The Lone Ranger

While details differ, the basic story of the Lone Ranger's origin is consistent in most versions of the franchise.[8] The Lone Ranger is the sole survivor of a group of six ambushed Texas Rangers.[12] A posse of six members of the Texas Ranger Division, led by Captain Dan Reid, pursued a band of outlaws led by Bartholomew "Butch" Cavendish, but are betrayed by a civilian guide named Collins, who was secretly working with Cavendish, and led the unsuspecting rangers into an ambush at a canyon known as Bryant's Gap.[13] Later, a Native American named Tonto stumbles onto the grisly scene. He discovers one of the rangers, Captain Reid's younger brother, John, barely alive, and he nurses the man to health. In some versions, Tonto recognizes the lone survivor as the man who had saved his life when they both were children. According to the television series, Tonto gave John a ring and the name Kemo Sabe, which he said means "trusty scout".[14] John Reid then tells Tonto that he intends to hunt down Cavendish and his men and to bring them to justice. To conceal his identity and honor his fallen brother, John fashions a black domino mask using cloth from his late brother's vest. To aid in the deception, Tonto digs a sixth grave and places at its head a cross bearing John Reid's name so that Cavendish and his gang will believe that all the Rangers had been killed.

The Lone Ranger

Tonto was played throughout the run by actor John Todd (although in a few isolated occasions, he was replaced by Roland Parker, better known as Kato for much of the run of sister series The Green Hornet). Other supporting players were selected from Detroit area actors and studio staff. These included Jay Michael (who also played the lead on Challenge of the Yukon, or Sgt. Preston of the Yukon), Bill Saunders (as various villains, including Butch Cavendish), Paul Hughes (as the Ranger's friend Thunder Martin and as various army colonels and badmen), future movie star John Hodiak, Janka Fasciszewska (under the name Jane Fae), and Rube Weiss and Liz Weiss (later a married couple, both actors in several radio and television programs in Detroit, Rube usually taking on villain roles on the "Ranger", and Liz playing damsels in distress). The part of nephew Dan Reid was played by various child actors, including Bob Martin, James Lipton, and Dick Beals.

In the late 1930s, Trendle acquired the rights to use incidental music from Republic Pictures motion picture serials as part of a deal for Republic to produce a serial based (loosely) on the Lone Ranger. This music was then modified by NBC radio arranger Ben Bonnell and recorded in Mexico to avoid American union rules. This music was used in both the radio and later television shows.[29]

The Top Ranger is a parody produced by Disney starring Mickey Mouse (Top Ranger) and Goofy (Tonto-lone), with the script and drawing by Marco Gervasio and published in an Italian comic book, Topolino #3005 (July 2, 2013).[68]

"The Provolone Ranger", an episode of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show, featured Mario donning a mask to fight outlaws alongside of a speedy companion named Pronto. In a spoof of the Lone Ranger's habit of leaving before those whom he has helped can thank him, the episode ends with Mario returning to collect a reward of pasta.

In "Wild West Rangers", a two-part episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Pink Ranger Kimberly Hart (Amy Jo Johnson) falls backwards through time to the Old West, where she meets look-alike ancestors of her fellow Power Rangers and other characters in the show. A hero called the White Stranger, a mask-less duplicate of Kimberly's boyfriend Tommy Oliver, the White Ranger (played by Jason David Frank) rides to the rescue on more than one occasion when danger threatens.

In VeggieTales, there is an episode that is a retelling of the story of Moses leading the Hebrews out of Book of Exodus from the Bible and a sequel to the Ballad of Little Joe and a parody of the Lone Ranger called "Moe and the Big Exit" with Larry the Cucumber as the Lone Stranger who is the parody of the Lone Ranger and is the episodes equivalent to the Bible's Moses in the episode.

The character was originally believed to be inspired by Texas Ranger Captain John R. Hughes, to whom the book The Lone Star Ranger by Zane Grey was dedicated in 1915.[74] John R. Hughes was born on February 11, 1855, in Henry County, Illinois. At 14 years old, he made his way into Indian Territory and lived among the Choctaw, Osage, and Comanche.[75] In 1886, at 31 years old, Hughes killed a number of men for stealing his and a neighbor's horses, and for a number of months, trailed the ones whom he did not kill. This would mark his first time actively participating in bounty hunter-like activities. Not long after that in 1887, Hughes assisted Texas Ranger Ira Aten in tracking and killing an escaped murderer. A month after, he was persuaded to join the ranks of the Rangers and served along the southwest borders of Texas, and at 38 years old, Hughes became the captain of Company D. Frontier Battalion. He went on to retire in 1915, after serving 28 years as a Ranger. He was dying and chose to end his own life at 92 years old on June 3, 1947, and was buried in Austin, Texas.[76]Many could relate John Hughes to being the Lone Ranger due to his career as an actual Texas Ranger, and because he actually lived in Texas, unlike others who have been cited as possibilities. He learned the languages of the Native American tribes that he lived among for some time, which could make him a more competent ranger when traveling familiar territory to track down criminals and give him the ability to communicate with other native people. He went on to capture and kill many criminals without ever being injured in his 28 years as a Ranger.[77]

Disney then announced in September 2008 that Johnny Depp would be portraying Tonto[23] while the Elliot-Rossio script was rewritten by Justin Haythe.[24] The Elliot and Rossio script reportedly had a supernatural plot element involving coyotes.[2] In May 2009, Mike Newell, who was then directing Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time for Bruckheimer and Disney, entered negotiations to direct Lone Ranger.[25] Bruckheimer explained the following June that he wanted to wait before hiring a director, until Newell completed Prince of Persia, and until Depp finished filming Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. "The priority is most definitely Pirates 4," Bruckheimer commented. "They are going to cast the title role once they get a director and Disney greenlights. We don't have a director yet."[26][27] In September 2010, Gore Verbinski was announced to be in negotiations to direct,[28] and his hiring was made official that October.[29] Verbinski had suggested giving the role of Tonto to Depp while filming the second Pirates of the Caribbean film.[30] Filming was slated to begin after Depp finished work on Dark Shadows.[28] Actor Armie Hammer was selected to play the Lone Ranger, a role that Bruckheimer described as being written for "a young Jimmy Stewart character".[31][32][33]

Five died; the sixth was left for dead and would have died that day but for an amazing coincidence: After the shooting was over, an Indian man happened upon the scene of the ambush. The ranger, who was wounded but still clinging to life, had saved that Indian from outlaw raiders a few years earlier, when the two were just boys.

For the first 10 episodes of The Lone Ranger, the Ranger actually rode alone. (This was before they cooked up the backstory of the ambush at Bryant's Gap.) As writer Fran Striker told his son, Fran Junior, that posed a problem for creating dialogue.

"The Lone Ranger had nobody to talk to if he was a lone ranger," Striker says. "So it was suggested they create a sidekick for TLR. Script 11 introduced Tonto. And [he] was developed solely for the purpose of giving the Lone Ranger someone to talk to."

In fact, at the beginning of the book, Striker has dealings with Stefano Magaddino, the infamous mob boss and crosses paths with Slattery, the former light heavyweight champ, in a location familiar to many - the bar at Voelker's bowling alley. Voelker's was within walking distance of Striker's real life home on Granger Place in North Buffalo.

"Legend has it he had two offices. One at his house on Granger Place and one at his mother in law's house." Eoannou said. "So when he got too annoying to his family and neighbors with the constant typing at one house, he'd go and work at the other."

Cavendish was convinced that all of the Rangers were killed in the ambush, but John survived, nursed back to health after being found by an Indian named Tonto, who remembered John as he had once saved Tonto's life when they were boys. When John recognized Tonto, he remembered the name the Indian gave him: "Kemosabe", which meant 'trusty scout'. Tonto then made the observation that John was the only Ranger left, calling him the "lone ranger". John realizes that he will be a marked man once Cavendish finds out that he survived, but Tonto reassures him that he made six graves while burying only five men, so the outlaws will think John died with the others. Now with a strengthening determination to bring Cavendish and his gang to justice for their crimes, John decides that his name must remain buried with his brother and his colleagues and resolves to assume a secret identity and wear a disguise; it was Tonto who suggested that John wear a mask for a disguise, which he made out of cloth from his brother's vest. When John declares that he'll be the Lone Ranger, Tonto vows to help him.

In 1939, Warner Brothers released the Bob Clampett-directed cartoonThe Lone Stranger and Porky, which starred Porky Pig and featured a parody of the Lone Ranger. This animated version of the Lone Ranger wears a mask that covers his entire face except for his eyes, and even uses the names of Tonto and Silver. 041b061a72