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N0KFQ > TODAY 30.01.16 15:41l 61 Lines 2803 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: Today in History - Jan 30
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Sent: 160130/1435Z 83272@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.65
1933
The Lone Ranger debuts on Detroit radio
With the stirring notes of the William Tell Overture and a shout
of "Hi-yo, Silver! Away!" The Lone Ranger debuts on Detroit's
WXYZ radio station.
The creation of station-owner George Trendle and writer Fran
Striker, the "masked rider of the plains" became one of the most
popular and enduring western heroes of the 20th century. Joined
by his trusty steed, Silver, and loyal Indian scout, Tonto, the
Lone Ranger sallied forth to do battle with evil western outlaws
and Indians, generally arriving on the scene just in time to save
an innocent golden-haired child or sun-bonneted farm wife.
Neither Trendle nor Striker had any connections to or experience
with the cowboys, Indians, and pioneers of the real West, but
that mattered little to them. The men simply wanted to create an
American version of the masked swashbuckler made popular by the
silent movie actor Douglas Fairbanks in The Mark of Zorro, arming
their hero with a revolver rather than a sword. Historical
authenticity was far less important to the men than fidelity to
the strict code of conduct they established for their character.
The Lone Ranger never smoked, swore, or drank alcohol; he used
grammatically correct speech free of slang; and, most important,
he never shot to kill. More offensive to modern historical and
ethnic sensibilities was the Indian scout Tonto, who spoke in a
comical Indian patois totally unrelated to any authentic Indian
dialect, uttering ludicrous phrases like "You betchum!"
Historical accuracy notwithstanding, the radio program was an
instant hit. Children liked the steady stream of action and
parents approved of the good moral example offered by the
upstanding masked man. Soon picked up for nationwide broadcast
over the Mutual Radio Network, over 20 million Americans were
tuning into The Lone Ranger three times a week by 1939. In an
early example of the power of marketing tie-ins, the producers
also licensed the manufacture of a vast array of related
products, including Lone Ranger guns, costumes, books, and a
popular comic strip.
The Lone Ranger made a seemingly effortless transition from radio
to motion pictures and television. The televised version of The
Lone Ranger, staring Clayton Moore as the masked man, became
ABC's first big hit in the early 1950s. Remaining on the air
until 1957, the program helped define the golden age of the TV
Western and inspired dozens of imitators like The Range Rider,
The Roy Rogers Show, and The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok.
Although the Lone Ranger disappeared from American television and
movie screens by the 1960s, he lived on in a popular series of
comic books well into the 1970s.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
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