Read It: The Lone Ranger Rides North (1946)

This edition includes the erroneous character creator credit of the Lone Ranger 

to radio station manager George Trendle. Some of the basic ideas were his,

but were fleshed out to great success by Fran Striker.

Recently, I spent nearly six hours in a hospital waiting room as my mother underwent back surgery. With all the class papers graded, I turned to the pile of books I have been periodically reading on-and-off for (what turns out to be) a ve-e-e-ry long time. One book in particular provided an opportunity to escape the waiting room and travel back to those thrilling days of yesteryear...

This volume is easy to find online

at a very affordable price, though I

went to Berkeley, CA, to get mine.

Three summers ago, while visiting my best friend in California, we found ourselves in an independent used bookstore in Berkeley. There I came across an old volume entitled The Lone Ranger Rides North written by Fran Striker. Despite being a Western New Yorker myself, I had little prior understanding that Striker was not only from nearby Buffalo, New York, but was also the creator of both the Lone Ranger and the Green Hornet. Given the volume's slight price, and as a fan of both the character's classic Clayton Moore iteration (the one I, like most, are best acquainted with) as well as it's modern Dynamite comicbooks' version, it was a purchase that could not be resisted.

Published in 1946, The Lone Ranger Rides North is comprised of thirty chapters in which are developed three storylines, which when combined, read very much like one of the Clayton Moore's 169 episodes (or the 52 made with replacement Ranger John Hart). It is easy to envision these stories as some that were ultimately serialized for either radio or television. Present in the story are the familiar plot points of traditional Hollywood cowboy heroics: slick, smooth talking criminals, kind-hearted regular folk put in danger and in need of rescue, and our masked hero needing to clear his own name from the nefarious deeds committed by another.

The interesting reveal in this novel for fans is the introduction of a young boy named Danny who idolizes and feels a connection to the Lone Ranger. Long time Lone Ranger fans will recall that "Danny" is actually Dan Reid, the Ranger's long lost nephew whom he believed dead. In modern Ranger stories, including the recent box-office failure Gore Verbinski's The Lone Ranger (2013), Danny is such an integral part of our hero's origin that the reader likely connects the dots earlier than the novel's original audience. This Lone Ranger is much more mysterious here with only the most common characterization traits, including his faithful companion Tonto and their trusty steeds, in tact. Freed of the contemporary necessity for explanation of every single, minute facet of a character's background, the hero of The Lone Ranger Rides North draws much of his strength from his mysterious background. Here, he is a force of good who does not need the humanizing relationship of extended family to elicit the support of the reader.

Given Striker's professional training as a radio theater writer, the storytelling approach is dialogue heavy with most exposition taking place at the beginning of each chapter. Our narrator is so extremely third person omniscient that he frequently (and with language bordering on melo-drama) takes the reader into each character's head to reveal feelings that might otherwise be reflected in the voices of actors delivering the lines. For example, maudlin lines such as the one below saying of Danny that "there were tears in his eyes--tears of pride and gratitude" would be cringe worthy if not for the proper historical context. In 1946, in a story about the heroic Lone Ranger, this time of syrupy language seems somehow appropriate in a tale of "the resourceful masked rider of the plains."

The Lone Ranger Rides North (1946) by Fran Striker is readily available online for less than $10, a more-than-worthwhile purchase for Ranger and fans of Americana alike.

Seen It: Lone Ranger: "Message from Abe" (1957)

The Ranger (Clayton Moore) and the-man-who-would-be Abe (James Griffith) in "A Message from Abe."

Few television shows stand up to repeat viewing like classic Lone Ranger episodes. In retrospect, as a child, I was much too dismissive of the earnestness and quality brought to the roles by Clayton Moore (Lone Ranger) and Jay Silverheels (Tonto), but I am glad to say that I've learned from the error of my ways. Fortunately, episodes are readily available in low cost DVD collections and online.

For five bucks you can't go wrong.

The school district for which I teach maintains the time-honored tradition of a mid-Winter break, or President's Week Recess. In addition to looking forward to this week's release of Game of Thrones Season 4, this time also provides the opportunity to re-watch some classic shows . Not only is "A Message from Abe" the only color episode on the $5 collection (the DVD artwork of which is pictured to the left) but it also includes a recitation of Abe's (as in President Abraham Lincoln) more famous speeches, the Gettysburg Address.

Playbills are an effective way of advertising...
in the Old West.

