“The Lone Ranger,” Fran Striker recalled in later years, “always
was a blood-and-thunder affair – with both a chase and a fight. In a way, it’s
a morality play with good pitted against and overcoming evil. Of course, we
tried not to let the plumbing show.” With but three exceptions in the first
month of broadcasting, Striker was responsible for writing all of The Lone Ranger radio scripts over the
first decade. Looking back with fond recollection, and romance on the eyes,
Trendle, Jewell, Campbell and others involved since the very beginning insisted
the program was created for young children. Historical documents found at
archives over the years, and a review of the radio scripts verify the series
was in fact produced for an adult audience, broadcast during a time slot when
youngsters were generally fast asleep in their beds.
The practice of recording of The Lone Ranger did not commence until
1938, so the first five years of the radio program have been virtually
unexplored – and undocumented – over the decades. (The only three exceptions in the last 60 years are brief mentions in Dave Holland's book, Terry Salomonsson's broadcast log, and a recent article in SPERDVAC's Radiogram.) The relationship between the
masked man and Indian included a comfortable barrier of privacy – with Tonto never
seeing the face of The Lone Ranger without his mask. The earliest radio scripts
depicted the title character expressing a laughing-at-danger approach commonly
found in the masked avenger/pulp fiction lore, when confronted with a challenge
or confrontation. (This personality trait was toned down considerably by the
time The Lone Ranger gained its first
sponsor in late 1933.) It has also been proven that Jewell was in fact revising
the scripts Striker mailed him so the trademarks of a blood n’ thunder
adventure may not have been as prevenient as historians observe when reading
the radio scripts today. With no extant recordings, the scripts are the only
time capsule that remains from this era. It is clear that by early 1934 Trendle’s
influence dictated a more wholesome character who never shot to kill and sought
retribution through trial and law. Because The Lone Ranger was broadcast from WEBR and KOIL in late 1933 with local stock companies, The Lone Ranger may have been dramatized in those areas of the country with a rough edge over the tamed rendition originating from Detroit.
Fran Striker initially visualized
The Lone Ranger as just over six feet fall and weighing around 190 pounds; a
good working build for a Western hero. Such a man, riding a super horse with
silver horseshoes, would naturally have the finest possible equipment,
including ivory handled guns. In a radio script from his pre-WXYZ years, Striker
identified Robin Hood with silver-tipped arrows – so he passed this idea on to
The Lone Ranger with silver bullets and silver horseshoes. In a number of 1933
broadcasts, The Lone Ranger was quickly identified not by his cry of “Hi-Yo,
Silver,” but rather the silver horseshoes and/or silver bullets. Tonto did, on
occasion, shoot to kill and he left an identifying trademark of a silver-tipped
arrow. And so it is these early radio scripts from the calendar year of 1933
that today spark the greatest interest to fans of The Lone Ranger. It would come as no surprise to historians
well-versed in the field that the first year of the radio program depicted a
different rendition of The Lone Ranger and Tonto than what we are familiar with
today.
The first episode indicating Tonto’s
savage brand of justice was during the broadcast of April 15, 1933. A gang of
rustlers from Snake River are stealing cattle from all the neighboring ranches:
The Lazy A, the Bar Lone, the Crossed T, and Carol Hawkins’ Circle X Ranch,
where an emergency meeting is held. Two murders were foretold by the mark of a
snake cut into the saddle of the riders. Carol deduces the leader of the Snake
River Rustlers is employed on her ranch, and The Lone Ranger introduces himself
to Carol late that evening. With her help, the foreman of the Circle X Ranch,
Peters, is exposed and shot dead with an arrow that came out of nowhere. Peters
had a place fifteen miles away where he was hiding all the stolen cattle. The
drama concludes with Mr. Hawkins remarking, “If Peters was shot with a silver
bullet, I could dope it out. But an arrow, by gum, that’s a new one to tell
them other ranchers about…” The announcer closes the broadcast: “The arrow
seems to be the work of the funny little half-breed. Perhaps Tonto has had an
active part in this affair of The Lone Ranger. There is so much mystery about
the strange rider on the white horse, that we can do no more than guess.”
In the broadcast of June 13, 1933, an
Indian attack on Phil Weston and his young wife, Helen, is thwarted by The Lone
Ranger and Tonto. The masked man shoots and kills eight Indians before taking
an arrow to the back. After his wounds are mended, The Lone Ranger pays a visit
to Tonto.
RANGER: Tonto, whose knife is this?
TONTO: It mine.
RANGER: Umhum. That’s what I thought. Did you kill that Indian?
