1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:20,639 Speaker 1: a show that unmasked history one day at a time. 4 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:25,279 Speaker 1: I'm Gabe Lousier and in this episode, we're exploring the 5 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: history of the Lone Ranger, the masked rider of the 6 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: Planes who battled Frontier injustice and helped define the Western genre. 7 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: The day was January three. Radio Western The Lone Ranger 8 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 1: was broadcast for the first time from the w x 9 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 1: y Z radio station in Detroit, Michigan. Stories of the 10 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:02,280 Speaker 1: legendary masked writer proved so popular with listeners that the 11 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: show quickly expanded beyond the Detroit area, launching a national 12 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:10,959 Speaker 1: craze that lasted for the next twenty one years. In 13 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:14,639 Speaker 1: the decades since his debut, the Lone Ranger has become 14 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:18,200 Speaker 1: one of the most recognizable heroes in American pop culture. 15 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: Part of the radio shows and during appeal stems from 16 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 1: its rousing opening theme music, the William tell overture by 17 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:31,360 Speaker 1: Joe Aquino Rossini. The w x y Z station happened 18 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 1: to have a copy of that classic composition on hand, 19 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: and it's galloping tone made it an easy choice for 20 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:41,279 Speaker 1: an adventure show set in the American West. Of course, 21 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,800 Speaker 1: it also helped that the eighteen twenty nine overture was 22 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 1: firmly in the public domain and wouldn't cost anything to play. 23 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:52,280 Speaker 1: The Lively fanfare was a fixture of the show from 24 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 1: its very first episode, and today more people connect the 25 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: music to The Lone Ranger than to the opera it 26 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 1: was originally written for. If you still can't place the tune, 27 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:23,120 Speaker 1: here's a sample from the show's opening. The Lone Ranger 28 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:27,680 Speaker 1: character was initially conceived by George Trendall, the owner of 29 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 1: the w x y Z station in two He had 30 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: made the risky decision to cut ties with his network 31 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: affiliates at CBS in favor of producing his own original programming. 32 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 1: In the days before television, radio was the go to 33 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: medium for broadcast entertainment, and children's shows were an integral 34 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: part of any successful slate. Trendall knew he would need 35 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: a kid's adventure show to keep his station afloat, but 36 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: rather than pay to license and existing character, he wanted 37 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 1: to create a zone. Aiding in this endeavor were station 38 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:08,840 Speaker 1: manager Harold True, dramatics director James Jewell, and, most crucially, 39 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: New York based radio writer Francis Franz Striker. Together, the 40 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:17,800 Speaker 1: team came up with a character and story that was 41 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: clearly inspired by other fictional heroes, most notably Zoro and 42 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:27,360 Speaker 1: Robin Hood, but without the rough edges, their character would 43 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: be a decidedly wholesome hero, not an outlaw. In fact, 44 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 1: they even came up with a list of bad behaviors 45 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 1: that their masked man would never indulge in. This included smoking, drinking, swearing, 46 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: love affairs, and the use of slang or bad grammar. 47 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 1: In addition, when the lone Ranger fired his gun, he 48 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:52,640 Speaker 1: would never shoot to kill his opponents, only to disarm them. 49 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:57,279 Speaker 1: Years later, in a nineteen fifty two interview with Time magazine, 50 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:01,880 Speaker 1: Trend'll explain the goal behind this code of conduct, saying, 51 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: quote without detracting from the thrill and excitement, we tried 52 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 1: to convey a message that suddenly teaches patriotism, tolerance, fairness, 53 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:15,880 Speaker 1: and respect for the rights of all men. For the 54 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: first decade of its existence, the show was contracted to 55 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:23,240 Speaker 1: the Detroit Station and most of its actors were local hires. 56 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:28,280 Speaker 1: All of the episodes were performed and broadcast live, including 57 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:31,239 Speaker 1: the sound effects, which were produced in the recording booth 58 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 1: using an array of objects. For instance, the galloping sounds 59 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: of horse hoofs was achieved by stamping rubber plungers into 60 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 1: a trough of sand, and when a horse needed to 61 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:46,119 Speaker 1: run across a harder surface than sand, the sound team 62 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 1: employed the tried and true method of tapping together two 63 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 1: halves of a coconut. You've got two empty alls of coconut, 64 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 1: and you're buying them together. So the main character's backstory 65 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:00,920 Speaker 1: was gradually fleshed out over The show was many years 66 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 1: on the air, but a basic history was in place 67 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:07,680 Speaker 1: from the start. He was a former Texas Ranger later 68 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: named John Reid, who had struck out on his own 69 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:14,680 Speaker 1: as a solitary defender of truth and justice, hence his 70 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:19,800 Speaker 1: name the Lone Ranger. However, not long after the show premiered, 71 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:23,839 Speaker 1: Franz Striker and the other writers realized there was a 72 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:28,400 Speaker 1: downside to a hero who always worked alone. Namely, he 73 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:31,720 Speaker 1: had no one to talk to except for his trusty horse, Silver, 74 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:35,920 Speaker 1: who of course could not talk back. This dilemma led 75 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 1: to the introduction of the Rangers Native American sidekick Tonto, 76 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:46,480 Speaker 1: who made his first