The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger
I wish there was just one thing that I liked best  about the Lone Ranger but, yikes!, there were so many things that were  special and different about this character.  Even though I was a real  horse nut when I was a kid, and so I'm tempted to say "Silver", I think I  have to give an edge to this small item - the mask!
That's right!  Think about it.  His mask is what  separated him from all the other TV cowboys.  He was the guy who always  saved the day and left the grateful townfolk asking "Who was that masked  man?"
Background of the Show
George W. Trendle and Fran Striker (a very creative  writer) are generally regarded as the fathers of the Lone Ranger, but  the character wasn't created that simply.  A lot of people contributed  to the idea of the character, his style, his appearance and everything  about him.   It took several months to create the moral, upright hero  that we know.  He was a little bit of Robin Hood and a dash of Zorro,  and it proved to be a perfect mix.
Fran Striker also created another crime avenger, "The Green Hornet", and there is an interesting link between those 2 shows..
DID YOU KNOW?
In "The Lone Ranger", Dan Reid was  the brother of John (the Lone Ranger).  In "The Green Hornet", Dan Reid  was the father of Britt (the Green Hornet)
So let's talk about the story behind this mysterious masked man.
Well, this guy was part of a possee of Texas Rangers  who were chasing after some desperadoes when they were ambushed in a  canyon and all were left for dead.  But what the bad guys didn't know  was that one of those Rangers, John Reid, survived and crawled off  safely to a nearby waterhole!
In short order along came a friendly Indian named  Tonto.  Because John Reid had once helped him, Tonto nursed him back to  health and vowed to help this "lone ranger" (yep! that's how he came by  his name) avenge the deaths of the other 5 possee members and any other  wrongs that needed avenging.
John Reid became "Kemo Sabe" (which means "Trusty Scout") to Tonto and, of course, the "Lone Ranger" to everyone else.
Not wanting the desperadoes to know that one of the  Rangers had survived their ambush, John Reid "buried" himself along with  the other 5; one of them was his brother Dan.  Then, with Tonto's help,  he tamed the beautiful white stallion that he named "Silver", put on  the mask, got him some pretty snazzy looking duds, too, and set out to  get the guys who killed all of his friends (which they did by finally  cornering the outlaw Butch Cavendish).
They were now a team, along with their faithful horses "Silver" and "Scout", and went around righting wrongs in the old West!
So let's talk about the story behind this mysterious masked man.
Well, this guy was part of a possee of Texas Rangers  who were chasing after some desperadoes when they were ambushed in a  canyon and all were left for dead.  But what the bad guys didn't know  was that one of those Rangers, John Reid, survived and crawled off  safely to a nearby waterhole!
In short order along came a friendly Indian named  Tonto.  Because John Reid had once helped him, Tonto nursed him back to  health and vowed to help this "lone ranger" (yep! that's how he came by  his name) avenge the deaths of the other 5 possee members and any other  wrongs that needed avenging.
John Reid became "Kemo Sabe" (which means "Trusty Scout") to Tonto and, of course, the "Lone Ranger" to everyone else.
Not wanting the desperadoes to know that one of the  Rangers had survived their ambush, John Reid "buried" himself along with  the other 5; one of them was his brother Dan.  Then, with Tonto's help,  he tamed the beautiful white stallion that he named "Silver", put on  the mask, got him some pretty snazzy looking duds, too, and set out to  get the guys who killed all of his friends (which they did by finally  cornering the outlaw Butch Cavendish).
They were now a team, along with their faithful horses "Silver" and "Scout", and went around righting wrongs in the old West!
All About the Show
The radio show started locally in 1933, but it was so popular that it quickly became a national radio show.
Then, in 1949, it was made into a half-hour TV show  with simple characters and plots - basically "good guys vs. bad guys".   Clayton Moore was the actor who played the Lone Ranger, except for a  short time from 1952 to 1954 when the actor John Hart played the role.   But there was only one Tonto - Jay Silverheels - who played the  poker-faced, mixed blood Mohawk Indian to perfection!  The series ended  in 1957, but reruns continued thru 1961.
Each episode began with this familiar invitation -  "Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear.  The Lone  Ranger rides again!" The William Tell overture was the Lone Ranger theme  song, chosen because of the "galloping" sound it had, and you would  hear it playing in the background.  You can click on the center button  in the video box above to view an opening clip.  Pay attention to the  big rock formation.  Some interesting details follow about that famous  place.
LONE RANGER ROCK
That big boulder in the well known  scene at the beginning of each episode where Silver rears up in front of  it, is called "Lone Ranger Rock", and it wasn't a staged "set".  It is a  natural formation, located near (what was) Iverson's Ranch in  Chatsworth, California (a little north of Los Angeles).  It is still  there today but the scenery has changed.  The rock is no longer in the  wild country where so many Lone Ranger scenes were filmed.  It is now  surrounded by condominiums, and a major highway roars past it.
The shows were action-packed and loved by a big  audience, especially kids.  Parents liked the fact that this masked man  spoke kindly (and in perfect English) and went around helping people who  were in trouble; these traits made him a good role model for their  kids.
Imagine that, putting as many bad guys in their place  as the masked man did, he never actually killed anyone!  He often worked  it out so that the bad guys killed each other!
But he was in a lot of fights (though he seldom ever  lost his hat & never got his clothes dirty!) and, if he needed help,  Tonto and even Silver were always close enough to come to his aid.
Every week the Lone Ranger would save the day for a  rancher, a prospector, or maybe the school marm and, after being  properly thanked by all, he would ride off calling out the familiar  "Hi-Ho, Silver, away!"
Another thing that I remember is that, as the Lone  Ranger would disappear over the hill as he rode away, my Dad would offer  his own theory about what followed next.  He would always say "And now  the Lone Ranger is going to go wash his shirt!"
What Happened to the Actors?
JAY SILVERHEELS was born Harold  J. Smith on May 26, 1919.  One of 7 brothers and sisters, he was a  full-blooded Mohawk Indian born on the Six Nations Indian Reservation in  Brantford, Ontario, Canada and legally changed his name in 1971.  He  was athletic, participating in lacrosse, boxing, and wrestling.  He was  on the Canadian National Lacrosse Team and came to the United States  with the team in 1938.  He also won wrestling championships and finished  second in a Golden Gloves championship in Madison Square Garden.  After  his acting career, Jay became a successful horse breeder and racer.   Someone asked him once if he ever thought about racing Scout.  He smiled  and said "Heck, I can beat Scout!".  Jay's health deteriorated after a  stroke in 1974, and he died on March 5, 1980 at the Motion Picture and  Television Home and Hospital in Woodland Hills, CA at the age of 62.   His body was cremated and the ashes were scattered over the Six Nations  Reservation in Canada.
CLAYTON MOORE was born on Sept. 14, 1914 in  Chicago, the son of wealthy parents (his father was an investor).  He  was very athletic and spent a lot of his youth at the Illinois Athletic  Club where he  learned gymnastics and swam. He was good friends with a  young Johnny Weissmuller who also swam at the IAC and they were lifelong  friends.  Clayton later became a trapeze artist and left college so his  troupe, The Flying Behrs, could accept an invitation to perform in the  1934 Chicago World's Fair.  Before he got his most famous role, he was  also a movie stuntman.  Clayton died of a heart attack in West Hills, CA  on Dec. 28, 1999 at age 85, survived by an adopted daughter.
What do you remember most about The Lone Ranger?
Do you have favorite memories about The Lone Ranger, Tonto, or the show in general? Please share them!
The Lone Ranger Memories