JLRMovieReviews Near the end of his famous TV show of the 1950s, "The Lone Ranger," Clayton Moore made this feature film with costar Jay Silverheels as "Tonto." The main plot revolves around Lyle Bettger, who has plans of running the Indians off their land, so he can claim it and the silver mountain they revere. Lyle of course has his field hands who do his dirty work, which includes posing as Indians and causing trouble around in their name, so as to get the town folk on his side and against them. In turn, they will come to insist on the Indians leaving. Robert Wilke is memorable as the meanest guy under Bettger's pay, who looks like he enjoys every minute of it. What Bettger and Wilke don't plan on is the presence of "The Lone Ranger," who has gotten a bandit/outlaw reputation with the town folk, even though he seems to only help those in peril and is always on the right side of the law. Enough of the plot, the star of the film is Clayton Moore as the bigger-than-life Lone Ranger. Throughout the film we find out how he became The Lone Ranger. Some may think this film, his and Silverheels' performances and his duds of a blue skin-tight suit and black mask are all kind of corny and/or campy. But all of it is the heart of the film, which makes us feel like we the viewer are The Lone Ranger. (He wears his disguise until injustice has come to an end and there is no further need for his alter-ego.) And, this film really delivers the goods. It contains the realistic dangers of the people's lives in jeopardy (who know too much and have to be dealt with,) while embracing the outrageousness of this mysterious ranger and his sidekick. It entertains without being too silly or too violent. Little boys today and of future generations would love it still. It is reported that Clayton Moore loved this chance to be The Lone Ranger, because, as a boy, he dreamed of being a cowboy or a policeman. With this role, he was able to be both. The Johnny Depp remake, which I have no desire to see, can't touch this nostalgic and captivating (with its iconic and timeless trademark scene thrown in at the end) bigger-than-life film.

DICK STEEL The last time I saw a movie with a Caucasian and a Red Indian partner, was the French movie Brotherhood of the Wolf. Perhaps it's had its origins of such a pairing from The Lone Ranger, or so I'd like to believe. After having spent some time with old martial arts classics, I thought I'd set my sights on the western genre, and what more appropriate than the adventures of the legendary Lone Ranger astride his steed Silver, and his Red Indian sidekick Tonto.For those not in the loop of this character, he's like the daytime vigilante of the Wild Wild West, in his mask concealing his true identity, and loads his guns with silver bullets. The silver bullet also functions as a calling card of sorts, and come to think of it, it's like a friendlier version of Batman, only in a different setting. And with that theme music - William Tell Overture - blaring in the background as they ride into the sunset, it's pure nostalgia. Not hard to imagine that I actually grew up on such stuff.The movie begins by diving right into the story, with our heroes up against some mean and corrupt and greedy cattle ranchers who are after more land, and some bad hats amongst them trying to stir up war with the Native Americans. So it's up to our heroes to expose the truth, and to prevent bloodshed. That pretty much sums up the gist of the plot.Although this is not an origin movie, the beginnings of how the Lone Ranger came about was mentioned in passing - His brother and himself, both Rangers, were ambushed by outlaws and left for dead. But Fate has Tonto rescuing the Ranger, and he decided to use the clothes of his dead brother to make a mask, to stay mysterious, to be feared by the villains he hunted down. The origins of Silver, his mighty loyal steed, is also mentioned, but more to the effect that it was nursed back to health by the Ranger himself.Given that this was made in the 50s, you'd come to expect some very stilted and stiff dialogues, as heroes in those days, are expected to be squeaky clean. You probably can't find a speck of dirt on the Ranger's character, as he embodies everything that is good, with that All American feeling. Called the "trusty scout' (Kemo Sabe) by his Red Indian ally Tonto, the movie also takes a look at the prejudices faced by the Native Americans amongst groups of white men, and the strong partnership between our leads, is testament to the fact that ignorance and the lack of understanding, isn't the way to go.The visual transfer isn't all that great, and it looks like it's VHS based, with little remastering done to remove the cacks and pops. The colours were inconsistent at times, and although it comes in both full screened and wide screened versions on the same disc, it isn't anamorphic.The DVD extras are on a second disc, and has two sections. The first section contains interviews, while the rest goes into "Special Features".There are two interviews included, and the first is with Michael Ansara, who plays Angry Horse. Interviewed by Michael Druxman (writer/director of The Doorway 1999), this interview fell short in quality as Ansana wasn't too chatty, and Druxman was chatting most of the time like a fanboy. Nothing much comes out of this interview, although a trivia was shared that the Lone Ranger actually never kills anybody on screen. Running at 17mins and 15 secs, I would recommend going straight for the second interview instead.The second interview has more substantial material discussed, and it's natural given that it's conducted by Leonard Maltin of Entertainment Tonight, with the guest Dawn Moore, daughter of the Lone Ranger himself Clayton Moore. Conducted and recorded on 9 Feb 2001 and clocking in at 39 minutes, it is a heartfelt session with recollection of memories of Clayton Moore, about her childhood and growing up with the legend, many behind the scenes discussion at the production, anecdotes shared that only a child will know, and even talk about Silver the horse. Given her account, you'll be amazed at how hard Clayton Moore actually worked for the character, in character, in publicity that the company wanted him to do. This is a gem that all fans should give a listen to.The Special Features section contains the following, though nothing in particular stands out: a. Text biographies of main cast and director Stuart Heisler b. A photo gallery with colour and black and white movie stills c. Trailers for The Lone Ranger, The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold, and trailers for two non Lone Ranger, but Western, films - Ride in the Whirlwind and The Shooting (both starring Jack Nicholson) d. A text writeup on The Lone Ranger Creed, which is also available on the insert.

NewEnglandPat Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels reprise their television roles in this western classic that has the Lone Ranger and Tonto defusing a war between ranchers and Indians. A a greedy cattle baron wants to seize a silver-rich mountain on an Indian reservation and devises plans to have the Indians relocated or exterminated to achieve his ends. The picture was filmed in beautiful color with excellent sound, and has a solid cast and a very good music score, including the signature William Tell Overture. There are several fine action scenes, daring rescues and the familiar disguises used by the Masked Man to close in on the killer of a young cowboy. The grand mountain vistas of southern Utah provide the backdrop for this film and the Ranger and Tonto never looked better as they ride the trail for justice and bring peace to a young territory hoping for statehood. Moore and Silverheels get great support from Lyle Bettger as the scheming rancher, Robert Wilke, John Pickard, Michael Ansara, Frank de Kova and Perry Lopez.

Shield-3 One of the things that amazes me about this film is its surprisingly modern attitude towards Native Americans (no, seriously!) The Indians in this movie are portrayed with dignity and respect, similar to the way "Dances With Wolves" would portray the Lakota years later. Naturally, the Lone Ranger and Tonto are good friends and partners (Clayton Moore always said he loved Jay Silverheels like a brother), but the way the Ranger in which treats the Indian chief, Red Hawk, is touching. No wonder this man is a hero.In an era when Hollywood more often than not used Indians as stereotypical savages and moving targets, "The Lone Ranger" makes a surprising plea for mutual respect and tolerance.