The Lone Ranger Fan Club :: LR TV & Movies
"The Lone Ranger"
"The Lone Ranger and the Lost City Of Gold"
"The Legend of the Lone Ranger"
"The Lone Ranger" on the WB
"The Lone Ranger" movie serials
Thank you for visiting the TV and movies page. We will be adding more information about the above movies in the near future. Below you will find links and information about the Lone Ranger television program starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels.
The Lone Ranger & Tonto Ride On
Who was that masked man?
"Enter the Lone Ranger" was the title of the first episode of The Lone Ranger on television. It premiered on Sept. 15, 1949, on ABC-TV. The series starred Clayton Moore as the Lone Ranger and Jay Silverheels as Tonto. The origin story of the Lone Ranger was played out in the first three half-hour episodes. Each episode after that contained a single story.
Moore played the part for the first two seasons. A contractual disagreement between Moore and creator George W. Trendle led to John Hart being hired to play the masked man for the third season from 1952-53. Moore returned for the fourth season and remained for the rest of the 221-episode run of the television series. Jack Wrather purchased the rights to the Lone Ranger in 1954 and immediately improved the quality of the show. The fifth and final season (1956-57) was filmed in color.
(To see an episode guide with synopsis, check out Steven Jensen's Episode Guide.)
Two feature-length movies were made, starring Moore and Silverheels. The Lone Ranger was released in 1956 and The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold in 1958. To celebrate his ownership of the character, Wrather had a one-hour television special filmed in color. The show re-told the origin of the Lone Ranger and starred Moore and Silverheels. Called The Lone Ranger Rides Again (not to be confused with the movie serial by the same name), It has rarely been shown and has not been seen since the early 1970s.
In 1961, Wrather attempted to make a sequel series starring Tex Hill as the Lone Ranger. A pilot was filmed, but never aired.
The Legend of the Lone Ranger, starring Klinton Spilsbury and Michael Horse, rode onto the big screen in 1981. It would be 22 years before a new Lone Ranger feature would be made. The WB network filmed a made-for-television movie starring Chad Michael Murray and Nathaniel Arcand. The show deviated widely from the established storyline and attempted to make the characters young adults.
The Lone Ranger featured many guests, including Chuck Courtney, Rand Brooks, House Peters Jr., Glenn Strange, DeForest Kelley, James Arness and Slim Pickens.
Several episodes of the television show are available on video and DVD. Re-runs can been seen at various times and places. Be sure to check your local listings.
On the television show, the Lone Ranger:
- Never killed anyone.
- Never kissed the girl.
- Never shot to kill, only to disarm.
- Never drank, cussed or smoked.
- Never accepted reward money.
- Never showed his face to anyone but Tonto.
- Always upheld a moral code.
- Always respected the rights and beliefs of others.