When the young Texas Ranger, John Reid, is the sole survivor of an ambush arranged by the militaristic outlaw leader, Butch Cavendich, he is rescued by an old childhood Comanche friend, Tonto. When he recovers from his wounds, he dedicates his life to fighting the evil that Cavendich represents. To this end, John Reid becomes the great masked western hero, The Lone Ranger. With the help of Tonto, the pair go to rescue President Grant when Cavendich takes him hostage.
Klinton Spilsbury
The Lone Ranger / John Reid
Christopher Lloyd
Maj. Bartholomew 'Butch' Cavendish
Matt Clark
Sheriff Wiatt
Juanin Clay
Amy Striker
Jason Robards
President Ulysses S. Grant
John Bennett Perry
Ranger Captain Dan Reid
David Hayward
Ranger Collins
Richard Farnsworth
Wild Bill Hickok
Michael Horse
Tonto
Marc Gilpin
Young John Reid
John Hart
Lucas Striker
Lincoln Tate
Gen. George A. Custer
Ted Flicker
Buffalo Bill Cody
Bonita Granville
Woman (uncredited)
Patrick Montoya
Young Tonto
David Bennett
General Aurelio Rodriguez
Ted White
Jonathan Reid
Chere Rae
Mrs. Reid
Robert F. Hoy
Lieutenant Perlmutter
Ted Gehring
Dale Wesley Stillwell
Buck Taylor
Robert Edward Gattlin
Chuck Hayward
Wald (Cavendish gang)
Director
William A. Fraker
Adaptation
Gerald B. Derloshon
Characters
Fran Striker
Characters
George W. Trendle
Screenplay
William Roberts
Screenplay
Ivan Goff
Screenplay
Ben Roberts
Screenplay
Michael Kane
August 23, 2019
6
***Serious take on the masked Western hero with a glimmer of fun***
The lone survivor of an ambush of a Texas Ranger patrol (Klinton Spilsbury) is rescued by his childhood AmerIndian friend, Tonto (Michael Horse). He becomes the Lone Ranger and, along with Tonto, they go after the traitor & outlaw gang that orchestrated the massacre. Christopher Lloyd plays the villain, Matt Clark the crooked sheriff, Juanin Clay the beautiful lady and Jason Robards President Grant.
“The Legend of the Lone Ranger” (1981) is the first cinematic depiction of this Western hero, not counting the movies strewn together from the TV series (1949-1957) featuring Clayton Moore in the titular role. It’s similar to “Mackenna’s Gold” (1969) mixed with “The Comancheros” (1961) and its unacknowledged remake “Rio Conchos” (1964). All of these Westerns have a similar comic book tone, Southwest setting and a plot revolving around a veteran Civil War megalomaniac.
The difference is that “The Legend of the Lone Ranger” adds the masked Western hero angle, akin to the later “The Mask of Zorro” (1998), but this doesn’t even occur until two minutes shy of the hour mark. From there, whenever the masked avenger shows up along with the corresponding “William Tell Overture” and “Hi, ho, Silver, Away!” it spurs chuckles. But, disregarding that, this is a standard comic book Western with a respectful, serious take on the legend.
This was lead actor Spilsbury’s lone venture into cinema after only two small TV gigs. He looks the part and has the charisma, but the script doesn’t give his character enough dimension and his voice was dubbed with James Keach’s deeper vox. His fellow actors in the movie said this was unnecessary since there was nothing wrong with Spilsbury’s voice (obviously the producers just wanted a deeper vox). Meanwhile, it’s nice to see winsome Juanin Clay again (who had a significant role in the Buck Rogers episode “Vegas in Space” two years earlier), but not enough is done with her.
Unfortunately, bad publicity resulting from the studio’s ill-advised lawsuit with Clayton Moore over his wearing the mask in public appearances tarnished the film’s premiere. This combined with the recent box office bomb of “Heaven’s Gate” (1980) and the general public disinterest in Westerns at the time doomed the movie. But, if you appreciate any of those Westerns noted above, it’s worth a look even though the Johnny Depp version is all-around more entertaining (2013).
The film runs 1 hour, 38 minutes, and was shot Arizona (Monument Valley), New Mexico (Bonanza Creek Ranch and Eaves Movie Ranch in Santa Fe, Cook Ranch in Galisteo, Abiquiu), Southern Cal (Bronson Canyon Vasquez Rocks) and Utah (Moab, Monument Valley).
GRADE: B-
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$18,000,000.00
Revenue:
$2,945,600.00