Asians Out West / Captain's Theatre LONE RANGER "Chinese Gold"

Yesterday, we presented a never-reprinted Lone Ranger comic story...

...which was adapted from an episode of the long-running radio series!

The Lone Ranger character is famous for promoting tolerance of others, belief in equal rights for all, and constantly-reiterating the concept that no matter what our race, religion, ethnicity, or even pizza-eating preference, we are all Americans!

The radio episode, titled "Chinese Gold" aired March 31, 1952.

Here it is in all it's glory.
Note: commercials have been edited out, replaced by longer versions of "William Tell Overture" (of course) and "Les Preludes" (best remembered as the main theme for the movie serial Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe!)...

The comic story appeared in Dell's Lone Ranger #70 (1954)

Note: while many radio episodes were adapted into the Lone Ranger TV series, this episode wasn't.
I'd like to think it was because, with the large groups of characters, the syndicated television series' budget couldn't afford to hire all the cast and extras needed for the tale.
BTW, I was serious about the pizza-eating preferences...

Yes, that's Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels!

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Captain's Theatre: LONE RANGER and LONE RANGER AND THE CITY OF GOLD

They weren't the first Lone Ranger & Tonto in movies...

...but the odds are they are still the best-known, ironically, due to television!

They're Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels.

And to several generations of fans, they personified the Masked Man and His Indian Companion!

From 1949 to 1957*, they rode across the tv screens of America dispensing justice in the Old West.

When, in 1955 it was decided to begin shooting the b/w series in color (anticipating then-new color tvs would eventually dominate the market) , the producers decided to absorb the cost of acquiring color film cameras, reshooting stock footage, and redoing costumes by doing a theatrical feature, then shooting the remaining tv episodes.

We presented the comic adaptation of the movie in a historic multi-blog post HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Take a look at the trailer for the feature film...

When the final episode of the tv series was "in the can" in 1958, the producers decided to do one more theatrical film which gave Jay Silverheels' Tonto his biggest role in the series, finally doing battle alone, as well as a "message' about racial bigotry quite daring for its' time...

Unfortunately, there's no clip available of Tonto's historic fight on YouTube.

The opening of the film had a one-time theme that retells the origin of the team...

The pairing of Moore and Silverheels was so iconic that, even a decade after the show was canceled, they were appearing in commercials...

But that was not the last time a live-action Lone Ranger and Tonto would grace the silver screen before the recent film.

For that story, visit Western Comics Adventures ™...
And for more Dynamic Duos in Classic Film click HERE!
*From 1952 to 1954, Clayton Moore was replaced by John Hart.

Captain's Library & Theatre LONE RANGER "He Finds Dan Reid" Conclusion

When Last We Left The Masked Man and His Indian Companion...

(Don't worry, you didn't miss an entry!
The first part of the story appeared HERE at Western Comics Adventures™!)
After a wagon train is ambushed by Apaches, The Lone Ranger learns his sister-in-law and her infant son have gone missing.

The Ranger infiltrates the Apache camp, but doesn't find any prisoners.

The Army arrives and the Ranger joins forces with them to capture the Indians, but the raid turns deadly and the Ranger is forced to fire, off-balance to save the unit commander...

Adapted from a radio show episode of the same name, this story from Dell's Lone Ranger Golden West #3 (1955) was pencilled by Tom Gill, but the inking looks a lot like John Severin, not Gill himself.
Here's a link to the actual radio show!
Besides being The Lone Ranger's nephew, Dan Reid is also The Green Hornet's father and appeared in both characters' radio shows and comic books, making Dan one of pop culture's first "crossover" characters?
(Thus, the Green Hornet is the Lone Ranger's grand-nephew!)
An older Dan Reid appeared on several episodes of The Green Hornet radio series.
Dan was a feature player in a four-episode arc (also adapted into comics form) where he learned his son was The Hornet as shown HERE and HERE.
Remember, The Green Hornet was set in the "present" of the 1930s-1940s, making the adult Dan Reid (in his late 60s-early 70s) a teenager in the late 1880s, the time of the Lone Ranger!)

