30 January: The Lone Ranger

On this date in 1933 The Lone Ranger began a 21 year run on Radio. The first episode of the Lone Ranger was broadcast on station WXYZ in Detroit. It ran for 2,956 episodes and came to an end on radio in 1954.

1. The Lone Ranger is not so called because he works alone - he doesn't, because he has Tonto with him - but because he was the last surviving Texas Ranger of a posse of six which was massacred by the Cavendish Gang.
2. In the original story, the six rangers are left for dead, but one of them, the title character, is still alive - barely. Tonto stumbles across the scene and recognises the surviving ranger as one who saved his life when they were children - so he nurses him back to health.
3. One of the rangers killed was the Lone Ranger's brother, the leader of the posse. After burying the fallen, Tonto digs a sixth grave to fool the Cavendish Gang into thinking they wiped out all of them. The Lone Ranger makes his mask from his brother's waistcoat.
4. The character may have been inspired by Texas Ranger Captain John R. Hughes, to whom the book The Lone Star Ranger by Zane Grey was dedicated in 1915.
5. The Lone Ranger's name is often cited as John Reid, although a first name was never mentioned in the series. Other names have been used in TV and film versions - Allen King, Bill Andrews and Luke Hartman.
6. Tonto did not appear until episode 11 of the radio show. He was introduced to give the Lone Ranger someone to talk to (important for radio!). The name "Tonto" meant "wild one." Kemo Sabe, the name Tonto uses for the Lone Ranger, means "trusty scout". He is a member of the Potawatomi tribe. In Spanish speaking countries, Tonto's name is changed to Toro ("Bull") because Tonto means "stupid" in Spanish.
7. In the radio show, Tonto was played almost entirely by a bald, stocky Irishman called John Todd. He was often replaced by a Native American actor for public performances. He was the only original cast member to be in the final broadcast on September 3, 1954.
8. The Lone Ranger's horse, Silver, was a wild horse which was saved by the Lone Ranger from an angry buffalo. According to the story, Silver was so grateful that he gave up his wild life to become the Lone Ranger's horse. In one episode, the Lone Ranger tries to release Silver back into the wild. However, Silver comes back with another horse, which becomes Tonto's horse, Scout.
9. The famous theme tune is taken from the March of the Swiss Soldiers finale of Gioachino Rossini's William Tell Overture. A classical piece was chosen so the radio station did not need to pay a composer to come up with an original tune.
10. Fran Striker (writer) and George W. Trendle (radio station owner) were well aware these characters would become role models for children, so they came up with guidelines for the characters, which included: The Lone Ranger always speaks with proper grammar and never uses slang; he never drinks or smokes; criminals were never shown as glamorous or successful and were rarely depicted as foreigners; the Lone Ranger would never escape using impossible odds; he'd never shoot to kill, but to disarm his opponent as painlessly as possible. He used Silver bullets to remind himself that life is precious.