Masterful Movie

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Blistering performances.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

This is probably one of the most unique episodes ever made. In this first episode of what became one of the most memorable series' ever, we learn how one man died only to become another man - one who would bring 500 men to justice.Everything about the legendary is simply explained in this episode. Not watching this first episode can really confuse us!Actually, I believe this was a movie broken into several beginning episodes. Each episode reveals a little more. The ending leaves us with a cliffhanger to make the original viewer come back next week.5 dead

"Enter the Lone Ranger" constituted the first episode of the Jack Chertok, Harry Pope, and George W. Trendle produced television series that aired from 1949 to 1957. Regular "Lone Ranger" scribe George B. Seitz Jr. derived his teleplay from on a story written by Fran Styker with Lone Ranger creator George W. Trendle. Basically, this episode served as an origins episode. Not only did it introduce the Lone Ranger as a character but also it dictated the ground rules of the series. Unlike the 1981 and 2013 films, our hero was never shown from the beginning. The Texas Rangers are trailing notorious outlaw Butch Cavendish (Glenn Strange of "House of Dracula"), and they ride unsuspectingly into a cross-fire, and riflemen in a mountain gap riddle them with bullets. We are never introduced to John Reid (Clayton Moore of "Black Dragons") before the massacre, and his identity is kept concealed until he dons the mask. The treacherous guide Collins (George J. Lewis of "Captain America) takes the Rangers into an ambush. Everybody but Collins dies. Butch orders Collins to check the corpses. Collins assures Butch that everybody is deceased. No sooner has Collins confirmed that they are all deed than Cavendish shoots Collins and leaves him for dead. Later, an buckskin-clad Native American, Tonto (Jay Silverheels) shows up and buries all the dead Texas Ranger except one. This Texas Ranger recovers from his wounds, and Tonto reminds him that they were old friends. John Reid extended a helping hand to Tonto after the Indian's village was massacred. Tonto gave him a ring so he would recognize him. After the last Ranger recuperates, he puts on the mask and vows to work for justice. He refuses to kill anybody, and he prefers to let the court determine the fate of the criminals that he brings to justice. A gunfight between the Lone Ranger and Collins ensues at the end, and Collins appears to have an edge on our hero because he is about to smash him with a huge rock. You'll have to wait for the resumption of this in episode two. Altogether, "Enter the Lone Ranger" was very serviceable.

Prior to the ambush, I was trying to figure out which of the rangers was Clayton Moore. (How can you not recognize that gravelly low baritone?) But I didn't recognize any of the voices (or faces). I was also wondering why Tonto rides Scout with a saddle. And he wears buckskins, an odd costume for an Apache.However poor Tonto's English might be, it's better than the speech of the radio Tonto -- who was probably created (like Jimmy Olsen) to give TLR someone to talk with. His pidgin English wouldn't be so annoying if he used subject pronouns rather than object pronouns. By the way, Jay Silverheels (what a wonderful name!) was actually Harold J Smith. (Really!) His stage name came from a nickname received when he played lacrosse.There are several origin stories, and the most-common -- in which Tonto is a friend from earlier years (in this case, Reid having saved Tonto's life) -- is used here. I've often wondered if this was an attempt (probably unconscious) to obscure the issue of the Tonto's and Reid's private relationship. (Friends are rarely intimate.) However, it's telling that, when the younger Tonto and Reid part, the former gives the latter a ring, which he puts on Reid's ring finger -- the /right/ one, "fortunately". But it's a symbolic marriage, nevertheless.The script is amateurish, more-appropriate for an imageless radio show. (Later shows are more complex and polished, but still sometimes include unneeded dialog intended to tell the radio listener what's going on.) Cavendish's murder of the Rangers is drawn-out and verges on the sadistic. In later episodes, beatings, knifings, and killings are only rarely directly shown.

This episode "Enter The Lone Ranger" is a vital episode to watch as it explains why the Lone Ranger is on a mission to bring about law and order to the Western states of America. It also clarifies why he wears a mask and a white hat. The brave Indian, Tonto, is introduced in this episode and it mentions a very interesting link between the two heroes back when they were young. Although the style of acting is dated and in black and white format it is an episode that a dad or mum could sit down and watch with the family (with, of course, a running commentary from them about how they enjoyed this series as a child and how it would be a great series for their children to watch too).