History Franchise / TheLoneRanger

* DesignByCommittee: The original radio show was created by a committee -- station owner George Trendle and a team of writers led by Fran (Francis) Striker -- at WXYZ in Detroit. The objective was [[MoneyDearBoy purely financial]]. Trendle had dropped the station's CBS affiliation and wanted an original, well-written program that would have children (a less critical audience) flocking to hear the radio (and the commercials) in droves.

** And then there's the 1966 Format Films version, which was surprisingly good, averted several cliches (death was menctioned even in the opening itself, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFWdt0q0yMU which by the way, was absolutely epic.]]

* Magazine/{{MAD}}: In one of Dave Berg's ''The Lighter Side Of...'' two kids are shown watching TV, Leonard Bernstein is saying "What you know as ''The Theme to The Lone Ranger'' is actually a piece by GioachinoRossini about William Tell. Now we are going to play ''The William Tell Overture''...lets see how grown up you are -- try to listen to it without thinking of The Lone Ranger. Next panel shows the kids squinting their eyes as the music plays, trying to listen only to the music. Last panel, cue the undershirt wearing, beer toting father walk through the room shouting "Hi, oh, Silver!"

* SpinOff: Sort of; Franchise/TheGreenHornet, created by the same people, was the Lone Ranger's grand-nephew Britt Reid.

* [[YouLookFamiliar You Sound Familiar]]: Before taking over for Earle Graser, Brace Beemer served as the show's announcer. He also played the Ranger in public appearances, as his 6-foot-3 frame and expert horse riding skills made him feel more like the Ranger than the shorter, mustachioed Graser.

** DominoMask
* ExecutiveMeddling: [[http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/08/13/disney-halts-johnny-depp-lone-ranger/ Disney delayed production on their movie after the underperformance of]] ''Film/CowboysAndAliens''.
** When Jack Wrather bought the rights to the property in 1978, he sued Clayton Moore to stop him from appearing in public as the character, hoping to establish a new actor in the role for an upcoming movie. It ended up being an enormous PR disaster resulting in a successful countersuit and the film itself becoming a FranchiseKiller. Indeed, if there was a Razzie award for "Worst Publicity", ''The Legend of the Lone Ranger'' would've been the first recipient, by a unanimous vote.

* TheOtherDarrin: In the radio version, Brace Beemer replaced Earle Graser after Graser was killed in a car accident. This necessitated the Ranger becoming incapacitated and unable to speak for a few weeks while management looked for a replacement. (Graser's "Hi Yo, Silver' continued to be heard long after his death, however, and this extended into television and movies as well.)
** Beemer's voice was deeper and richer than Graser's, suggesting that the Ranger had got his HeroicSecondWind.
** Additionally, Clayton Moore was temporarily replaced on the TV Series by John Hart due to a dispute over either salary or creative differences.

** DominoMask
* CattlePunk: The 1966 Films Format animated series could include a lot of surprisingly sci-fi stuff, from malevolent boy genius Tiny Tom using animated toy soldiers to commit crimes to a maniac planning on taking over the Wild West with an army of zepplins, from a man with bear's paws replacing his own hands to a mad botanist who bred ManEatingPlants.
* ComicBookAdaptation: A few over the years, including a recent series from Creator/DynamiteComics, taking The Lone Ranger & Tonto down a DarkerAndGrittier path.

* MagicalNativeAmerican: Possibly.

* Magazine/{{MAD}}: In one of Dave Berg's ''The Lighter Side Of...'' two kids are shown watching TV, the announcer saying "What you know as ''The Theme to The Lone Ranger'' is actually a piece by GioachinoRossini about William Tell. Now we are going to play ''The William Tell Overture''...lets see how grown up you are -- try to listen to it without thinking of The Lone Ranger. Next panel shows the kids squinting their eyes as the music plays, trying to listen only to the music. Last panel, cue the undershirt wearing, beer toting father walk through the room shouting "Hi, oh, Silver!"

A new ''Film/TheLoneRanger'' movie produced by Disney is set to open on July 3rd, 2013. JohnnyDepp has been cast as Tonto, and Armie Hammer as the Lone Rider. The film was originally pushed back from December 2012 to May 2013 after ''Film/CowboysAndAliens'' didn't perform as expected. Interestingly, early reports said the film would have featured supernatural elements involving werewolves (possibly so the film could [[ViewersAreMorons explain why he uses silver bullets]]). . .

->''"Return with us now to those [[NostalgiaFilter thrilling days of yesteryear!"]]''

** Which is why he was renamed "Toro" (Bull) in Spanish translations.

** ThatOtherWiki says the name was taken from the Tonto Basin in Arizona. The NPR was appalled when accusations of racism appeared years later, [[CrossCulturalKerfluffle claiming to be unaware that the word meant that]].

** The word "kemosabe" comes from a tribal language, meaning "trusted friend." The name "Tonto" is attributed to the same language, meaning "wild one."

