Lone Ranger & Tonto - Dave's Midwestern Ohio Memories

Series of Guest Blogs by an out-of-state Fish Report reader originally from this area about fond memories of growing up in Midwestern Ohio during the 50’s & 60’s

Lone Ranger & Tonto

While growing up, my favorite TV shows were westerns and my #1 show was the Lone Ranger. His sidekick was Tonto. Even though the TV series began in 1949 with 221 episodes over 8 seasons I can vividly recall the riveting pilot episode that got me hooked on the series as it was played at the beginning of each fall TV season on a Saturday morning. In the pilot, a group of six Texas Rangers were searching for the notorious Cavendish gang of outlaws when they were suddenly ambushed by them after being led into a blind canyon by a double crossing informant. Only one Ranger survived the massacre and he was nursed to health by a native American named Tonto who came upon the injured Ranger after the ambush.

Tonto also buried the five dead Rangers, including digging a fake sixth grave to deceive the bandits and any others who might return to the scene. Thus emerged the Lone Ranger, who along with his new sidekick Tonto, avowed to track down the villains who ambushed them. The two hour pilot ended with them bringing the bad guys to justice. The pair then decided to continue their joint efforts to track down other bad guys in the old West. Tonto’s name for the Lone Ranger was Kemo Sabe, which means trusted scout. His famous horse was named Silver.

The series actually began in 1933 as a radio show that Dad recalled listening to the episodes with his family around the big radio console in their living room. He claimed the way he imagined the characters in the radio show was very similar to those on the TV show.

Check out the opening segment of the TV show featuring the William Tell overture. And here’s Glen Campbell giving a tribute to the Lone Ranger during one of his concerts. The end of each episode had the Lone Ranger and Tonto riding off into the sunset after saving the day, with someone holding the Ranger’s trademark silver bullet asking “Who was that masked man?” High Ho Silver Away!

There was a 2013 Lone Ranger movie that was a flop at the box office, but I did see it and enjoyed the movie, especially the ending, William Tell overture and all.

The Lone Ranger's usage of silver bullets was satirized in an episode of Robot Chicken where after the Ranger expertly shoots a tin can in the air, Tonto laments that the amount of silver the Ranger thoughtlessly wasted could have bought enough food to feed Tonto's entire village for a year.

Couldn’t pass up including this Covid Mask Up ad photo featuring the pair. And recall when President Trump said wearing a mask made him look like the Lone Ranger!

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