The Lost Radio Adventures of "THE LONE RANGER"

It was not until early 1938 that The Lone Ranger radio program was recorded on a regular basis. Prior, the radio broadcasts originating from WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan, were never heard again after the initial broadcast. No sooner did the broadcast conclude, the actors tossed their scripts into a box in the corner of the room and began rehearsals for the next drama (usually The Green Hornet or Warner Lester, Manhunter). As a result, the first five years of the program does not exist in recorded form. Thankfully, we have the radio scripts to consult. Enclosed are plot summaries based on the script pages, "lost" adventures of the masked man and his faithful Indian companion, Tonto.

 

Episode #141, Broadcast December 25, 1933

Plot: Rafael Gonzales is a wealthy Mexican aristocrat, a direct descendent of the Rafael Gonzales that once governed the state of Texas, before it became a part of the United States. His ranch is bounded on the North by the Rio Grande and extends many miles into Mexico. He longs for the cleaning up of Great Lizard Island, so called because of its shape and character, the much-feared raiders that have brought thieving and death to the ranch of Gonzales and the ranch of Hank Wilson and his wife (on the U.S. side). At the request of The Lone Ranger, 3,000 head of cattle of the Triangle Bar are herded by Hank Wilson to the Mexico border, then ushered into the water. The cattle cannot cross the raging current steadfast, making their way to the island so Tonto and The Lone Ranger create a stampede. Bound on both sides by the narrowness of Great Lizard Island, there is but one way for the cattle to travel, straight up the entire length of the island, sweeping with unstoppable force, through the thick underbrush, through the gullies and the secret hiding places of the renegades. The outlaws that inhabit the island are driven out like wild beasts from their places of concealment. They flee in terror before the thundering advance of the frantic herd and right into the hands of the vigilantes led by Gonzales and Wilson.

 

Episode #142, Broadcast December 27, 1933

Plot: The town of Prospect is situated in the foothills of the mountains that have had many people from all over the country stake their lives in the search for gold. Like a specter, a ruthless robber moved quickly and with catlike precision in the darkness of Ma Harvey’s house, found what he wanted, leaving the old woman dead, and vanished leaving no clue behind. Jim Thornton, a prospector who answers to the nickname of Buck, wanders into town to purchase provisions and finds himself picked up by Sheriff Pearson for the theft of $2,000 in gold dust and the murder of Ma Harvey. Sheriff Pearson is a fast-acting individual with so strong a sense of justice and punishment for crime that he oversteps himself from time to time. Mistaking Buck for Whitey Conklin, a notorious criminal wanted for multiple murders and thefts, the sheriff conducts a trial two days later and Buck is promptly found guilty. The Lone Ranger, witness to the entire affair, rescues Buck from a lynch mob and races the accused away on his great white horse. Tonto volunteers his tracking skills for the sheriff and a posse, chasing after The Lone Ranger. When the posse catches up with the accused, The Lone Ranger mentions that they crossed the border of Wabash County… out of the sheriff ’s jurisdiction. When the posse introduces themselves to Sheriff Stevens of Wabash County, they are shocked to learn that Whitey Conklin was hung yesterday (courtesy of The Lone Ranger) and the stolen gold was found on his possession, clearing Buck’s good name.

 

Episode #143, Broadcast December 29, 1933

Plot: Caliveras is the name of the rough and ready town that serves as the settlement for a few sincere hard-working prospectors and their families, a few café and store keepers, and many rough, quick shooting, hard-riding, straight-drinking men of the prairie. Among the residents is “Potluck” Simms, who makes a joke out of starting a landslide that destroys a teepee owned by the Apaches, breaking the leg of a newborn infant. While Potluck ignores the warnings of townsfolk, the Apaches perform the Snake Dance of War. Potluck scoffs at the notion that he caused what might mean bloodshed to the white population of Caliveras, by the incensed Indians. Potluck and his wife, Bessie, however, are promptly kidnapped by the Apaches. Despite the protestations of the local doctor, The Lone Ranger forces Doc Mulcahy to the Apache village to mend the baby’s leg as a Samaritan gesture. After witnessing a display of empathy from the white man, the Indian Chief agrees to a new start, avoiding bloodshed, saving the lives of Potluck and Bessie, who now have a deeper appreciation for their native neighbors.

 

Notes: This is not the only episode in which Tonto uses smoke signals to beckon for The Lone Ranger.

