50 Fun Facts About The Lone Ranger

On which Detroit radio station did The Lone Ranger first air in 1933?

Test episodes had aired earlier on WEBR in Buffalo.

Who was the writer credited, along with station owner George Trendle, with creating the character?

Striker also wrote most of the 18 Lone Ranger novels published between 1936 and 1956.

On what date did the first of the 2,956 radio episodes premiere?

Detroit papers did not even list the show in their radio logs at first.

The Lone Ranger is the sole survivor of an ambush on how many Texas Rangers?

Tonto dug a sixth grave so the gang would believe every Ranger had died.

At which canyon were the Rangers ambushed?

A civilian guide secretly working for the outlaws led them into the trap.

Who led the outlaw gang that ambushed the Rangers?

On radio the villain was voiced by Bill Saunders, who played many of the show's badmen.

Who was the captain of the ambushed Ranger posse?

The hero fashioned his mask from cloth cut from his dead brother's vest.

From what did the Lone Ranger make his black domino mask?

The disguise honoured his fallen brother while hiding that one Ranger had survived.

What does Tonto call the Lone Ranger?

In the TV series it is said to mean "trusty scout"; it probably derives from an Anishinaabe word.

Where did director James Jewell get the word "Kemosabe"?

Jewell also named Tonto; in the local Native language the name meant "wild one".

In which episode of the radio show did Tonto first appear?

Striker told his son Tonto was added so the hero would have someone to talk to.

Why is the Ranger's companion renamed "Toro" or "Ponto" for Latin American audiences?

"Ponto" is the other substitute name used.

What is the name of the Lone Ranger's horse?

Before acquiring him, the Ranger rode a chestnut mare called Dusty.

How did the Lone Ranger win the loyalty of his white stallion?

In gratitude the horse gave up its wild life to carry him.

What is the name of Tonto's paint horse?

Tonto earlier rode a white horse called White Feller; Victor belonged to Dan Reid Jr.

Which carmaker borrowed Tonto's cry "Git-um up, Scout!" to advertise a utility vehicle?

The 1970s campaign promoted its Scout vehicle.

The Lone Ranger's theme comes from the finale of which overture?

Rossini's March of the Swiss Soldiers was public domain, which kept production costs low.

Softer passages of the theme were taken from which composer's Die Moldau?

Other incidental music included Wagner, Bizet, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Tchaikovsky and Schubert.

Why was classical music originally used on the radio show?

It gave a wide range of music without the cost of hiring a composer.

Who voiced the Lone Ranger on radio for some 1,300 episodes until his death in 1941?

After his car accident the Ranger could only whisper for five episodes while Tonto carried the action.

Which deep-voiced announcer took over the radio role in April 1941 and kept it to the end?

Fred Foy filled in for one 1954 broadcast when Beemer had laryngitis.

Which actor played Tonto for essentially the whole radio run?

Todd later played Dan Reid on The Green Hornet.

Roughly how many Americans were listening to the radio show by 1939?

Although aimed at children, at least half the audience was adult.

Which of these was one of the creators' rules for the character?

He tried to disarm opponents as painlessly as possible, and never drank or smoked.

How did the Lone Ranger typically confirm his identity when suspicions were aroused?

He rarely referred to himself by name; others would attest for him.

How were saloons usually depicted on the show to fit the hero's clean image?

Waiters and food replaced bartenders and liquor.

Which Mexican leader did the Lone Ranger help against French troops in 1939 radio episodes?

It was a rare case of the show naming a foreign adversary, Emperor Maximilian's forces.

What question did someone ask at the end of most episodes as the hero rode away?

The answer, "Oh, he's the Lone Ranger!", was followed by "Hi-Yo, Silver! Away!"

Which crime-fighting radio hero was written as the Lone Ranger's great-nephew?

Britt Reid is the son of the Ranger's nephew Dan Reid; the rights are now held separately.

Which studio released two Lone Ranger serials in 1938 and 1939?

A feature cut of the first serial was released in 1940 as Hi-Yo Silver.

Which actor was finally revealed as the Lone Ranger at the end of the 1938 serial?

The serial kept the masked hero's identity secret from the audience until its conclusion.

Who played Tonto in both Republic serials?

His real name was Victor Daniels.

Who starred as the Lone Ranger in the 1949–1957 television series?

It was ABC's first big hit of the early 1950s.

Who replaced the TV star for the third season during a contract dispute?

Hart later appeared as the Lone Ranger on Happy Days and The Greatest American Hero.

Jay Silverheels, TV's Tonto, was a Mohawk from which reserve?

He and Moore made two feature films after the series ended, in 1956 and 1958.

How many episodes of the 1949–57 TV series were made?

Only five of the eight seasons had new episodes, and the last was shot in colour.

What did TV's Lone Ranger wear when a 1979 court order barred him from appearing in his mask?

He later won a countersuit and resumed wearing the costume.

What was the second Moore–Silverheels feature film, released in 1958?

The first, simply titled The Lone Ranger, came out in 1956.

In the 1966–68 CBS cartoon, who was the Lone Ranger's dwarf arch-enemy?

The plots had a science-fiction, steampunk flavour similar to The Wild Wild West.

In the 1966 cartoon, Tonto had a pet eagle named what?

His solo segments ended with "Fly, Taka! On, Scout!"

Who voiced the Lone Ranger in the early-1980s Filmation cartoons, credited as "J. Darnoc"?

The credit is simply his surname spelled backwards.

Who starred in the 1981 film The Legend of the Lone Ranger, in his only movie role?

His lines were overdubbed by James Keach, and the film flopped.

Who played Tonto in the 1981 film?

The film gave a cameo to John Hart while barring Clayton Moore from wearing his mask.

Who played the Lone Ranger in Disney's 2013 film?

Gore Verbinski directed; the $225 million film was panned and performed poorly.

What was the estimated budget of the 2013 Disney film?

Johnny Depp played Tonto and Gore Verbinski directed.

What first name was given to the Lone Ranger in the 2003 WB television movie?

Chad Michael Murray starred in the failed pilot, which kept the hero mostly unmasked.

What name does the 1938 serial finally give the Lone Ranger in its last chapter?

The 1939 sequel serial called him Bill Andrews instead.

How many Lone Ranger novels were published between 1936 and 1956?

Gaylord Du Bois wrote the first; Fran Striker wrote the rest and later rewrote parts of the first.

In which year was the Lone Ranger's nephew Dan Reid introduced on radio?

He first appeared as Dan Frisby, grandson of Grandma Frisby, near the Canadian border.

Which broadcaster picked up the radio show on May 2, 1942?

The Blue Network in time became ABC, which later aired the TV series.