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THE LONE RANGER
The Lone Ranger was noted for his unusually strong
moral and ethical code. He used his silver bullets to
disarm opponents, not to kill. The radio and early TV
series were careful to keep the Ranger's abilities
somewhat plausible...yes, he could outdraw any single
opponent, but had to be more clever to deal with
multiple opponents, and although the close relationship
with his faithful Indian companion (Tonto) has raised
eyebrows, the Lone Ranger always treated his friend
with the deepest respect and as an equal partner.
No, not Clayton Moore, but the character he played, on and off the T. V. screen.
moral and ethical code. He used his silver bullets to
disarm opponents, not to kill. The radio and early TV
series were careful to keep the Ranger's abilities
somewhat plausible...yes, he could outdraw any single
opponent, but had to be more clever to deal with
multiple opponents, and although the close relationship
with his faithful Indian companion (Tonto) has raised
eyebrows, the Lone Ranger always treated his friend
with the deepest respect and as an equal partner.
Jay Silverheels and Clayton Moore
The Lone Ranger is on my top 10 list of someone who greatly influenced my life! (Even though I fell FAR short of his standards!)
No, not Clayton Moore, but the character he played, on and off the T. V. screen.
He was honest, caring, clean, never killed anyone that I can remember, but above all, he was HUMBLE!
My favorite part was at the end of the show, and the Lone Ranger had already "split the scene," as we used to say in the 50'S, and he had left a silver bullet to let the townsfolk know who he really was...It went something like this:
Townsfolk dude: "That masked man saved us all, and didn't even let us thank him!"
A different townsfolk dude: "Who was that masked man?"
Then, still another townsfolk dude picks up a silver bullet that the "masked man" left on the table, and says, "Why, that was the Lone Ranger!!"
THEN It flashes to the coolest scene of the Lone Ranger on his magnificent horse Silver!
Silver is rearing up on his hind legs, and the Lone Ranger declares, " Hi O Silver, AWAY!!!"
Think about it, the "ranger" is saving people all over the Old West, never gets his ranger outfit dirty, loves his Indian friend Tonto like a brother, never takes advantage of women by kissing them, has an intimate relationship with his horse, and STILL is so humble, he wears a mask to hide his identity, and never even tells people his name, because he doesn't want to brag about himself.
( I can't think of any other reason he'd want to hide his identity, can you?)
I always thought it was so cool when he'd shoot the gun out of the "bad guys" hand, and the "bad guy" would scrunch his face up in pain, and shake his hand like he hit it with a hammer.
The Lone Ranger had to do things like that, because this was Saturday morning kids time, and no blood and guts were allowed in this time slot.
As a kid, I really did try to emulate the Lone Ranger's qualities, but MAN, I screwed it up royally!
I was always trying to kiss girls, I was perpetually dirty, I didn't have ANY Indian friends, I was afraid of horses (because one had bit me on that little roll of fat I had around my tummy at a pony ride thing, and it hurt like crazy!!), and I loved attention!!
I DID have some silver bullets (provided by the Mattel Toy Company) that went into my official Lone Ranger gun, but even I knew it was just silver (lead) paint on plastic.
Clayton Moore was so dedicated to his role as the Lone Ranger, that he made personal appearances as the masked man (without permission) for many years after the series had ended, even to the point where the legal owners to the rights of the show banned him from wearing the mask in public, but later on the ban was lifted, THANK GOD!!
If you never watched The Lone Ranger you probably think this blog post is silly, but for those of you who grew up watching this show know exactly what I'm talking about, and can still hear the William Tell Overture, and the heart stirring words at the opening of the show:
