakes Auction organization was auctioning Lee Powell's original Republic contract in which he was paid $100.00/week for work in the LR serial, and the contract was dated November 22, 1937: http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/public/default.asp?t=1&m=1&c=34&s=262&ai=50981&ssd=11/12/2005&arch=y

The Time magazine archive website has an archive page for January 22, 1940, and it notes: "Married. Lee Powell, who plays the cinema role of the Lone Ranger; and Norma Rogers of York, S. C.; in Chicago."http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,763409,00.html

The Time magazine archive also has a brief mention of Marine Sergeant Lee Powell's death at: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,775245,00.html

Powell is listed as military casualty at the US National Archives & Records Administration. This link below will take you to War Casualties from World War II for Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Personnel from California. Sgt. Lee B. Powell, USMCR, is listed at the bottom of the middle column, and there's a mention of "Wife, Mrs. Lee B. Powell, 421 S. State St., Los Angeles": http://media.nara.gov/media/images/27/12/27-1118a.gif
If that image file does not come up, go to: http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/ww2/navy-casualties/california.html#list and scroll down and select Page No. 71.

The U.S. Veterans Administration has a gravesite locator to find burial locations of Military veterans: http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/
Enter the appropriate search terms in the boxes and you should find a record for:

POWELL, LEE BERRIEN
SGT US MARINE CORPS
WORLD WAR II
DATE OF BIRTH: 05/15/1908
DATE OF DEATH: 07/30/1944
BURIED AT: SECTION F SITE 1246
NATIONAL MEMORIAL CEMETERY OF THE PACIFIC
2177 PUOWAINA DRIVE HONOLULU, HI 96813

I've received some e-mails asking whether the two Lone Ranger serials are 'lost' or available on videotape.  I've looked into this matter for the past 20+ years, and have put together a webpage outlining some facts and some scuttlebutt about those two cliffhangers.  To go to that page, click HERE.

Want to visit some other Lone Ranger websites.  Here are some good'uns:

•  Check out Mark Largent's LONE RANGER website.  There you will find the various Lone Rangers of TV, radio, serials, et al.  I was pleased to provide the serial info and pictures: http://www.endeavorcomics.com/largent/lr1.html

• Mary Spooner's Clayton Moore site is at: http://www.celebhost.net/claytonmoore/

• Steve Jensen's Clayton Moore, The Lone Ranger site is at: http://claytonmoore.tripod.com/index.html

• Rick Bulger's Lone Ranger site is at: http://theloneranger.webs.com/

You'll find Old Corral sections on Wally Wales, Lane Chandler, Chief Thunder Cloud, and George Montgomery. In addition, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on Powell, Wales, Chandler, Thunder Cloud, Montgomery, and Herman Brix (Bruce Bennett). Click on the IMDb links below:

     Lee Powell: http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0694205/
     Herman Brix / Bruce Bennett: http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0071636/
     Victor Daniels / Chief Thunder Cloud: http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0862086/
     Lane Chandler (real name: Robert Oakes): http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0151420/
     George Montgomery (real name: George Letz): http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0599787/
     Wally Wales / Hal Taliaferro (real name: Floyd Taliaferro Alderson): http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0907404/

Read about Lee Powell, Herman Brix, the Lightning, and the FIGHTING DEVIL DOGS cliffhanger at Images, A Journal of Film and Popular Culture website: http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue04/infocus/fightingdevildogs.htm.

Info about the 'Punchbowl', the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, can be found at:
http://www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/nmcp.asp
http://www.hawaiiweb.com/html/national_memorial_cemetery_of_the_pacific.html

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