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{{short description|American actor}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Lee Powell
|image=Lee Powell in The Fighting Devil Dogs.jpg
| image = Hi Yo Silver lobby card.jpg
|birth_date={{birth date|1908|5|15}}
| image_size =
|birth_place=[[Long Beach, California]]
| caption = Lobby card for ''Hi-Yo Silver'' starring Lee Powell as [[the Lone Ranger]]
|death_date={{death date and age|1944|7|30|1908|5|15}}
| birth_name = Lee Berrian Powell
|death_place=[[Tinian]], [[Mariana Islands]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|1908|5|15}}
|occupation=[[Film actor]]
| birth_place = [[Long Beach, California]], U.S.
| death_date = July 30, 1944 (aged 36)
| death_place = [[Tinian]], [[Mariana Islands]]
| othername =
| death_cause =
| occupation = [[Film actor]]
| spouse =
| children =
}}
}}
'''Lee Powell''' (born '''Lee Berrian Powell''' on May 15, 1908 [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]], [[California]] - died July 30, 1944 [[Tinian]]) was a film actor famed for the leading roles in several serials. During [[World War II]] he enlisted in the [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]] seeing action on several Pacific Islands and died of alcohol poisoning.<ref name=bwesterns>{{cite web|url=http://www.b-westerns.com/trio6a.htm|title=Lee Powell|publisher=b-westerns.com|accessdate=2008-09-06}}, citing ''STARS IN THE CORPS - Movie Actors in the United States Marines'' by James E. Wise, Jr., and Anne Collier Rehill (ISBN 1557509492, Naval Institute Press, 1999), pages 164-165</ref>
'''Lee Berrian Powell''' (May 15, 1908 &ndash; July 30, 1944) was an American film actor known for leading or other major roles in several serials and B-westerns. He was the first actor to portray [[The Lone Ranger]] on film. During [[World War II]], he enlisted in the [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]] and participated in combat on several Pacific Islands, on one of which he died.<ref name=bwesterns>{{cite web|url=http://www.b-westerns.com/trio6a.htm|title=Lee Powell|website=The Old Corral|accessdate=September 6, 2008}}, citing {{cite book|author1=James E. Wise, Jr.|author2= Anne Collier Rehill|title=STARS IN THE CORPS – Movie Actors in the United States Marines|isbn=1557509492|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=1999| pages=164–165}}</ref>


==Film career==
==Film career==
Powell attended the [[University of Montana]] with dramatics, football, and track as his main interests. After various stock work he tried his luck in Hollywood.<ref>{{cite book
Powell attended the [[University of Montana]], where he studied dramatics, football, and track as his main interests. After various stock work he tried his luck in Hollywood.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rainey|first=Buck|title=Serial Film Stars: A Biographical Dictionary 1912–1956|publisher=McFarland and Company|year=2005|pages=595|isbn=0-7864-2010-3}}</ref>
|last=Rainey
|first=Buck
|title=Serial Film Stars: A Biographical Dictionary 1912-1956
|publisher=McFarland and Company
|year=2005
|pages=595
|isbn=0786420103
}}</ref>


