The Lone Ranger (TV series)
| The Lone Ranger | |
|---|---|
Clayton Moore as The Lone Ranger
|
|
| Created by |
George W. Trendle Fran Striker |
| Starring |
Clayton Moore Jay Silverheels John Hart Chuck Courtney |
| Narrated by |
Gerald Mohr Fred Foy |
| Opening theme | "William Tell Overture" by Gioachino Rossini |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 221 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Apex Film Wrather Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format |
Black-and-white (1949–1956) Color (1956–1957) |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | September 15, 1949 – June 6, 1957 |
The Lone Ranger is an American western drama television series that aired on the ABC Television network from 1949 to 1957, with Clayton Moore in the starring role. Jay Silverheels, a member of the Mohawk Aboriginal people in Canada, played The Lone Ranger's Native American companion Tonto.
John Hart replaced Moore in the title role from 1952 to 1954 due to a contract dispute. Fred Foy, who had been both narrator and announcer of the radio series from 1948 until its ending, was the announcer. Gerald Mohr was originally employed as the narrator for the television series, but story narration was dropped after 16 episodes. The Lone Ranger was the highest-rated television program on ABC in the early 1950s and its first true "hit". The series finished #7 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1950-1951 season, #18 for 1951-1952 and #29 for 1952-1953.
The fictional story line maintains that a patrol of six Texas Rangers is massacred, with only one member surviving. The "lone" survivor thereafter disguises himself with a black mask and travels with Tonto throughout Texas and the American West to assist those challenged by the lawless elements. A silver mine supplies The Lone Ranger with the name of his horse as well as the funds required to finance his wandering life-style and the raw material for his signature bullets.
George W. Trendle retained the title of producer, although he recognized that his experience in radio was not adequate for producing the television series. For this, he hired veteran MGM film producer Jack Chertok. Chertok served as the producer for the first 182 episodes as well as for a rarely seen 1955 color special retelling the origin.
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