The Lone Ranger was an early, long-running radio and television show based on characters created by George W. Trendle of Detroit, Michigan and developed by writer Fran Stryker of Buffalo, New York. The basic premise is that a masked cowboy in the Old West gallops about righting injustices, usually with the aid of a clever and laconic American Indian called Tonto.

Birth of the Radio Series

The first of 2,956 episodes of The Lone Ranger aired on radio for the first time on January 30, 1933 on WXYZ radio in Detroit, Michigan and later on the Mutual Broadcasting System radio network. The Lone Ranger became one of the most successful properties on radio.

The hero is a Texas Ranger named Reid, who, as the series begins, was pursuing the criminal Butch Cavendish with a group of other rangers. (Some later radio reference books claimed Reid's first name was John, however this name was never used on either the radio or television program.) The party finds themselves in a murderous ambush arranged by Cavendish that seemingly leaves every ranger dead. Reid's childhood friend, a brave known as Tonto (his tribe was never specified), finds the party and finds Reid to be alive. Tonto takes him to safety and nurses him back to health.

While Reid recovers, Tonto buries the dead rangers. Reid vows to bring the killers and others like them to justice. By happenstance, the pair discovers a magnificent white stallion whom Reid adopts as his mount, Silver . Whenever the Ranger mounts Silver he implores, "Hi yo, Silver, away!" which besides sounding dramatic, originally served to tell the radio audience that a riding sequence was about to start. They also discover a lost silver mine and a prospector who is willing to work it and supply Reid and Tonto as much silver as they want! Reid fashions the mask that would mark him as the Lone Ranger. In addition, the Lone Ranger decides to use only silver bullets, as a reminder of his vows to fight for justice, and never to shoot to kill. Together, the Lone Ranger and Tonto wander the Old American West helping people and fighting injustice where they find it. The Lone Ranger was also a master of disguise, and in particular would often infiltrate an area as the "Old Prospector", an old-time miner with a full beard, so that he can go places where the Lone Ranger would never fit in, usually to gather intelligence about criminal activities.

According to "The Legend of Silver", a radio episode broadcast September 30, 1938, before acquiring Silver the Lone Ranger rode a chestnut mare called Dusty. After Dusty was killed by a criminal that Reid and Tonto were tracking, Reid saved Silver's life from an enraged buffalo, and in gratitude Silver chose to give up his wild life to carry him. Silver's father was called Sylvan, and his mother was Musa. In another episode, the lingering question of Tonto's mode of transport was resolved when the pair found a secluded valley and the Lone Ranger, in a urge of conscience, released Silver back to the wild. The episode ends with Silver returning to the Ranger bringing along a companion who becomes Tonto's horse, Scout.

The last new radio episode of the Lone Ranger was aired on September 3, 1954.

Other media

The series also inspired numerous comic books, two movie serials , books, a live action television series (1949-1957) best known for starring Clayton Moore as the Lone Ranger (though with John Hart as the Lone Ranger from 1952-1954) and Jay Silverheels as Tonto, and a Saturday morning animated cartoon. Later adaptations are notable for their efforts to remove the stereotypical elements of the Tonto character (e.g. his broken English) and change him into a proud and articulate warrior who is treated by the Ranger as an equal partner. So far, no modern remake of The Lone Ranger has proven popular, with 1981's Legend of the Lone Ranger causing much upset among fans when a movie studio filed a suit to prevent Clayton Moore from appearing as the Lone Ranger anywhere else; the film was a spectacular failure. A 2003 made-for-TV version was also unsuccessful.

The radio series also created a spin-off called the Green Hornet which depicts John Reid's grand nephew, Britt Reid, who in contemporary times fights crime with a similar secret identity and sidekick, Kato. However, the properties have been acquired by different interests and the familial link has been downplayed.

Each episode begins with the catch phrase "Return with us now to the thrilling days of yesteryear.... The Lone Ranger Rides Again!", and invariably ends with one of the characters lamenting the fact that they never found out the hero's name, only to be told, "Why, that was the Lone Ranger!" as he and Tonto ride away. The theme music was Rossini's William Tell overture, now inseparably associated with the series, which also featured many other classical selections as incidental music including Wagner, Mendelssohn, Liszt, and Tchaikovsky.

Resources

Reginald Jones, The Mystery of the Masked Man's Music, ISBN 0810839741

CD with all the incidental music: Music of the Lone Ranger ASIN B00000E5WM