Editing Lone Ranger (section)

==Original radio series==
{{Infobox radio show
| num_episodes = 2956
| creator      = George Trendle
| writer       = Fran Striker
| italic_title = no}}

The creators of the character were George Trendle (manager of WXYZ radio station) and writer Fran Striker.<ref name="History.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-lone-ranger-debuts-on-detroit-radio |title='The Lone Ranger' debuts on Detroit radio |work=History.com |access-date=July 26, 2020}}</ref>

The first of 2,956 radio episodes of ''The Lone Ranger'' premiered on [[WXYT (AM)|WXYZ]], a radio station serving [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]], on January 31, 1933.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Lone Ranger: The Early Years, 1933–1937|author1=Terry Salomonson|author2=Martin Grams, Jr.|publisher=OTR Publishing|date=2021|page=87|quote=Although the premiere was scheduled for Monday, January 30, the program was pushed back to Tuesday, January 31, as part of [WXYZ]'s 90-minute dedicatory program.}}</ref><ref name=dunning407 /> As Dunning writes in ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio:''<ref name=dunning407>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2e0RDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA407 |last=Dunning |first=John |author-link=John Dunning (detective fiction author) |title=On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio |date=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-0-19-507678-3 |page=407 |edition=Revised |access-date=2024-11-21}}</ref>

<blockquote>"There may have been a few late-night on-air shakedown shows prior to the official January 31, 1933, premiere date. Lacking concrete evidence, [''Lone Ranger'' authority Terry] Salomonson is inclined to doubt it. "There is nothing in any of the Detroit papers to indicate this, but that in itself doesn't mean much. The papers didn't even list the show in their radio logs at first."</blockquote>

The show was an immediate success.<ref name=HOF/> Though it was aimed at children, adults made up at least half the audience.<ref name=HOF/><ref name=LATimes/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.radiospirits.com/aboutotr/featshow.asp |title=The Lone Ranger |publisher=RadioSpirits.com |access-date=March 7, 2011}}</ref> It became so popular, it was picked up by the [[Mutual Broadcasting System]] and, on May 2, 1942,<ref name=dunning404>Dunning, [https://books.google.com/books?id=2e0RDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA404 p. 404]</ref> by NBC's [[Blue Network]], which in time became [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]].<ref>{{cite news|title= 'Lone Ranger' back in the saddle|work= [[Los Angeles Times]]|date=November 12, 2008|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-nov-12-et-loneranger12-story.html|access-date=November 1, 2010|first=Susan|last=King}}</ref>

By 1939, some 20 million Americans were listening to the program.<ref name="History.com"/> It also had numerous listeners in other countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://otr.com/radio_in_transition.shtml |title=Lone Ranger Dead, Auto Hit Trailer; New York Times obituary |publisher=Radio in Transition |access-date=July 26, 2020}}</ref>

===Introductions===
An announcer introduced each episode with the following, which was sometimes changed to reflect the storyline of the episode:

<blockquote>In the early days of the western United States, a masked man and an Indian rode the plains, searching for truth and justice. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear, when from out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver! The Lone Ranger rides again!</blockquote>

By the time it was on ABC at 7:30 pm Eastern, the introduction, voiced by [[Fred Foy]], had become "Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear", followed by, "From out of the west with the speed of light and a hearty 'Hi-yo, Silver!{{' "}} The intro was later changed to:<ref name=dunning409>Dunning, [https://books.google.com/books?id=EwtRbXNca0oC&dq=A+fiery+horse+with+the+speed+of+light&pg=PA409 p. 409]</ref>

<blockquote>A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty Hi-Yo Silver! The Lone Ranger! ... With his faithful Indian companion Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains led the fight for law and order in the early western United States! Nowhere in the pages of history can one find a greater champion of justice! Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear! From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver! The Lone Ranger rides again!</blockquote>

This was followed by Brace Beemer's voice, declaring, "Come on, Silver! Let's go, big fellow! Hi-yo, Silver! Away!"

===Cast===
The Lone Ranger was played by several actors:
* John L. Barrett, on test broadcasts on [[WDCZ|WEBR]] in January 1933;
* [[George Seaton]] (under the name George Stenius) (January 31&nbsp;– May 9, 1933);
* Series director [[James Jewell (director)|James Jewell]], for one episode;
* An actor known only by the pseudonym "Jack Deeds", for one episode;
* [[Earle Graser]] (May 16, 1933&nbsp;– April 7, 1941). On April 8, Graser died in a car accident; and, for five episodes, the Lone Ranger was unable to speak beyond a whisper, with Tonto carrying the action. In addition, six episodes broadcast in August 1938 did not include the Lone Ranger's voice other than an occasional "Hi-Yo Silver!" in the background.<ref>from "Conspiracy for Revenge" (aired August 8, 1938) to "Crooked Sheriff" (aired 1938-08-19)</ref>  In those episodes, Tonto carried the dialog;
* [[Brace Beemer]] (April 18, 1941, to the end), who had been the show's deep-voiced announcer for several years;
* [[Fred Foy]] (March 29, 1954), also an announcer on the show, took over the role for one broadcast when Beemer had [[laryngitis]].