Making his first appearance uncredited in ''[[Under Two Flags (1936 film)|Under Two Flags]]'' (1936), Powell gained fame for playing the suspect who turned out to be ''[[The Lone Ranger#Film serials|The Lone Ranger]]'' and one of ''[[The Fighting Devil Dogs]]'' in 1938 serials. In addition to making films for [[Republic Pictures]], Powell also appeared in [[Universal Pictures]] ''[[Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe]]'' serial, made one Western for the soon to be defunct [[Grand National Pictures]] and made the six Western programmer films of the ''Frontier Marshals'' series, in which each of the three leads (the others being [[William Lemuel Boyd|Bill "Cowboy Rambler" Boyd]] and [[Art Davis (actor)|Art Davis]]) played a lawman bearing his own name, for [[Producers Releasing Corporation]]. Between films Powell also appeared in Barnett Brothers [[circus]] being billed as ''The Lone Ranger'' until litigation had him change his billing. Powell met and married Norma Rogers, a circus bareback rider and the daughter of the circus owner.<ref>[http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~scyork/LouisePettus/elephant.htm Elephants & The Lone Ranger In York<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Making his first appearance uncredited in ''[[Under Two Flags (1936 film)|Under Two Flags]]'' (1936), Powell gained fame for playing the suspect who turned out to be ''[[The Lone Ranger#Film serials|The Lone Ranger]]'' and one of ''[[The Fighting Devil Dogs]]'' in 1938 serials. He was the first actor to portray the Lone Ranger on film. In addition to making films for [[Republic Pictures]], Powell also appeared in [[Universal Pictures]] ''[[Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe]]'' serial, made one Western for the soon-to-be-defunct [[Grand National Pictures]] and made the six Western programmer films of the ''Frontier Marshals'' series, in which each of the three leads (the others being [[William Lemuel Boyd|Bill "Cowboy Rambler" Boyd]] and [[Art Davis (actor)|Art Davis]]) played a lawman bearing his own name, for [[Producers Releasing Corporation]]. Between films, Powell also appeared in Barnett Brothers [[circus]] being billed as "The Lone Ranger" until litigation had him change his billing. Powell married Norma Rogers, a circus bareback rider and the circus owner's daughter.<ref>{{cite web|author=Louise Pettus|url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~scyork/LouisePettus/elephant.htm|title=Elephants & The Lone Ranger In York|website=rootsweb}}</ref>


==Military service==
==Marine Corps career==
Powell enlisted in the Corps on 17 August 1942 serving in the [[2nd Pioneer Battalion]], [[2nd Combat Engineer Battalion|18th Marine Regiment]] of the [[2nd Marine Division (United States)|2nd Marine Division]]. [[Sergeant#Marine Corps|Sergeant]] Powell fought in the [[Battle of Tarawa]] and [[Battle of Saipan]]. Although widely reported to have been killed in action against the enemy, he died of alcohol poisoning on [[Tinian]] as the result of a concoction that also temporarily blinded another Marine.<ref name=bwesterns/>
During the [[Second World War]], Powell enlisted in the [[United States Marine Corps]] on August 17, 1942. He served in the [[Pacific War|Pacific Theater]] in the [[2nd Combat Engineer Battalion|2nd Pioneer Battalion]], [[2nd Combat Engineer Battalion|18th Marine Regiment]] of the [[2nd Marine Division (United States)|2nd Marine Division]]. Powell took part in the battles of [[Battle of Tarawa|Tarawa]] and [[Battle of Saipan|Saipan]], achieving the rank of [[Sergeant#Marine Corps|sergeant]].

===Death===
Powell died from poisoning on [[Tinian]] in July 1944. Although it was widely reported in contemporary press reports that he had been [[killed in action]], he actually died from drinking an [[Liquor|improvised alcoholic beverage]] that contained [[Methanol]] celebrating the end of the [[Battle of Tinian]]. Known commonly as wood alcohol, the chemical is highly toxic if ingested; one other marine was temporarily blinded from drinking the same stuff.<ref name=bwesterns/> In another version, [[CBS]] correspondent Fred Goerner, who spoke to former marines who had fought in the battles of Saipan and [[Battle of Tinian|Tinian]] while conducting research for his best seller ''The Search for Amelia Earhart'' (1966), heard that Powell died after drinking poisoned sake.<ref>{{cite book|title=Personal Notes of Fred Goerner|author=Fred Goerner|publisher=Goerner Collection, National Museum of the Pacific War, Fredericksburg, Texas}}</ref>
[[File:Lee Powell Muster Roll Entry for July 1944.png|thumb|right|Excerpt from the US Marine Corps Muster Roll for 2nd Battalion of the 18th Marine Regiment, July 1944]]
The monthly [[Muster (military)|muster roll]] of the 2nd Battalion of the [[18th Marine Regiment (United States)|18th Marines]], notes that on July 30, 1944, Powell "died as a result of wood alcohol poisoning, not in line of duty, not result of own misconduct".<ref>U.S. Marine Corps Muster Rolls, 1798-1958 [database on-line]. Provo, Utah, USA. Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.</ref>

The reason that Powell's death was "officially" reported in newspapers at the time that he had been killed in action was so his young fans could believe the "Lone Ranger" had died heroically fighting the Japanese not from drinking alcohol.