 

Episode #144, Broadcast January 1, 1934

Plot: When Randy Blackstone was appointed to take charge of the assay office at Black River, there was considerable comment by the prospectors that congregated here, including two named Zeke and Blink. Blackstone was new to the region and had done nothing to make himself liked. Quite the contrary, his stand-offish manner caused a number of boys to look on him with a somewhat suspicious eye. All the men seem to feel that old Dave Burton would be deserving of the job there, and they were all pretty sore to see Blackstone get the appointment. When The Lone Ranger discovers the former assayer was murdered and Blackstone hired a Mexican named Jose Del Lobo to do the deed, he fires gold into the ground using a shotgun and convinces Dave to stake a claim in what he thinks has potential. So does Blackstone, after examining the sample, who sends Jose out to follow Dave to discover where the claim is located… and kill the prospector. Jose never completes his mission, however, caught in the act of claim jumping. Threatening to kill in the presence of The Lone Ranger, Tonto and a handful of men from town remain hidden off the side as witnesses. Jose Del Lobo, panicking, confessed a great deal thus incriminating his partner. When he finished, there was no question that Blackstone planned to steal not only the supposedly rich claim of Dave, but others that had samples brought to the assay office as well. The sheriff makes his arrest and Dave is promptly given the job at the assay office.

NOTES: These plot summaries were reprinted from The Lone Ranger: The Early Years, 1933-1937, by Terry Salomonson and Martin Grams, Jr. 

The House of Mystery (1973 books)

For those who love reading those House of Mystery comic books from the 1960s through the 1970s, especially when Bernie Wrightson began providing art with issue #179, the following two paperbacks might be of interest. I enjoy reading anthologies of horror and science-fiction from the 1950s, 60s and 70s, but I find the stories are always hit or miss. But when the Warner Paperback Library, in conjunction with National Periodical Publications (also known as D.C. Comics) decided to publish two paperback collections of horror stories using the name of the comic book, these caught my attention. Published in 1973, The House of Mystery # 1 and The House of Mystery # 2 both contain short stories by Jack Oleck and feature illustrations by Bernie Wrightson.

Each story included one Wrightson illustration. In the first book, “Chamber of Horrors” told the tale of a man who insists the law investigate three coffin-like boxes of earth in the cellar of an old house… unaware of the mushrooms growing inside. In the tale titled “Nightmare,” a jerk who is clearly abusive to his wife finds himself the victim of a human sacrifice on a stormy night at Stonehenge.

 

My personal favorite is the story titled “The Haunting,” about a young couple who wander the graveyard before heading home, only to discover the house is haunted. The twist (spoiler alert) is that they are the ghosts. 

 

The second volume has a collection of stories that could be considered better than the first volume. In “Wolf Spawn,” a man named Langley wonders if it is possible that his sister is a werewolf. Vampires come into play in the story “Where Dead Men Walk.” In the story “Never Say Die,” a hoodlum who doesn’t deserve to live discovers what happens when he refuses to die. The last story in the volume involves a demon.

These two books are the first time in years that I came across a collection of horror stories that are remnant to television’s Night Gallery. If you enjoyed Rod Serling’s television program and long for additional stories of the same flavor, these two books are worth seeking out to read.

 

Johnston McCulley and the Zorro Museum

During a trip to a convention a year or two ago, I took a detour to visit the Chillicothe Historical Society Museum, which has a large room dedicated to Johnston McCulley and his most popular creation, Zorro. Like many small town museums, the facility is not very large, but the display itself was impressive. The largest room in the building was dedicated to Johnston McCulley and his swashbuckling character. I took a bunch of photos so in the event you are unable to travel to the museum, here is the guided tour.

THURSTON, THE MAGICIAN RADIO PROGRAM

Howard Thurston, one of the most successful of stage magicians to tour the country throughout the 1920s and 1930s, succeeded in filling the houses during the Great Depression. Overshadowed today by such luminaries as Dante, Blackstone and Houdini, Thurston was known nationwide, well-known for performing a floating lady illusion known as the "Levitation of Princess Karnac." Historian Jim Steinmeyer wrote a fantastic biography about Thurston, highly recommended if you are a fan of stage magicians. Prior to Jim's book, however, the majority of any preservation of Thurston's career was relegated to marquee posters and three minutes of surviving footage when Thurston played the role of a spiritualist in a 1920 short film, Twisted Souls.

Beginning November 3, 1932, a radio program premiered over NBC, Thurston, the Magician, and all 58 radio scripts were found and digitally preserved in PDF format. While the stories are pure fiction, there was some elements of Thurston's biography and stage career were incorporated into these evening audio adventures. The first script in the series is now available and can be found below. Enjoy!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1hw93v85aljzgil/Thurston%20the%20Magician%20%231.pdf?dl=0