The
Lone Ranger
Stats
Classification: Hero of Fiction (TV, Radio, Film)
Origin: 1933, Radio Station WXYZ in Detroit
Skills: Excellent horseman, strategist, pugilist, and
unsurpassable quick-draw artist.
Defining Moment: Lone Ranger TV Series, 1949-57
“A firey horse with the speed of
light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty, ‘Hi-yo Silver!’—the Lone Ranger!”
Yes, return with us now to those
thrilling days of yesteryear! I grew up with a few Lone Ranger episodes on VHS
(yes, I will tell my children tales of VHS the way my father talks of 8-tracks)
as well as Roy Rogers and Hopalong Cassidy. And they taught me a few truths
that many of my compatriots missed out on. Keep your word. Help the underdog.
Thinking and planning ahead will beat pure force nine times out of ten. And
lastly, the good guys always win.
Some of the storytellers of our day in Hollywood and New York could stand to
relearn that last one.
Here rode a man who stood for
justice, who needed no reward, notoriety, or frequently even thanks. He never
shot to kill, because “if a man must die, it’s up to the law to decide that,
not the person behind a six-shooter.” While I am neither fast or accurate enough
to live up to that rule, it’s a great sentiment. Not to mention his bullets
were made of silver, meaning he had to count the cost every time he pulled the
trigger. He made enemies forgive each other; defended old men, women, and children; and
generally worked to grow the West up into the kind of civilization that wouldn’t
need him. Today’s government workers could take note.
The actor who portrayed him on TV,
Clayton Moore, took his role as a children’s icon very seriously, striving to
communicate in his personal life the same values he lived by on screen. He remains the only actor with a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame that also has the name of his character.
Hi-yo, Silver, away!
