The Lone Ranger (TV)
"The Lone Ranger" is a classic American television series that originally aired in 1949, following its inception as a successful radio series and two movie serials in the 1930s. Created by George W. Trendle, the show features the titular character, the Lone Ranger, a masked Texas Ranger who, alongside his Native American companion Tonto, combats outlaws in the Old West. The series is notable for its prime-time slot, distinguishing it from other Westerns of the era. Clayton Moore was the iconic actor who portrayed the Lone Ranger for most of the series, while Jay Silverheels played Tonto.
The storyline follows John Reid, the Lone Ranger, who survives an ambush by the Butch Cavendish gang, thanks to Tonto's intervention. After donning a mask made from a Ranger vest, Reid adopts the persona of the Lone Ranger, vowing to uphold justice and maintain a moral code. The show is well-remembered for its signature theme music, Gioachino Rossini's "William Tell Overture," and for promoting values such as fairness, respect for law and order, and idealized behavior, appealing to conservative family audiences in the 1950s. The character's influence on children and his emphasis on high moral standards have solidified "The Lone Ranger" as an enduring piece of American pop culture.
The Lone Ranger (TV)
Identification Popular television Western series based on a radio program
Date Aired from 1949 to 1961
Producer Jack Chertok
This Western, aimed at children, centered on a heroic former Texas Ranger who reflected conservative 1950’s values such as justice, fair play, and honesty.
Key Figures
Jack Chertok (1906-1995), television producer
Created during the 1930’s by George W. Trendle, The Lone Ranger was a successful radio series and two movie serials before moving to television in 1949. Unlike other Westerns, such as The Roy Rogers Show and The Gene Autry Show, it ran in prime time. In each episode the Lone Ranger and his faithful Native American companion, Tonto, defeated Old West outlaws and rode away to the sound of Gioachino Rossini’s William Tell Overture. During the televised series’ run, Clayton Moore played the Lone Ranger (except in one season when John Hart took the role), while Jay Silverheels was always Tonto.
According to the series’ backstory, the Lone Ranger was originally John Reid, a Texas Ranger whose posse was ambushed by the Butch Cavendish gang and left to die. Although the other Rangers perished, Reid was rescued by Tonto, who had been saved by Reid years before. Donning a mask made from a Ranger vest, Reid was told by Tonto he was now the “Lone Ranger.” Known as “Kemo Sabe” (“faithful friend” or “trusty scout”) to Tonto, the Lone Ranger befriended a wild stallion he named Silver and, exclaiming “Hi-Yo Silver,” repeatedly and successfully hunted down the Cavendish gang.
Impact
The Lone Ranger espoused a fair-play code, that influenced the moral values of post-World War II children. According to creator Trendle, the Lone Ranger never smoked, used profanity, or drank. His grammar was as perfect as his aim, he never shot to kill, and he always demonstrated respect for law and order. Such mores sat well with 1950’s conservative families and helped the program become ABC’s earliest success in the nascent television age.
Bibliography
Aaker, Everett. Television Western Players of the Fifties: A Biographical Encyclopedia of All Regular Cast Members in Western Series, 1949-1959. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1997. Collection of brief biographies of television actors, including those on The Lone Ranger.
Moore, Clayton. I Was That Masked Man. Dallas: Taylor, 1998. Moore’s memoirs of his career as the Lone Ranger, among other life details.
Spigel, Lynn. Make Room for TV: Television and the Family Ideal in Postwar America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992. Focuses on the growth of television as a national medium as opposed to popular expectations for it.
Thummin, Janet. Small Screens, Big Ideas: Television in the 1950’s. London: I. B. Tauris, 2001. Explores the way in which television prompted social change in postwar America and Britain. Includes many illustrations and photographs.