Was the lone ranger real movie#
Soooo…… did last year’s movie stay true to the legend of the Lone Ranger that his creators carefully and dutifully developed over 20 plus years on radio? As I left the theatre I was asking myself, did I really just watch a movie about the Lone Ranger (I mean the Lone Ranger I grew up with)? I’m still not sure if it was supposed to be a serious movie or a comedy?! Where were the characters that I cherished from the TV series, radio shows and books in a variety of formats (Big Little Books being one of them)? How could Disney, successful producers and an accomplished actor miss the mark so badly (just my opinion)? As one fellow Lone Ranger collector (Mark Peetz) told me, it was a western movie about a masked man and an Indian, but it wasn’t about the Lone Ranger that we grew up with!!!
Only a select few knew who he was or even saw his real face. He was proud to be a “westerner” and never waited around to be thanked after seeing justice win out. This mask hero spoke proper English, didn’t drink, smoke or swear and did not frequent saloons and gambling halls except in the line of duty. He, more than any other western hero, gave a person a second chance. He stood for justice, honor, integrity, fairness and was a champion for those who couldn’t stand against the forces of greed, corruption and evil. For me the mysterious masked rider of the plains stood head and shoulders above all other western heroes. I was hoping and praying that the movie I was about to see would recreate and add to the legend that was started at a Detroit radio station 80 years ago.
Plus, there was Reeves' friend and frequent collaborator, Grant Johnson, who was a Native American, recalling the Lone Ranger's partner, Tonto.It was a pleasant Wednesday afternoon, not your typical hot July 3 rd day in the Sacramento Valley. On top of that, both men were known for their grey horses. Reeves' love of dress-up is one of the many similarities between him and the fictional Lone Ranger that historian Art Burton points out in his book Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves. One of his favorite tactics was using a variety of disguises to trick outlaws into their arrest. In addition to his proficiency with indigenous languages, Reeves was known for his fearlessness and resourcefulness. He was hired as a deputy in 1875 and went on to become one of the most revered lawmen of the American frontier, as well as the first black deputy U.S.
Because of his childhood spent in slavery, Reeves was illiterate, but he learned indigenous languages and cultural customs that made him invaluable to law enforcement trying to curb outlawry in the area. After his self-emancipation, Reeves lived among the Seminole, Cherokee, and Creek Native Americans in what was then called Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). WHO WAS THE MAN WHO INSPIRED THE LONE RANGER?īass Reeves was born into slavery in Arkansas in 1838, but he escaped while traveling with his owner to the front lines of the Civil War. Considering the ways that Hollywood has helped erase black and Latinx cowboys from our collective cultural memory, it should come as no surprise that the same thing happened to a black deputy U.S. In the late 19th and early 20th century, a black lawman named Bass Reeves was well known for his prowess at his job and the enthralling stories of his exploits, which often sound strikingly familiar to those of the Lone Ranger. See, the fictional character of the Lone Ranger is white, but the man who likely inspired him was not. In other words, he's one of the most enduring artistic representations of the historic period known to us now as the Wild West . Since then, the character has gone on to star in a comic book series, a TV show, and a Gore Verbinski film that was decimated by Rotten Tomatoes. The Lone Ranger, a masked lawman who patrolled the frontier with his Native American partner, Tonto, made his first appearance in a radio drama back in 1933.