Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in a radio show on WXYZ (Detroit), conceived either by station owner George W. Trendle or by Fran Striker, the show's writer. Test episodes aired earlier on radio station WEBR in Buffalo. The radio series proved to be a hit, and spawned a series of books (largely written by Striker), an equally popular television show that ran from 1949 to 1957, comic books, and several films. The title character was played on the radio show by Earle Graser for some 1,300 episodes, but two others preceded him, according to The New York Times: "...a man named Deeds, who lasted only a few weeks; a George Stenius..." After Graser died in 1941, Brace Beemer assumed the role after serving as the program's narrator. On the radio, Tonto was played by John Todd and Roland Parker, among others. Clayton Moore portrayed the Lone Ranger on television, although during a contract dispute, Moore was replaced for a season by John Hart. Jay Silverheels, a Mohawk from the Six Nations Indian Reserve in Ontario, Canada, was cast as Tonto.