Phil Beach (James Griffith) has a checkered past. He's made mistakes, but has endeavored to follow the straight-and-narrow, even becoming a sort of hobbyist cos-player. When the men who brought him to justice, the Ranger and Tonto, come across an advert for his commemorative speechifyin' (right), they decide to "look him up and see if he is [married and living on the right side of the law]." Of course, things don't always go smoothly for the rehabilitated criminal and a mystery (involving the mistaken identity of Abraham Lincoln re-enactors and missing loot) quickly develops

Without giving too much away, this episode once again illustrates the Ranger's keen observational skills, as well as his uncanny ability to fight crime and solve a mystery without resorting to violence or gun play, despite the preconceived notions that come with a story set in the Old West. In this episode, by simply taking stock of subtle gestures, the Ranger proves capable of both capturing the criminal and redeeming the wrongly accused all while invoking the forgiving spirit of President Lincoln.

Thanks to MoviesWebTV, via Youtube, the complete episode is available for free online (and embedded below). There are much less worthy ways to spend 20 minutes of your holiday than returning briefly to "those thrilling days of yesteryear."

Ghosts of FCBD Past: The Lone Ranger (2007)

Now this is the Ranger and Tonto I wanted to see on film...

Once again culling from my long boxes, I have come up with another thrilling issue from yesteryear for Western comic book fans and collectibles completionists alike. In fact, not just one, but TWO new series starring one (or two) time stars of the small screen were introduced by the 2007 Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) flip-book from Dynamite Publishing: The Lone Ranger and Battlestar Galactica.

A John Cassaday cover, natch.

Though I came into possession of a copy of this issue after having already completed collection of the entire 25 issue run of the series which followed it, this FCBD Ranger story is a wonderful way to reintroduce the philosophy of the character. The FCBD issue came out shortly after the first issues of what was to be a wildly successful run "scripted" by Brett Matthews with illustrations by Sergio Cariello, as it, in effect, much like the origin story stylings of the books first arc, reframes the Lone Ranger Code of Conduct for a new generation of readers.

Set against a story in which Tonto and the Ranger stop a wrong doer from holding up and attacking a rural country school, the short scene unfolds as the Ranger reflects on his purpose and, suitably, recalls the creed ("not exactly a prayer") his father had taught him in his youth and further invited him to improve upon if he could. Of course, the Ranger could (or would) not.

The Lone Ranger's Creed, in it's entirety, is as follows:

I believe…..
That to have a friend, a man must be one.
That all men are created equal and that everyone has within himself the power to make  this a better world.
That God put the firewood there, but that every man must gather and light it himself.
In being prepared physically, mentally, and morally to fight when necessary for that which is right.
That a man should make the most of what equipment he has.
That ‘this government of the people, by the people, and for the people’ shall live always.
That men should live by the rule of what is best for the greatest number.
That sooner or later…somewhere…somehow…we must settle with the world and make payment for what we have taken.
That all things change but truth, and that truth alone, lives on forever.
In my Creator, my country, my fellow man.

Tremendous stuff and definitely words to live by. To me this type of FCBD issue is perfect in it's execution: it adds to the existing character without being required for narrative continuity, while appropriately capturing the spirit and tone of the title it is intended to promote.

Here's to hoping that future Free Comic Book Day giveaways prove as worthwhile...

Seen It: The Lone Ranger (1956)

In an effort to further expand my Western-themed horizons, I recently went backwards via Netflix to the "old-school", Clayton Moore/Jay Silverheels vehicles of the 1950s, starting first with The Lone Ranger (1956) and continuing on to it's sequel The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (1958). Like most, I have long been familiar with the Ranger's iconography, especially as exemplified by Moore's legendary turn, but have been hesitant about watching the television source material for fear of the potneital for a high level of camp.

I really could not have been more misguided in that assumption as both film both stand up well, especially as family entertainment, and demonstrate a respect for the source material.

While the farthest thing from the modern "gritty" westerns of the last fifteen (think Unforgiven and Deadwood) years, both Lone Ranger movies illustrate both Moore and Jay Silverheels, as Tonto, reverence for the characters they portrayed, in addition to featuring some beautiful Western vistas and traditional storytelling without succumbing to camp. I especially enjoyed watching Moore take on different alternate characters within the context of each film as the Ranger disguises himself (in The Lone Ranger as a comic-relief old-timer and in Lost City of Gold as a competitor for the affections of the lead--spolier alert!--villianess). It would be erroneous to dismiss the talents Moore brought to the role that he so loved that he took it on for the remainder of his life.