This entry is part of our Retroblogs™ Masks Marathon, celebrating the new Dynamite comic series Masks which combines, for the first time, the major masked mystery men of pulps and comics including The Green Hornet, The Shadow, The Spider, Zorro, The Black Terror, The Green Lama, and Miss Fury (ok, a masked mystery woman), among others.
Though The Lone Ranger hasn't been listed as participating, The Green Hornet (and by extenssion, Dan Reid), are in the story.
(Besides, Zorro is making an appearance, so there's always a possibility...)

We'll be presenting more stories featuring these characters throughout the month of December.

Captain's Library & Theatre: GREEN HORNET FIGHTS CRIME "Desperate Gamble"

Not a dream!

Not a hoax!

Not an imaginary story!

The Harvey Comics series had been adapting radio show scripts for years, but cramming a status quo-changing four half-hour episode arc into only two eight-page chapters took a lot of modifications...

Here's a link to the October 28, 1947 Green Hornet radio show episode "Exposed" that most of this comic story is based on.

There are some interesting differences, such as Clip Phelan being the murder victim in the radio episode, but Phelan's the murderer in the comic story and the murder victim is "Frankie Striker", a reference to Hornet co-creator Fran Striker!

The art on this lead tale from Harvey's Green Hornet Fights Crime #43 (1949) is presumed to be by Al Avison, but I believe he only did the pencils.

The inking looks a lot like Lee Elias, who was doing, among other things, The Black Cat for Harvey.

The writer of the comic adaptation is unknown.

This entry is part of our Retroblogs™ Masks Marathon, celebrating the new Dynamite comic series Masks which combines, for the first time, the major masked mystery men of pulps and comics including The Green Hornet, The Shadow, The Spider, Zorro, The Black Terror, The Green Lama, and Miss Fury (ok, a masked mystery woman), among others.

We'll be presenting more never-reprinted stories featuring these characters throughout the month of December.

Join us on Tuesday at 

Hero Histories™

for the astounding conclusion!

Captain's Library: LONE RANGER THE MOVIE Part 2

When Last We Left Our Heroes...

The Lone Ranger and Tonto save a man being attacked by Indians...or are the ambushers someone pretending to be Indians?
If so, why?
Perhaps the answer lies with local rancher Reece Kilgore, who wants the nearby Indian reservation moved by any means, fair or foul!
Why?
The Lone Ranger, in disguise as a crotchety old gold prospector, visits the nearby town...

To be continued at  

Hero & Heroine Histories™

Tomorrow!

 The adaptor of the movie script is unknown, but the art is by longtime Lone Ranger and Silver (yes, the horse had his own comic) artist Tom Gill with inking on some pages by Joe Sinnott.

Check out our 
Western Comics online store...

...for duds and provisions!

plus these Lone Ranger tv/movie collectibles on Amazon...

Captain's Library: LONE RANGER THE MOVIE Part 1

Your eyes do not deceive you, fans!
There are cowboys and Indians running around here!
As a comic adaptation of a feature film based on a tv series based on a dramatic radio show about a masked hero, I felt this tale qualified as Captain Video material.
It's the never-reprinted adaptation of the 1956 feature film which was filmed right before the final season of the tv series began.
It was also the first color live-action Lone Ranger people saw!

However, this story is so big (over 60 pages) that it'll take more than one blog to tell it!
The story starts here, in the Secret Sanctum today and tomorrow, continues in Hero & Heroine Histories™ for the middle two chapters, then concludes in Western Comics Adventures™ on the 4th of July!
Join us as we make Internet history with the first multi-blog serialized story!

The Masked Man KNOWS things are NOT what they seem!
Tomorrow, the Lone Ranger and Tonto infiltrate and investigate...
Don't miss it!
Same Blog Time!
Same Blog Feed!

 The adaptor of the movie script is unknown, but the art is by longtime Lone Ranger and Silver (yes, the horse had his own comic) artist Tom Gill with inking on some pages by Joe Sinnott.

Check out our 
Western Comics online store...

...for duds and provisions!

plus these Lone Ranger tv/movie collectibles on Amazon...