The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (1958)

Director:

Lesley Selander

Writers:

Eric Freiwald (writer)
Robert Schaefer (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

June 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Western

Tagline:

Unmasking the West's most Fabulous Treasure!

Plot:

Three Indians are murdered. Each was wearing a medallion when he died. Together the medallions form a puzzle whose solution points to gold. |

Plot Keywords:

Gold | Indian | Cult Favorite | Racism | Badge

Cast

Clayton Moore	...	The Lone Ranger
Jay Silverheels	...	Tonto
Douglas Kennedy	...	Ross Brady
Charles Watts	...	Sheriff Oscar Matthison
Noreen Nash	...	Mrs. Frances 'Fran' Henderson
Ralph Moody	...	Padre Vincente Esteban
Lisa Montell	...	Paviva
John Miljan	...	Chief Tomache
Dean Fredericks	...	Dr. James Rolfe (as Norman Fredric)
Maurice Jara	...	Redbird
William Henry	...	Henchman Travers (as Bill Henry)
Lane Bradford	...	Henchman Wilson
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Herman Hack	...	Barfly (uncredited)
Belle Mitchell	...	Caulama (uncredited)
Bob Woodward	...	Henchman (uncredited)

Directed by
Lesley Selander

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Eric Freiwald		writer
Robert Schaefer		writer
George W. Trendle		characters (uncredited)

Produced by
Sherman A. Harris	....	producer
Jack Wrather	....	producer

Original Music by
Les Baxter

Cinematography by
Kenneth Peach

Film Editing by
Robert Golden		(as Robert S. Golden)

Art Direction by
James Dowell Vance		(as James D. Vance)

Set Decoration by
Charles S. Thompson		(as Charles Thompson)

Makeup Department
Layne Britton	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
Hugh McCollum	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Willard M. Reineck	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Philip Mitchell	....	sound

Production Companies

• Wrather Productions (as Jack Wrather Productions)

Distributors

• United Artists (1956) (USA) (theatrical)
• BCI Eclipse (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• VCI Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• ClassicLine (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
• VCI Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (expanded version)
• Comet Video (????) (USA) (DVD)
• VCI Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Ryder Sound Services  sound

Also Known As:

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | USA:Approved (PCA #18863) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Old Tucson - 201 S. Kinney Road, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Company:

Wrather Productions

Trivia:

Last time Clayton Moore starred in a movie/TV production as the Lone Ranger.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In an early scene at the opening, an Indian is shot by one of the hooded raiders, and in a close up, there's blood on his shirt but no bullet hole.

Movie Connections:

Follows The Lone Ranger (1938)

Soundtrack:

Hi Yo Silver

A Bold Step For Westerns

Although beautifully shot, this United Artists feature is not quite as good as the first Lone Ranger big screen color outing of 1956 by Warner Brothers. But neither is it average, for the cinematic effort does go boldly where most westerns of the time dared not. Remarkably, this 1958 film takes on racial bigotry in a manner that was quite daring for a family western of this period. In point of fact, the writers of this feature should be applauded for going a step farther and making racial "passing" an integral part of an otherwise ordinary plot. How many dramatically significant family films of the time can one name that would dare to have dealt with such an emotionally explosive premise?

It should also be noted, Jay Silverheels for the first time, has a much greater speaking role and acting function than normally allowed for his character, Tonto. All in all, with solid acting from most of it's participants, this is not a bad western. On the whole, the film is thoroughly enjoyable, on several levels, for all members of the family.