The Lone Ranger

[W. Gray]

For those who might be interested, the above is the original one hour plus 1949 TV movie--ENTER THE LONE RANGER--that introduced the Lone Ranger to all of us kids.

[farmgal67357]

AWESOME!!!
Lisa

For those who might be interested, the above is the original one hour plus 1949 TV movie--ENTER THE LONE RANGER--that introduced the Lone Ranger to all of us kids.

[W. Gray]

Most of us, probably, remember the TV Lone Ranger as played by Clayton Moore.

But there was another TV Lone Ranger played by John Hart.

Clayton Moore got into a contract dispute with the studio and refused to report to work.

The studio gave the role to John Hart and he lasted a couple years around 52-54, or thereabouts.

The public, meaning us kids I am guessing, did not fully accept John Hart and the studio brought Clayton Moore back.

[W. Gray]

Only four people in the entire world knew who the Lone Ranger actually was.

John Reid (the Lone Ranger)
Tonto
Dan Reid
Jim Blaine

John Reid was one of the rangers that were ambushed by the evil Cavendish gang.

The leader of the rangers was Daniel Reid, John Reid's brother. Daniel Reid and all the other rangers except John Reid were killed.

Tonto came along and found John Reid and instantly recognized him from their youth when John Reid had nursed him back to health after his village was raided. Tonto nursed Reid back to health.

Dan Reid was the son of Daniel Reid. Daniel Reid had asked John Reid to take care of his son if something should happen to him while working for the rangers. John Reid naturally agreed.

Jim Blaine was one third owner of a secret silver mine. The other two owners were John Reid and Daniel Reid.

Jim Blaine worked the silver mine and molded the silver bullets on site that were used by the Lone Ranger. Blaine kept all the profits from the silver mine except for the silver used to mold the bullets and occasional money needed by the Lone Ranger and Tonto to buy supplies and supposedly carouse some.

Tonto made the black mask out of Daniel Reid's vest.

Silver was found incapacitated after he was gored by a buffalo. John Reid nursed him back to health, etc.

[W. Gray]

I finally got to see this movie having watched it On Demand last night.

The movie runs 2.5 hours with 9 minutes of that devoted to the ending credits.

Frankly, I tired of the film and turned it off after 1.5 hours. Out of a morbid curiosity, I finished it this morning.

The movie starts out in 1933 when a small kid wearing a cowboy outfit and a Lone Ranger mask enters a side show museum in San Francisco and sees an Indian mannequin standing outside a Teepee. The mannequin represents an old and ancient Tonto and he comes to life and tells the kid the real story of the Lone Ranger via flashbacks. (The significance of 1933 is, I think, applicable to the time the radio series began playing in Detroit.)

The Lone Ranger is represented as a dim witted dummy, more or less, and Tonto is the intelligent one. All through the movie the two ride double on Silver. Tonto does not get his own horse until the ending.

The Lone Ranger music is played only twice. The first time is at the beginning of the movie when the Lone Ranger and Tonto rob a bank. The second time is during the climatic chase scene.

The movie has spectacular scenes, all shot in Utah, and is a mix of comedy, seriousness, and depravity. There is the US Cavalry in full force, Indians galore, and railroad greed rampant. Special effects are everywhere. We learn Tonto is a Comanche.

This movie version has the Lone Ranger in love with his brother's wife. This has apparently gone on for some time. And at one point the brother's kid (Dan Reid) calls the Lone Ranger "Dad."

The Lone Ranger always rides with his Ranger badge pinned on his shirt in plain view.

The movie features a rough, tough dance hall girl who has a wooden leg with wall to wall tattoos on it. The leg features a gun built in to the high heel of the wood leg shoe and she shoots by pointing her heel at someone and pulling a trigger mechanism located at her garter.

It was Tonto's idea for the mask and for the silver bullets. Silver, the horse, just shows up and takes a liking to the Lone Ranger. He does not even have to break the horse for riding. Tonto thinks Silver is a dumb horse.

The boy in the side show is eating peanuts from a white paper bag stamped in red, "Fresh Hot Peanuts." When Tonto buries the rangers killed as a result of the Butch Cavendish gang ambush, that bag somehow prominently winds up in the grave of one of the dead rangers. Go figure.

The climatic chase scene at the end of the movie runs 15 minutes and features two runaway trains and an assortment of sight gags meant to be funny. This chase scene is somewhat reminiscent of the mine ore car chase scene in the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
When the Lone Ranger yells "Hi Yo and away," Tonto thinks he is stupid and tells him to never say that again.

I am glad I did not pay good money to see this movie in the theater.

[Wilma]

From your description I would not pay any money, good or bad, to see it.  It is full of inaccuracies.  And to cap it off, the Lone Ranger did not say "Hi Yo and away."  What he said was, "Hi, ho, Silver, away."  Take it from someone who grew up with the original version.  Tonto always had his own horse.  It was a paint and it's name was Scout.  I am not sure of the name, but it sounds right.

[W. Gray]

I inadvertently left "Silver" out of the saying.

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6:30 pm CST, our family was glued to our radio listening to the Lone Ranger. This was even after Kansas City got its lone TV station in 1949.

I forgot to say that Johnny Depp was actually good as Tonto.