THE LONE RANGER (1956)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *uncanny*
MYTHICITY: *fair*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTIONS: *sociological*


Modern comics-mavens like to view Superman and Batman as diametrical opposites, with the former representing bright optimism and the latter dark pessimism.  One could argue that they were preceded in this by two radio-heroes launched by radio producer George Trendle, with the Ranger debuting in 1933 and the Hornet in 1936, just two years before the publication of Superman.

The Ranger, the man who wears a mask but constantly manages to convince righteous people of his honesty, is obviously the more optimistic figure.  The 1956 LONE RANGER film, an attempt to launch the hero and his Indian companion to the big screen as the low-budget teleseries was winding down.  On the whole the series makes a good transition, largely thanks to the good associations of Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels, and to more intense action-scenes.

As in the second and last film of the new cinematic Ranger, the script centers upon the injustices visited upon Native Americans by white men.  In this case, a rapacious rancher named Kilgore (Lyle Bettger) has learned that there's silver beneath the sacred mountain of a local tribe of Indians. In order to gain access to the silver, Kilgore schemes to incite an Indian war, in part by hiring thugs to dress up as Indians and commit crimes.  The Ranger and Tonto must find evidence of Kilgore's evil deeds while simultaneously keeping the more volatile Indians-- particularly a muscular brave named Angry Horse (Michael Ansara)-- from declaring their own war.

The script isn't nearly as nuanced as that of the sequel LOST CITY OF GOLD, and Kilgore is a very flat and uncharismatic villain, one not in the least humanized by the presence of his wife and child.  The fight-scenes are extremely well handled, though.  The Ranger has a one-on-one battle with Angry Horse that easily puts all his TV battles to shame, and toward the climax the hero even sustains a gunshot wound.  Tonto acquits himself just as well: when town bigots try to divest him of his gun simply because he's an "injun," the brave knocks white men left and right for nearly five minutes before he's overpowered.  The Ranger also has an exciting scene rescuing his partner from hanging.  But overall the Ranger remains a strong mediating force between white and red men, suggesting an optimistic outcome for both-- even when moderns know that things didn't turn out so well for the red man.