They refused the deal, demanded more, and Republic said "bye bye". But Powell or his agent made a wrong business decision. Republic was planning a sequel to the immensely popular THE LONE RANGER chapterplay. (The LR cliffhanger was filmed to, followed several months later by DEVIL DOGS.)Īfter the LONE RANGER and DEVIL DOGS chapterplays, Republic offered Powell an updated deal, a five-year term player contract for $150.00 a week, six-month options, salary escalators, etc., which was typical studio enslavement at the time. In late 2005, the Hakes Auction organization was auctioning Powell's original Republic contract in which he was paid $100.00/week for the Lone Ranger serial, and the contract was dated November 22, 1937. There's a bit of eerieness about Powell's starring role as a Marine in THE FIGHTING DEVIL DOGS, as he would be wearing a real Marine Corps uniform during World War II and fighting his way through various Pacific island jungles. He became a pretty good Hollywood action hero, and demonstrated same as the star of two classic Republic serials of 1938, THE LONE RANGER and THE FIGHTING DEVIL DOGS.
Powell had a desire to become an actor and there's a few tidbits on him doing plays with the Long Beach Players Guild and other theater groups in the Los Angeles area. Strong in Yuma, Arizona, and the newspaper marriage announcement noted that he was employed by Standard Oil Company of California. On January 1, 1934, Lee Berrien Powell tied the knot with Vera M. And in the 1940 census, Powell reported that he completed four years of college. He honed his acting skills with the Long Beach Players Guild, Santa Barbara Community Arts Players, and other Los Angeles area theater organizations. His high school and college interests included football, track, dramatics, and Glee Club.
In addition to Lee, the Powell family included sisters Sylvia and Virginia. Lee Berrien Powell was born in Long Beach, California to Helen Berrien Powell and Lee Carlyle Powell.
An overlooked and nearly forgotten western and serial star was Lee Powell, the silver screen's first Lone Ranger. Most western fans fondly remember Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Charles Starrett, William Boyd, Buster Crabbe, Tim McCoy, Buck Jones, Johnny Mack Brown, Ken Maynard, Bob Steele, and dozens of others. More information is available at the Classic Media website: This website on Lee Powell is a fansite and is not connected with Classic Media, Inc.ĭuring the heyday of the B-western, there were many cowboy heroes who rode the range. The Lone Ranger TM and Tonto TM are trademarks, and the trademark, characters and likenesses are owned by Classic Media, Inc.