The Lone Ranger
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 about a masked cowboy in the Old West who gallops about righting injustices, usually having the aid of a laconic, clever American Indian called "Tonto". The first of 2,956 episodes of The Lone Ranger aired on the 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 origin of the hero is of a Texas Ranger named Reid, who 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.) However, the party found themselves in a murderous ambush arranged by Cavendish which left seemingly every ranger dead. Soon after, Reid's childhood friend, a brave known as Tonto (his tribe was never specified on the program), finds the party and discovers Reid to be alive. Tonto takes him to safety and nurses him back to health.
As Reid recovers, Tonto buries the dead rangers. Reid vows to bring the killers and others like them to justice. By happenstance, the pair soon 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 beginning. Furthermore, 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 a mask that would mark him as the Lone Ranger. In addition, The 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 Ranger was also a master of disguises and in particular would often infiltrate an area as "The Old Prospector", an old-time miner who wore a full beard, so as to be able to go places where the Ranger would never fit it, usually to gather intelligence about criminal activities.
According to "The Legend of Silver", a radio episode broadcast September 30, 1938, the Lone Ranger rode a chestnut mare named Dusty before Silver. After Dusty was killed by a criminal Reid and Tonto were trailing, Reid saved Silver's life from an enraged buffalo, and in gratitude Silver chose to give up his wild life to bear him. Silver's father was called Sylvan, and his mother was Musa. In another episode, the lingering question of Tonto's mode of transportation was resolved when the pair found a secluded valley and The Ranger, in a urge of conscience, decided release Silver back to the wild. The episode ended with Silver returning to the Ranger while bringing along a friend who became Tonto's horse, Scout.
The Lone Ranger became one of the most successful properties on radio, starting at station WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan. The series also inspired numerous comic books, two movie serials, books, a live action television series best known for starring Clayton Moore as the Lone Ranger 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 suit to prevent Clayton Moore from appearing as the Lone Ranger anywhere; the film was a spectacular failure. A 2003 made-for-TV version was similarly 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, nowadays the properties have been acquired by different interests and the familial link has been downplayed.
The catch phrase is "Return with us now to the thrilling days of yesteryear ... The Lone Ranger Rides Again!" and the theme music was Rossini's William Tell overture.
The last new radio episode of the Lone Ranger was aired on September 3, 1954.