The Lone Ranger is a 2003 American western action television film. It was an attempt by The WB to revive the Lone Ranger franchise for a new generation. The character first appeared in 1933 in a radio show conceived either by WXYZ (Detroit) radio station owner George W. Trendle,[1][2][3] or by Fran Striker,[4] the show's writer. 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 movies.
| The Lone Ranger | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Title card | |
| Genre | |
| Based on | |
| Written by | Stacy Title and Jonathan Penner |
| Directed by | Jack Bender |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Roger Neill |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 1 |
| Production | |
| Producers |
|
| Cinematography | Steven Fierberg |
| Editors |
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| Running time | 120 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | The WB |
| Release | February 26, 2003 |
The film, intended as a pilot for a new television series, stars Chad Michael Murray as the Lone Ranger (the name of the Ranger's secret identity was changed from "John Reid" to "Luke Hartman") and Nathaniel Arcand as his Native American companion Tonto.
Plot
editThis version takes a look at the character in the years before he became a legend. It all begins with the introduction of Luke Hartman, a 20-year-old Boston law student who witnesses the murder of his brother, a Texas Ranger. He himself is wounded in the midst of the chaos, but is rescued by the Apache Tonto, and subsequently becomes smitten with Tonto's sister Alope. He then devotes his life to avenging the death of his brother and fighting injustice, and in the process becoming a worldwide legend.
Cast
edit- Chad Michael Murray as The Lone Ranger / Luke Hartman
- Nathaniel Arcand as Tonto
- Anita Brown as Alope
- Fay Masterson as Grace Hartman
- Sebastian Spence as Harmon Hartman
- Wes Studi as Kulakinah
- Bradford Tatum as Tryon
- Jeffrey Nordling as James Landry
- Lauren German as Emily Landry
- Tod Thawley as Tera
- Gil Birmingham as One Horn
- Paul Schulze as Sheriff Landry
- Mike Weinberg as Harmon Jr.
Critical reception
editThe show was met with mixed reviews, criticizing the changes to the characters, comedy and soundtrack, and the pilot didn't get picked up for a full series.[5][6][7]
References
edit- ^ "The Lone Ranger". Museum of Broadcast Communications. Archived from the original on March 12, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
- ^ "The Lone Ranger". Radio Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on April 24, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
- ^ "Radio: The Masked Rider". Time magazine. January 14, 1952. Archived from the original on November 1, 2010. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
- ^ Dennis McLellan (June 9, 1993). "A Gathering of Kemo Sabes : TV's Lone Ranger, Fans Return to Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "The Lone Ranger". Pop Matters. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
- ^ Johnson, Steve (2003-02-26). "WB's 'Lone Ranger' is small in the saddle". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
- ^ "Who Was That Masked Man, Really?". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2010-09-27.