The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger was an early, long-running radio and television show based on characters created by George W. Trendle of Detroit, Michigan and developed by writer Fran Striker of Buffalo, New York. The basic premise is that a masked cowboy in the Old West gallops about righting injustices, usually with the aid of a clever and laconic American Indian called Tonto. Karl May's tales of Old Shatterhand and Chief Winnetou may have influenced the creation of the concept.

Lone Ranger lore

Tonto greets the Lone Ranger with the expression "kemosabe", which has also been written "Kemo Sabe" or "Kemo Sabhay". The origin of this expression is somewhat unclear. However the writer of the Lone Ranger scripts, Fran Striker, said the actual expression was Ta-i ke-mo sah-bee, which he said meant "greetings trusty scout". Various investigators have found other sources for this saying, some of them humorous and usually centering around the idea that "Kemo Sabe" is actually an insult or vulgarity. For instance, a Far Side comic strip has a long since retired Lone Ranger discovering (in an Indian dictionary) that "Kemo Sabe" is an Apache expression for a "horse's patootie".

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The widespread popularity and admiration of the radio and TV series lent itself to inevitable parodies and takeoffs in cartoons and other popular media. Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels were not above joining in the fun, playing their own characters in TV ads from time to time, for modern products such as Aqua-Velva after shave lotion and Amoco "Silver" gasoline.

Related Topics:
Cartoon - Clayton Moore - Jay Silverheels - Aqua-Velva - Amoco

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In the early 1970s, Jay Silverheels appeared as a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, playing Tonto, with Johnny Carson playing a career counselor. Tonto was seeking a new job after having spent "thirty lousy years" as the Ranger's faithful Indian companion. ("Him let me peek under mask once. No big deal!") As to why he was no longer working with the Masked Man, Tonto said, "Him find out what Kemo Sabe means!"

Related Topics:
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson - Johnny Carson

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Conventional wisdom about the character of the Lone Ranger is that it fits closely with the view of how America sees itself as a nation: believers in law and justice, and using only a "legitimate" amount of force to subdue a presumably lawless and evil enemy, and acting as a "lone" voice of reason in the world, if it comes to that. This theory is underscored by this exchange from the very first TV episode. Right after the Ranger puts the mask on (which Tonto had fashioned from Captain Dan Reid's vest), Tonto starts handing equipment to the Ranger:

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:Tonto: Here, guns, to kill bad men.

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:Reid: I'm not going to do any killing.

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:Tonto: You not defend yourself?

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:Reid: I'll shoot if I have to. But I'll shoot to wound, not to kill. If a man must die, it's up to the law to decide that, not the person behind a six-shooter!

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:Tonto: That's right, Kemo Sabe!

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:Tonto: You all alone now. Last man. You are lone Ranger.

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:Reid: Yes, Tonto... I am... The Lone Ranger!

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