TONTO: Ugh.
RANGER: Threw the knife, eh?
TONTO: Him bad Injun. Him need killin’.
Throughout the calendar year of 1933,
Tonto displayed a strong dislike towards Mexicans and Gypsies – especially
Mexicans. For the episode of May 9, Tonto gets worked up when he talks of
Mexican Pete, a notorious outlaw. Perhaps no dialogue exchanged between The
Lone Ranger and Tonto can best exemplify Tonto’s hatred than the following
reprinted from the broadcast of April 18.
TONTO: Here guns.
RANGER: Alright.
TONTO: Tonto take um out bullets of silver. Put
in lead.
RANGER: Eh? What for?
TONTO: Silver... no waste on greasers.
RANGER: (LAUGH) You thrifty old scoundrel you.
Put
those silver bullets back in, or… never mind, I’ll do it.
Throughout the 1930s, vigilante
behavior and frontier justice was the meat and potatoes of pulp fiction, dime
novels and movies. Frontier
justice, even when undertaken with the most peaceable of intentions, involved
various degrees of violence. With knowledge that the story itself was pure
fiction, suspension of disbelief granted each person their own interpretation
of the law based on the scenario that played out. Allowing the lynching of a
man inferred with guilt, when exposed in front of a crowd of townsfolk, was
commonplace on the printed page. The Lone Ranger, allowing justice to be served
outside a court of law, was just as guilty as the man who constructed the noose
– and this was demonstrated many times throughout the radio broadcasts of 1933.
At the close of the broadcast of April 11, a dishonest
sheriff pays the supreme penalty. One of the men in the posse shouts, “I reckon
we got all we need boys. Let the hanging’ go right ahead with a different guest
o’ honor.” The Lone Ranger picks up the young lady who was an eyewitness to the
crime, responsible for cinching the sheriff’s guilt, and puts her on top of his
horse. “I’ll take you back to your place girl,” the masked man remarked. “This
won’t be good for you to see.”
During the broadcast of May 2, 1933, The Lone Ranger does not
think twice about the judgment sought against Dryden, a killer hired to kill
the cousin of Curt Boskins.
ANNOUNCER: To a small narrow bridge,
that spanned a deep Canyon that was
known as Miners Leap, went The Lone Ranger,
with Dryden across
the saddle. Here, at
one end of the flimsy bridge, he reined the great
horse Silver, and allowed Dryden
to stand down, lame, and angry with
his arms still bound tightly to his side.
DRYDEN: BLAST YUH, WHOEVER YUH ARE, I’LL KILL YUH FER THIS.
RANGER: Just like you killed the Stage driver, eh?
DRYDEN: HOW D’YEW KNOW... ER... I
DIDN’T KILL HIM, I...
I DON’T KNOW WHAT
YORE TALKIN’ ABOUT!
RANGER: (LAUGH) I heard all about it Dryden, and that’s one reason I am
here.
The other reason is an agreement that is in your pocket, signed
by Curt
Boskin.
DRYDEN: HE SQUEALED THE DIRTY DOUBLE CROSSIN’...
RANGER: There are many laws out here Dryden, and you are going to see one
of them enforced right now. You are going to meet a new kind of justice.
DRYDEN: YUH WON’T UNTIE ME, YUH DON’T DARE TUH MEET
ME SQUARE...YUH DON’T
DARE TUH LET ME DRAW...
RANGER: I’ll undo this rope at once. A coil like this... this… this and
this
and there you are. Now you are free to draw if you want to.
DRYDEN: AN’ SO I WILL I...
SOUND (shot)
DRYDEN: WHA…WHAT THE…
RANGER: You’re very slow for a man that talks as loud as you do Dryden.
There
is your gun, still tumbling down the canyon.
Just the way that Jim Greene was
going to tumble.
DRYDEN: WHY WAS HE?
RANGER: Because, you were going to bring him here and have him go
across
that bridge, AHEAD of you.
DRYDEN: WAL... It’s one way tuh his place ain’t it?
RANGER: Yes, but now YOU will go across, AHEAD OF ME!
DRYDEN: I WON’T DO IT!
RANGER: What are you afraid of? Cross the bridge and you’ll be safe.
I won’t
chase you any further.
DRYDEN: NO… I WON’T.
RANGER: COME… HURRY… HI SILVER… CROWD HIM!
DRYDEN: WAIT…
SOUND (clumping of
hoofs)
RANGER: CROWD CLOSER SILVER!
DRYDEN: CALL THAT HOSS BACK...
