The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)

The sole surviving Texas Ranger (Klinton Spilsbury) of an ambush arranged by outlaw leader Major Bartholomew "Butch" Cavendish (Christopher Lloyd) returns to fight back as a great masked western hero, The Lone Ranger.

Director:

William A. Fraker

Writers:

Ivan Goff (screenplay), Ben Roberts (screenplay)

Stars:

Klinton Spilsbury, Michael Horse, Christopher Lloyd

4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Klinton Spilsbury	...	The Lone Ranger / John Reid
Michael Horse	...	Tonto
Christopher Lloyd	...	Cavendish
Matt Clark	...	Sheriff Wiatt
Juanin Clay	...	Amy Striker
Jason Robards	...	President Grant
John Bennett Perry	...	Dan Reid
David Hayward	...	Ranger Collins
John Hart	...	Lucas Striker
Richard Farnsworth	...	Wild Bill Hickok
Lincoln Tate	...	General Custer
Theodore J. Flicker	...	Buffalo Bill Cody
Marc Gilpin	...	Young John Reid
Patrick Montoya	...	Young Tonto
David Bennett	...	General Rodriguez

Storyline

When the young Texas Ranger, John Reid (Klinton Spilsbury), is the sole survivor of an ambush arranged by the outlaw leader, Bartholomew "Butch" Cavendish (Christopher Lloyd), he is rescued by an old childhood Comanche friend, Tonto (Michael Horse). When he recovers from his wounds, he dedicates his life to fighting the crime that Cavendish represents. To this end, John Reid disguises himself and becomes the great masked western hero, The Lone Ranger. With the help of Tonto, the pair go to rescue President Ulysses S. Grant (Jason Robards, Jr.) when Cavendish takes him hostage. We learn that Cavendish was an officer in the United States military before he was court-martialled and dishonorably discharged.

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Plot Keywords:

texas ranger | masked hero | western hero | remake | man with no name | 

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Taglines:

The loyal friend that he trusted. The woman that fate denied him. The great silver stallion he rode. And his consuming love of justice.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Western

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

After The Magic of Lassie (1978) brought Lassie back to the big screen, Jack Wrather decided this was time for a remake of The Lone Ranger.

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Goofs

In the lynching scene, Tonto's hands are tied behind his back. They are freed when the Lone Ranger shoots the rope around his neck.

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Quotes

[first lines]
First Scalphunter: You got him! You got him!
Young John Reid: Shh, sit down. Get down!
Young Tonto: Leave me alone!
First Scalphunter: You ain't never gonna find that little redskin.
Second Scalphunter: When I do, I'm gonna scalp him.
Young John Reid: [whispering] Go. It's alright. Come on.
Second Scalphunter: The little injun's somewhere.
Young John Reid: [whispering] Get down.
First Scalphunter: They're at the Reid place. Come on, we're missin' it.
[...]

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Alternate Versions

UK versions are cut by 5 secs to remove horse-falls.

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Connections

Referenced in Wild Wild West (1999)

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Soundtracks

The Man in the Mask
Written by John Barry and Dean Pitchford
Sung by Merle Haggard

User Reviews

It's worth seeing again

I saw this when I was five. I liked it at the time and was too young to have heard about the politics and controversy with Clayton Moore or notice the dubbing of the title character's voice. Even watching it again the other day for the first time in almost thirty years, those things were not issues to the movie itself.

It was entertaining. There are things I'd change here or there, but overall it was good. The handling of Tonto still holds up today in our hyper-PC world.

It's not without its warts, but they can easily be seen beyond and the movie enjoyed. Definitely check it out.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 May 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Legend of the Lone Ranger

Filming Locations:

Monument Valley, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,945,600, 25 May 1981

Gross USA:

$12,617,845

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,617,845

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eaves Movie Ranch, Incorporated Television Company (ITC), Wrather Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1