Initially buried on Tinian, Powell's remains were transferred to the [[National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific]] in [[Honolulu]].
Initially buried on Tinian, Powell's remains were transferred to the [[National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific]] in [[Honolulu]].

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1936|| ''[[Under Two Flags (1936 film)|Under Two Flags]]'' || || Uncredited
|-
|1937|| ''[[Forlorn River (1937 film)|Forlorn River]]'' || Duke – Henchman ||
|-
|1937|| ''[[The Last Gangster]]'' || Federal Man || Uncredited
|-
|1938|| ''[[The Lone Ranger (serial)|The Lone Ranger]]'' || Allen King || Serial
|-
|1938|| ''[[The Fighting Devil Dogs]]'' || Lieutenant Tom Grayson || Serial
|-
|1938|| ''[[Come On, Rangers]]'' || Ranger Earp ||
|-
|1939|| ''[[Trigger Pals]]'' || Stormy ||
|-
|1940|| ''[[Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe]]'' || Captain Roka || Serial
|-
|1941|| ''[[The Lone Rider Rides On]]'' || Curly Robbins ||
|-
|1941|| ''[[The Return of Daniel Boone]]'' || Tax Collector Fuller ||
|-
|1942|| ''Texas Man Hunt'' || Marshal Lee Clark ||
|-
|1942|| ''[[Raiders of the West]]'' || Marshal Lee Powell ||
|-
|1942|| ''[[I Was Framed]]'' || || Uncredited
|-
|1942|| ''[[Rolling Down the Great Divide]]'' || rowspan="2"|Marshal Lee Powell ||
|-
|1942|| ''Tumbleweed Trail'' ||
|-
|1942|| ''[[Secret Enemies]]'' || Agent Outside Hotel || Uncredited
|-
|1942|| ''[[Prairie Pals]]'' || rowspan="2"|Marshal Lee Powell ||
|-
|1942|| ''[[Along the Sundown Trail]]'' ||
|-
|1944|| ''[[The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944 film)|The Adventures of Mark Twain]]'' || Cowboy || Uncredited, (final film role)
|}


==References==
==References==
Line 31: Line 86:


==External links==
==External links==
{{Portal box|Biography|United States Marine Corps}}
{{Portal|Biography}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0694205}}

*{{imdb name|id=0694205}}
*{{Amg name|57522}}
*{{Amg name|57522}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->

| NAME =Powell, Lee
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH =1908-05-15
| PLACE OF BIRTH =[[Long Beach, California]]
| DATE OF DEATH =1944-07-30
| PLACE OF DEATH =[[Tinian]], [[Mariana Islands]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Lee}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Lee}}
[[Category:American film actors]]
[[Category:United States Marines]]
[[Category:Film serial actors]]
[[Category:Western (genre) film actors]]
[[Category:American military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:People from Long Beach, California]]
[[Category:Actors from California]]
[[Category:1908 births]]
[[Category:1908 births]]
[[Category:1944 deaths]]
[[Category:1944 deaths]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps personnel killed in World War II]]
[[Category:Male film serial actors]]
[[Category:Male Western (genre) film actors]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps non-commissioned officers]]
[[Category:Male actors from Long Beach, California]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:Deaths by poisoning]]
[[Category:Burials in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific]]

Latest revision as of 16:11, 26 July 2024

Lee Powell
Lobby card for Hi-Yo Silver starring Lee Powell as the Lone Ranger
Born
Lee Berrian Powell

(1908-05-15)May 15, 1908
Long Beach, California, U.S.
DiedJuly 30, 1944 (aged 36)
Tinian, Mariana Islands
OccupationFilm actor

Lee Berrian Powell (May 15, 1908 – July 30, 1944) was an American film actor known for leading or other major roles in several serials and B-westerns. He was the first actor to portray The Lone Ranger on film. During World War II, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and participated in combat on several Pacific Islands, on one of which he died.[1]

Film career

[edit]

Powell attended the University of Montana, where he studied dramatics, football, and track as his main interests. After various stock work he tried his luck in Hollywood.[2]