* {{MAD}}: In one of Dave Berg's ''The Lighter Side Of...'' two kids are shown watching TV, the announcer saying "What you know as ''The Theme to The Lone Ranger'' is actually a piece by GioachinoRossini about William Tell. Now we are going to play ''The William Tell Overture''...lets see how grown up you are -- try to listen to it without thinking of The Lone Ranger. Next panel shows the kids squinting their eyes as the music plays, trying to listen only to the music. Last panel, cue the undershirt wearing, beer toting father walk through the room shouting "Hi, oh, Silver!"

A new ''Film/TheLoneRanger'' movie is currently in preproduction. JohnnyDepp has been cast as Tonto, but few details are available. After ''Film/CowboysAndAliens'' bombed, though, the project was ultimately pushed back from December 2012 to May 2013. Interestingly, shortly after this was announced, early reports said that the film would have featured supernatural elements involving werewolves (possibly so the film could [[ViewersAreMorons explain why he uses silver bullets]]). . .

* TheRemnant: Colonel Augustus Barton and his renegede Confederate buswhackers in ''TheLoneRanger and {{Zorro}}: The Death of Zorro'' from CreatorDynamiteComics.

* ComicBookAdaptation: A few over the years, including a recent series from DynamiteComics, taking The Lone Ranger & Tonto down a DarkerAndGrittier path.

* TheRemnant: Colonel Augustus Barton and his renegede Confederate buswhackers in ''TheLoneRanger and {{Zorro}}: The Death of Zorro'' from Dynamite Comics.

* SpaghettiWestern: The main influence on the Dynamite Comics series.

The most recent Lone Ranger revival came in the form of Dynamite Comics' new publication. The series is notable for its [[DarkerAndEdgier darker tone and occasionally graphic depiction of violence.]] This incarnation included a detailed version of the Lone Ranger's backstory. Tonto is characterized as a forlorn wanderer outcast from his tribe, who is more willing to use lethal violence than the Ranger. The Ranger also has a darker portrayal. Readers expect him to shout, "I'm the goddamn {{Batman}}!" any day now.

Originally a RadioDrama first aired on January 30, 1933 and running through September 3, 1954, ''TheLoneRanger'' featured the adventures of a mysterious masked man who traveled TheWildWest with his faithful companion Tonto and his famous white horse Silver, righting wrongs as they went. It later became a successful television series, running from 1949 to 1957. The character has also appeared in tie-in novels, a ComicStrip, movies (both serials and feature films), an AnimatedSeries, and comic books (Tonto and Silver even got their own individual ComicBook series!)

The most recent Lone Ranger revival came in the form of Dynamite Comics' new publication. The series is notable for its [[DarkerAndEdgier darker tone and occasionally graphic depiction of violence.]] This incarnation included a detailed version of the Lone Ranger's backstory. Tonto is characterized as a forlorn wanderer outcast from his tribe, who is more willing to use lethal violence than the Ranger. The Ranger also has a darker portrayal, and has hopped on the SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes. Readers expect him to shout, "I'm the goddamn {{Batman}}!" any day now.

* ActingForTwo: John Todd, who voiced Tonto in the radio series, was an accomplished Shakespearean actor and often drafted to play several roles (usually the bad guys) in any given episode.

* {{MAD}}: In one of Dave Berg's ''The Lighter Side Of...'' two kids are shown watching TV, the announcer saying "What you know as "The theme to The Lone Ranger is actually a piece by GioachinoRossini about William Tell. Now we are going to play ''The William Tell Overture''...lets see how grown up you are -- try to listen to it without thinking of The Lone Ranger. Next panel shows the kids squinting their eyes as the music plays, trying to listen only to the music. Last panel, cue the undershirt wearing, beer toting father walk through the room shouting "Hi, oh, Silver!"

While the details of the Lone Ranger's origins have changed between the various adaptations, the general outline is as follows. A Texas Ranger named "Reid" is the SoleSurvivor of an ambush that kills the band of Rangers he'd been riding with, including his brother Dan Reid. Left for dead, Reid is found by Tonto, who happens to have had his life saved by the Ranger in the past after renegades wiped out Tonto's home village. A chance remark by Tonto gives Reid the name "Lone Ranger." The Lone Ranger dons a mask, initially to prevent the criminals from finding out which of the Rangers had survived and targeting their family. At some point, the Lone Ranger acquires the services of Silver. He also convinces a retired Ranger to be his agent, working a secret silver mine that supplies the Lone Ranger's silver bullets and otherwise modest needs.

* SpinOff: Sort of; Franchise/TheGreenHornet, created by the same people, was the Lone Ranger's grand-nephew Dan Reid (although the TV series named him Britt).

* CatchPhrase: "Hi-Yo, Silver, away!"

* {{Fanfare}}: The overture to an otherwise-obscure opera by GioachinoRossini about William Tell[[hottip:*: The one who was said to have shot an apple off of someone's head]]. (You're probably hearing it in your head right now while you're reading this page.)

* CanonDiscontinuity: The Republic serials are ignored, although the full-face mask is sometimes used for a LawyerFriendlyCameo in TheGreenHornet.

* SpinOff: Sort of; TheGreenHornet, created by the same people, was the Lone Ranger's grand-nephew Dan Reid (although the TV series named him Britt).