The Lone Ranger, A Hero

I’m so very grateful to Rachel C., who wrote the first review of this character/​actor, because I didn’t know that one could write a review of anything other than places to eat and places to sleep on Unilocal. So, now that she’s «educated me,» I’ll add my own 2¢ to this page.
The television series is one year older than I am, because it premiered in 1948 (in TV’s infancy), while I didn’t make my own «debut» until 1949. The radio series began in 1933 at WXYZ in Detroit, the brainchild of George W. Trendle Sr. (the station owner) and staff writer Fran Striker, who wrote most of the radio plays.
When I moved to Honolulu, Hawaii (1981) and joined Mensa® in 1986, I had the honor of meeting (and becoming friends with) George W. Trendle Jr. (also a Mensa® member), the son of one of The Lone Ranger creators and the person who, as a retired attorney today, owns the exclusive rights to THE GREEN HORNET character, who is Britt Reid, the great-​grandnephew of John Reid (The Lone Ranger’s true name).
I grew up listening to the Ranger’s adventures on radio and later, the television series (plus 2 major motion pictures) and the one reason that this character was slightly more popular with me than Superman, was because he solved crimes and captured «the bad guys» using only his wits and his superior fighting abilities. In short, he was a normal human being just like me, who could not see through walls (nor fly through them).
The character was (and still is!) as the late FBI Director John Edgar Hoover once said, «The single greatest force for good, in the United States of America!» I agree.
But here is another thing that the character taught all of us kids who «came of age» in the 1940s, 50s and 60s: It is perfectly OK to have a best friend who is NOT of your own race.
Because of the influence of The Lone Ranger and Tonto on my youthful mind, I matured knowing that regardless of skin color or ethnicity, «There is only ONE RACE, and it is the HUMAN race.»
On June 15, 2013, one of my very best friends astounded me by presenting me with «THE LONE RANGER COLLECTOR’S EDITION,» (UPC: 0 – 37 117 – 7 053 – 4), which he purchased at Best Buy®.
I now have all 221 TV episodes of the Clayton Moore (& John Hart) series, plus both movies that starred Clayton Moore, along with all kinds of information about the character, its origins and little-​known facts that I can share with others.
For those who have small children, this is a character to whom your kids need to be introduced and exposed.
His adventures, 80 years later, are truly wholesome fun for everyone!

Clayton Moore. That was his real name. The actor.. .. the one who played the original Lone Ranger.
But no matter how you look at it, he WAS the LONE RANGER. The one & only one. He wasn’t acting. He became the legend. He was the good guy. White hat. He spent his life as the Lone Ranger. He believed it wasn’t a part, but who he was. So did many of us.
Oh, I know that unless you are into old TV shows most of you are far too young to have a clue who the Lone Ranger was. .. the masked hero? The one with the horse named Silver and the sidekick named Tonto?
Well, he WAS the real deal, the real hero, the real good guy. He would ride in and save the day. We need heroes like him today.
And then the Hollywood machine decided to make an updated Lone Ranger flick and wanted to take Mr. Moore’s mask away. Said he couldn’t wear it anymore. Demanded it. Even went to court and told him that he didn’t have the right to wear «the mask.»
They thought they could make an updated film in Santa Fe of the Lone Ranger and make money on it. So they took away Clayton Moore’s mask.
But we protested. Us old TV fans. Those of us who grew up watching the original Lone Ranger, Silver & Tonto TV shows. Those of us who thought he was REAL when we were kids. Those of us who believed that good would overcome evil. Just bring in the Lone Ranger and life would be all right.
But the Hollywood machine won. Clayton Moore lost the right to wear his mask. The last news photos of the Lone Ranger /​Clayton Moore are of him in sunglasses. A sad day for good overcoming evil. Money won.
Does anyone remember the remake?
But we fought hard. We lived in Santa Fe. We protested. We named our youngest son after Clayton Moore. The Lone Ranger will ride forever. .. . in our memories. .. in our belief in good overcoming evil.
Clayton Moore. The last and only Lone Ranger. .. a true Hero.
Hi-​ho Silver! Away!