Making his first appearance uncredited in Under Two Flags (1936), Powell gained fame for playing the suspect who turned out to be The Lone Ranger and one of The Fighting Devil Dogs in 1938 serials. He was the first actor to portray the Lone Ranger on film. In addition to making films for Republic Pictures, Powell also appeared in Universal Pictures Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe serial, made one Western for the soon-to-be-defunct Grand National Pictures and made the six Western programmer films of the Frontier Marshals series, in which each of the three leads (the others being Bill "Cowboy Rambler" Boyd and Art Davis) played a lawman bearing his own name, for Producers Releasing Corporation. Between films, Powell also appeared in Barnett Brothers circus being billed as "The Lone Ranger" until litigation had him change his billing. Powell married Norma Rogers, a circus bareback rider and the circus owner's daughter.[3]

Military service

[edit]

During the Second World War, Powell enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on August 17, 1942. He served in the Pacific Theater in the 2nd Pioneer Battalion, 18th Marine Regiment of the 2nd Marine Division. Powell took part in the battles of Tarawa and Saipan, achieving the rank of sergeant.

Death

[edit]

Powell died from poisoning on Tinian in July 1944. Although it was widely reported in contemporary press reports that he had been killed in action, he actually died from drinking an improvised alcoholic beverage that contained Methanol celebrating the end of the Battle of Tinian. Known commonly as wood alcohol, the chemical is highly toxic if ingested; one other marine was temporarily blinded from drinking the same stuff.[1] In another version, CBS correspondent Fred Goerner, who spoke to former marines who had fought in the battles of Saipan and Tinian while conducting research for his best seller The Search for Amelia Earhart (1966), heard that Powell died after drinking poisoned sake.[4]

Excerpt from the US Marine Corps Muster Roll for 2nd Battalion of the 18th Marine Regiment, July 1944

The monthly muster roll of the 2nd Battalion of the 18th Marines, notes that on July 30, 1944, Powell "died as a result of wood alcohol poisoning, not in line of duty, not result of own misconduct".[5]

The reason that Powell's death was "officially" reported in newspapers at the time that he had been killed in action was so his young fans could believe the "Lone Ranger" had died heroically fighting the Japanese not from drinking alcohol.

Initially buried on Tinian, Powell's remains were transferred to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

Filmography

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1936 Under Two Flags Uncredited
1937 Forlorn River Duke – Henchman
1937 The Last Gangster Federal Man Uncredited
1938 The Lone Ranger Allen King Serial
1938 The Fighting Devil Dogs Lieutenant Tom Grayson Serial
1938 Come On, Rangers Ranger Earp
1939 Trigger Pals Stormy
1940 Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe Captain Roka Serial
1941 The Lone Rider Rides On Curly Robbins
1941 The Return of Daniel Boone Tax Collector Fuller
1942 Texas Man Hunt Marshal Lee Clark
1942 Raiders of the West Marshal Lee Powell
1942 I Was Framed Uncredited
1942 Rolling Down the Great Divide Marshal Lee Powell
1942 Tumbleweed Trail
1942 Secret Enemies Agent Outside Hotel Uncredited
1942 Prairie Pals Marshal Lee Powell
1942 Along the Sundown Trail
1944 The Adventures of Mark Twain Cowboy Uncredited, (final film role)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Lee Powell". The Old Corral. Retrieved September 6, 2008., citing James E. Wise, Jr.; Anne Collier Rehill (1999). STARS IN THE CORPS – Movie Actors in the United States Marines. Naval Institute Press. pp. 164–165. ISBN 1557509492.
  2. ^ Rainey, Buck (2005). Serial Film Stars: A Biographical Dictionary 1912–1956. McFarland and Company. p. 595. ISBN 0-7864-2010-3.
  3. ^ Louise Pettus. "Elephants & The Lone Ranger In York". rootsweb.
  4. ^ Fred Goerner. Personal Notes of Fred Goerner. Goerner Collection, National Museum of the Pacific War, Fredericksburg, Texas.
  5. ^ U.S. Marine Corps Muster Rolls, 1798-1958 [database on-line]. Provo, Utah, USA. Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.
[edit]
  • Lee Powell at IMDb
  • ‹The template AllMovie name is being considered for deletion.› Lee Powell at AllMovie
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