THIS DAY IN HISTORY JAN. 30: WXYZ RADIO RIDES W/ ‘THE LONE RANGER’ IN ’33

Motor City Radio Flashbacks logoFrom History.com: This Day In History

 

 

January 30, 1933:

The Lone Ranger Debuts on Detroit’s WXYZ Radio

 

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DETROIT (January 30)With the stirring notes of the William Tell Overture and a shout of “Hi-yo, Silver! Away!” The Lone Ranger debuts on Detroit’s WXYZ radio station.ThisDayinHistory The creation of station-owner George Trendle and writer Fran Striker, the “masked rider of the plains” became one of the most popular and enduring western heroes of the 20th century. Joined by his trusty steed, Silver, and loyal Indian scout, Tonto, the Lone Ranger sallied forth to do battle with evil western outlaws and Indians, generally arriving on the scene just in time to save an innocent golden-haired child or sun-bonneted farm wife.

Radio Row 'The Lone Ranger' Ad. May 14, 1945 (click image for larger view)
Radio Row ‘The Lone Ranger’ Ad. May 14, 1945 (click image for larger view)

Neither Trendle nor Striker had any connections to or experience with the cowboys, nor Indians, and pioneers of the real West, but that mattered little to them. The men simply wanted to create an American version of the masked swashbuckler made popular by the silent movie actor Douglas Fairbanks in The Mark of Zorro, arming their hero with a revolver rather than a sword. Historical authenticity was far less important to the men than fidelity to the strict code of conduct they established for their character. The Lone Ranger never smoked, swore, or drank alcohol; he used grammatically correct speech free of slang; and, most important, he never shot to kill. More offensive to modern historical and ethnic sensibilities was the Indian scout Tonto, who spoke in a comical Indian patois totally unrelated to any authentic Indian dialect, uttering ludicrous phrases like “You betchum!”

Historical accuracy notwithstanding, the radio program was an instant hit. Children liked the steady stream of action and parents approved of the good moral example offered by the upstanding masked man. Soon picked up for nationwide broadcast over the Mutual Radio Network, over 20 million Americans were tuning into The Lone Ranger three times a week by 1939. In an early example of the power of marketing tie-ins, the producers also licensed the manufacture of a vast array of related products, including Lone Ranger guns, costumes, books, and a popular comic strip.

The Lone Ranger made a seemingly effortless transition from radio to motion pictures and television. The televised version of The Lone Ranger, staring Clayton Moore as the masked man, became ABC’s first big hit in the early 1950s. Remaining on the air until 1957, the program helped define the golden age of the TV Western and inspired dozens of imitators like The Range Rider, The Roy Rogers Show, and The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok. Although the Lone Ranger disappeared from American television and movie screens by the 1960s, he lived on in a popular series of comic books well into the 1970s.

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HISTORY.COM

ON TELEVISION IN THE 1950S: The Lone Ranger with his sidekick Tonto
ON TELEVISION IN THE 1950s: The Lone Ranger (Clayton Moore) with his sidekick Tonto (Jay Silverheels) pose with their trusty steeds

Lone Ranger Mask Logo


Addendum: For more on the history of ‘The Lone Ranger’ on WXYZ radio go here. For a recent on-site tour of the old WXYZ radio studios at the Maccabees Building (2012), read it and see it here, at the Baggy Paragraphs blog. In commemorating ‘The Lone Ranger’ 81st, special thanks to former WXYZ personality Jim Hampton for providing Motor City Radio Flashbacks with this WXYZ-related link! 


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WXYZ RADIO 1933: HOW THE LONE RANGER EVOLVED

The Lone Ranger on the Silver Screen. Warner Bros., 1956
“The Lone Ranger” on the silver screen. Warner Bros., 1956
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The Lone Ranger: A birthday card by Marita Cakes circa 1964
The Lone Ranger: A birthday card ad by Merita Cakes (Lone Ranger sponsor) circa 1964

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