HE’LL STOMP ME...
RANGER: THEN GET ON THE BRIDGE!
DRYDEN: IT AIN’T SAFE! I CAN’T… I
CAN’T…
RANGER: CROWD HIM SILVER!
DRYDEN: STOP!
RANGER: THIS... IS FOR THE STAGE DRIVER YOU KILLED DRYDEN!
DRYDEN: WAIT… WAIT… STOP… CALL THAT HOSS BACK!
RANGER: GET ON THAT BRIDGE! CROSS IT!
DRYDEN: I CAN’T! I CAN’T! IT’LL CRASH DOWN! IT’S CHOPPED
SO’S IT’LL FALL!
RANGER: CLOSER, SILVER!
SOUND (more clumping)
DRYDEN: STOP... (SHOUT) OUCH! OUCH! CALL THAT HOSS BACK...
I CAN’T GO ON
THAT BRIDGE! I’LL CONFESS…
I CHOPPED IT
MYSELF!
RANGER: HI SILVER... CROWD HIM BIG FELLOW!
DRYDEN: AIN’T YUH HUMAN AT ALL? AIN’T YUH GOT NO SOUL? STOP!
RANGER: YOU KILLED MORE THAN ONE MAN, IN COLD BLOOD!
I’M SAVING THE
SHERIFF A LOT OF TROUBLE!
DRYDEN: I ADMIT IT STRANGER! I KILLED THAT STAGE DRIVER… I CONFESS!
RANGER: ON THE BRIDGE... HURRY!
DRYDEN: I CONFESS IT ALL... OUCH! THAT BLAMED HOSS! (SHOUT)
SOUND (bridge
cracks)
DRYDEN: (SHRINK) IT’S GIVIN’ WAY!
SOUND (wood splinter,
stop hoofs)
DRYDEN: (FAST FADE OUT) OOOOO…
Oooooo!
SOUND (far distant
crash of wood)
RANGER: (AFTER SHORT BREAK) Well Silver… it’s justice.
I thought he would
back up, at the last minute, but...
well, we just HAD to get the man that shot
old Johnny Drews.
During conversation between Tonto and The Lone Ranger on the
broadcast of May 11, our heroes discuss what to do about Rem Purdy, an outlaw
wanted for the murder of his wife in El Paso, and the death of two Indian
babies. “Tonto, if there ever was a man that deserved killing, that is the
man,” The Lone Ranger remarks. Tonto offers to kill Purdy himself. “No, there
are things that are harder for him to stand, that will do better for our purpose
than killing him,” the masked man explained. “He has a scheme of sort. We’ve
got to find out what they scheme is. He’ll be killed someday, sure enough, but
not by us.” Tonto then suggests that tar and feathers would be a “good thing
for coyote like him.” As it turns out, Purdy’s scheme is exposed in the
presence of the mob of angry railroad workers, and justice is promptly served
at the hands of the men with tar and feathers. Only afterwards Purdy feels like
a fool to discover he was coated with molasses, not tar.
What I find amusing is the fact that 80 years following those early radio broadcasts, very little has been documented. The radio scripts have been available to the public for reading and review but maybe few wanted to take the trek or expense to travel to the archive. It may give readers of this blog post a great feeling to know that almost every radio script dating from 1933 to 1937 have been read and fully documented into a database. This project has been going on for the past year and will doubt be completed in the next month. What you read above is just a sample of what was unearthed and I can assure you there were virtually hundreds of surprises. If the stars align properly, all 770 plus pre-1938 radio broadcasts will not only be documented in book form, but details regarding the purchase of said book will be made public. In the meantime, should you want to know more about the early adventures, I recommend you subscribe to SPERDVAC's monthly magazine, Radiogram, which costs $20 a year. There will be a more in-depth article about these recent discoveries later this year. You can subscribe to the newsletter at www.sperdvac.com and visit the "Membership" page.
On March 11, at the Williamsburg Film Festival, I will be presenting a slide show presentation on such discoveries for a full hour -- most of the photographs originating from archives across the country, the majority of them never seen by the public in 60 to 70 years. If you live within travel distance and want to check this out, I can assure you it will be worth the effort. You can find more information about the festival at http://wff5.tripod.com
On March 11, at the Williamsburg Film Festival, I will be presenting a slide show presentation on such discoveries for a full hour -- most of the photographs originating from archives across the country, the majority of them never seen by the public in 60 to 70 years. If you live within travel distance and want to check this out, I can assure you it will be worth the effort. You can find more information about the festival at http://wff5.tripod.com