appearance on February thirty three, played 77 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:50,120 Speaker 1: by actor John Todd. Tonto wasn't held to the same 78 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:54,320 Speaker 1: standards of grammar as the main character. Instead, he spoke 79 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:58,600 Speaker 1: in stilted English, played for comical effect with no regard 80 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: for authentic indigen his dialect. Much of his dialogue was 81 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:08,000 Speaker 1: limited to short, stereotypical phrases like me go and you 82 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:13,039 Speaker 1: bet them. Despite this insensitive ethnic portrayal, the character of 83 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:17,240 Speaker 1: Tonto was generally written as an intelligent, capable scout the 84 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:21,400 Speaker 1: brains to the rangers Braun. He also solved the problem 85 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:24,840 Speaker 1: of the lone Ranger constantly talking to his horse, so 86 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:28,080 Speaker 1: it's safe to say that without Tonto, the show wouldn't 87 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:31,680 Speaker 1: have lasted nearly as long as it did. The role 88 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:35,080 Speaker 1: of the Lone Ranger was played by multiple different actors 89 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:37,719 Speaker 1: over the course of the show's run. One of the 90 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:42,039 Speaker 1: most successful and long lasting was Earl Grazer, who played 91 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:45,479 Speaker 1: the Ranger from April of nineteen thirty three until his 92 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:50,400 Speaker 1: untimely death in a car crash. In to help preserve 93 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:54,000 Speaker 1: the mystique of the Lone Ranger, Grazer was required to 94 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:57,560 Speaker 1: keep his identity secret from the general public and wasn't 95 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:01,680 Speaker 1: allowed to play any other characters on radio. Although he 96 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 1: didn't receive credit at the time, he still became one 97 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 1: of the most famous voices in America. By nine, more 98 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 1: than twenty million people tuned into the show across the 99 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:17,320 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty stations that carried at nationwide. Three new 100 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 1: episodes aired every week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and 101 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 1: each show was performed three times so that it could 102 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 1: be broadcast live and different time zones. By that point, 103 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:33,760 Speaker 1: The Ranger had become a cultural phenomenon, complete with marketing 104 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:37,480 Speaker 1: tie ins and an ever growing catalog of licensed products, 105 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:43,880 Speaker 1: including Lone Ranger costumes, guns, action figures, novelizations, and comic strips. 106 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:48,360 Speaker 1: Celebrities from Shirley Temple to Eleanor Roosevelt said it was 107 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 1: their favorite program, and The Saturday Evening Post declared that 108 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:55,720 Speaker 1: The Ranger was quote the hero from whom all other 109 00:07:55,840 --> 00:08:00,680 Speaker 1: heroes take fresh luster. In the end, the Lone Ranger 110 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 1: radio show ran for twenty one years and aired a 111 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:08,520 Speaker 1: total of three thousand, three hundred and seventy seven episodes. 112 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:13,840 Speaker 1: The final episode aired September three, nine fifty four, but 113 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:18,239 Speaker 1: the show continued in reruns for another two years. Many 114 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: of the show's scripts were penned by original writer Franz Striker, 115 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:25,600 Speaker 1: the man responsible for the creation of Tonto and the 116 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:32,200 Speaker 1: rangers signature catchphrase Hio silver Away. Striker would continue to 117 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:36,400 Speaker 1: write the character long after he transitioned other mediums, including 118 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 1: film serials, novels, and comic books. The television version of 119 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:44,720 Speaker 1: The Lone Ranger premiered in nine and was the first 120 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:48,480 Speaker 1: big hit for the ABC network, a pillar of the 121 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:51,720 Speaker 1: Golden Age of TV westerns. It remained on the air 122 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:55,920 Speaker 1: until nineteen fifty seven and spurred the creation of countless 123 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:59,679 Speaker 1: imitators along the way. Over the course of The Lone 124 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:04,080 Speaker 1: Rang Jur's long history and many iterations, the character has 125 00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 1: faced his share of controversy. Most of the criticism centers 126 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:12,040 Speaker 1: on the portrayal of Native American culture, but the franchisees, 127 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:16,440 Speaker 1: formulaic structure, and somewhat dull, straight laced hero have been 128 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:20,600 Speaker 1: called out as well. Yet, despite these shortcomings, the Lone 129 00:09:20,679 --> 00:09:23,680 Speaker 1: Ranger remains one of the most enduring characters of the 130 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:26,880 Speaker 1: twentieth century, and it's easy to see how he became 131 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:31,040 Speaker 1: the model for others square jawed, clean living symbols of justice, 132 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:35,840 Speaker 1: such as Superman and Captain America. Those characters may have 133 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:39,960 Speaker 1: more name recognition today, but thanks to the cyclical nature 134 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:44,200 Speaker 1: of Hollywood, the Western genre and the lone Ranger may 135 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:50,280 Speaker 1: yet ride again. I'm Gay Bluesier and hopefully you now 136 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:54,440 Speaker 1: know a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 137 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:57,480 Speaker 1: You can learn even more about history by following us 138 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:02,400 Speaker 1: on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at t d i HC Show, 139 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:05,679 Speaker 1: and if you have any comments or suggestions, you can 140 00:10:05,679 --> 00:10:08,560 Speaker 1: always send them my way at this Day at i 141 00:10:08,679 --> 00:10:12,720 Speaker 1: heeart media dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing 142 00:10:12,720 --> 00:10:15,680 Speaker 1: the show, and thank you for listening. I'll see you 143 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:19,560 Speaker 1: back here again tomorrow for another Day in History class. 144 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:29,120 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the iHeart 145 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:31,640 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 146 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:32,320 Speaker 1: favorite shows.