Tonto was played throughout the run by actor [[John Todd (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]].

===Music===
The theme music was primarily taken from the "March of the Swiss Soldiers" finale of [[Gioachino Rossini]]'s [[William Tell Overture|''William Tell'' Overture]], which thus came to be inseparably associated with the series. The theme was conducted by Daniel Pérez Castañeda,<ref name="music">Music of The Lone Ranger CD liner notes by Graham Newton, 1992.</ref> with the softer parts excerpted from ''[[Die Moldau]]'', composed by [[Bedřich Smetana]].

Many other classical selections were used as incidental music, including [[Richard Wagner|Wagner's]] ''[[Flying Dutchman (opera)|Flying Dutchman Overture]]'', [[Georges Bizet|Bizet]]'s [[Symphony in C (Bizet)|Symphony in C]], [[Felix Mendelssohn|Mendelssohn]]'s [[The Hebrides (overture)|''Fingal's Cave'' Overture]], [[Emil von Řezníček]]'s ''[[Donna Diana]]'' Overture, [[Franz Liszt|Liszt]]'s ''[[Les préludes]]'', [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Tchaikovsky]]'s [[1812 Overture|''1812'' Overture]] and music by [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]].<ref>Jim Harmon, ''The Great Radio Heroes'' (McFarland, 2001), p. 162.</ref> Classical music was originally used because it was in the [[public domain]], thus allowing production costs to be kept low while providing a wide range of music as needed without the cost of a composer.

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.<ref name="music" />

===''The Green Hornet''===
{{Main|Green Hornet}}
The radio series inspired a spinoff called ''The Green Hornet,'' which depicts the son of the Lone Ranger's nephew Dan,<ref>"Too Hot Too Handle," ''[[The Green Hornet#Radio series|The Green Hornet]]'' (radio series) (November 11, 1947), ABC radio network.</ref> [[Britt Reid]], originally played by [[Al Hodge]], who in contemporary times, fights crime with a similar secret identity and a [[sidekick]], [[Kato (The Green Hornet)|Kato]].  One major difference between the two characters is that everyone considers the Green Hornet to be a bad guy.  Reid embraces this persona, thus enabling him to infiltrate real crime syndicates, while secretly aiding the police.

Rights to The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet have been acquired by separate owners and the familial link has been ignored in the Western character's various incarnations. The Lone Ranger&nbsp;– Green Hornet connection is part of [[Philip José Farmer]]'s [[Wold Newton Universe]], which connects disparate fictional characters.

===Hi-Yo Silver!, Kemo sabe, and other cultural tropes===
{{Redirect|Who was that masked man?|the Sailor Moon episode|Who Is That Masked Man?}}
At the beginning of each episode, the magnificent white stallion, Silver, would rear up with the Lone Ranger on his back, then they would dash off, the Ranger encouragingly shouting, "Hi-Yo, Silver!"<ref>{{cite book |last=Striker |first=Fran |author-link=Fran Striker |title=The Lone Ranger Rides |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/40038/40038-h/40038-h.htm |date=1941 |pages=passim |location=New York |publisher=[[G. P. Putnam's Sons]] |access-date=October 15, 2017}}</ref> Tonto could occasionally be heard to urge on his mount by calling out, "Get-um up, Scout!" At the end of each episode, mission completed, one of the characters would always ask the sheriff or other authority, "Who was that masked man?" When it was explained, "Oh, he's the Lone Ranger!", the Ranger and Tonto would be seen galloping off with the cry, "Hi-Yo, Silver! Away!" catching the attention of one of the townspeople crossing the street.

[[Tonto]] usually referred to the Lone Ranger as "[[Kemo sabe]]", described as meaning either "faithful friend," or "trusty scout".<ref name="Enter the Lone Ranger">The Lone Ranger Season 1 Episodes 2, 3, 4 "Enter the Lone Ranger", "The Lone Ranger Fights on", "The Lone Ranger Triumphs", 1949</ref><ref>Brewers Dictionary of 20th Century Phrase and Fable.</ref> It is more likely the word derives from the [[Anishinaabe language]]. Gimoozaabi is said to mean "he looks out in secret."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Rhodes|first1=Richard|title=Eastern Ojibwa-Chippewa-Ottawa Dictionary|date=1996|publisher=Mouton De Gruyer|location=New York|isbn=3-11-013749-6|page=back cover}}</ref> These [[catchphrase]]s, the Ranger's trademark silver bullets, and the theme music from the [[William Tell Overture|''William Tell'' Overture]] have become tropes of popular culture.{{Citation needed|date=July 2014}}