The Complete Lone Ranger on DVD? (1 Viewer)

[Tom St Jones]

If nothing else, the two '50s theatrical films (which are included in that set) "The Lone Ranger" and "The Lone Ranger & the Lost City of Gold" starrng Moore and Silverheels really should get a restoration and Blu ray release. As both Classic Media and rights to The Lone Ranger franchise itself are now owned by NBC-Universal, this may be more of a possibility.. The films have only ever been available in either cropped fullscreen (ClassicMedia DVD) or non--anamorphic widescreen (VCI release).

 

[bmasters9]

The best complete version of the Lone Ranger, all 5 seasons 30 discs, plus a bonus disc. Well worth the hundred dollars I paid for it. Excellent quality on all Episodes. I bought it on Amazon 6 years ago, but I still see it listed on eBay and other sites.

Welcome to the boards here! That looks like a very appealing Lone Ranger release; I've never seen the show before, but I am somewhat of an old television Western fan (three of my favorites are Have Gun Will Travel, Wanted Dead or Alive and The Rebel).

 

[Bob Gu]

I checked on last night's Wednesday "Lone Ranger" marathon on GritXtra at TUBI. The new improved but edited episodes are being shown now.

On Monday, GRIT will start the fourth season with the return of Clayton Moore.

When VCI's rights to the two Lone Ranger movies expired, VCI probably did not turn over the widescreen versions, VCI had created from full screen to Lone Ranger, Inc.

The MGM/UA VHS of "The Lone Ranger"-1956 used a version that had the opening credits in widescreen and the rest of the movie in full screen.

So, I guess there had to be widescreen versions around for them to do that. Those MGM/UA releases would be Warner? Maybe Warner is holding the widescreen version.

This VHS release of "The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold"-1958 was full screen. I would think that the 1958 theatrical release would be in widescreen.

 

[Bob Gu]

Saturday, March 2nd, from 8AM to 10AM, EST, GRIT starts showing the edited but not time sped color season of "The Lone Ranger". The color episodes will continue Monday thru Friday, 11AM to 12PM, and Saturday, 8AM to 10AM.

The color episodes started a run on GritXtra ,last night, as part of the regular Wednesday 10 episode "Lone Ranger" marathon. I forgot to check them for the full color opening.

On second thought, some of the edits on these edited versions running on GRIT do seem a little abrupt or choppy in spots.

Anyway, hopefully, we will finally see the color episodes with the full "Tonto...The Lone Ranger Rides Again", opening.

So far, that Lone Ranger YouTube Channel has uploaded nine episodes in 25+minute versions that are not time sped and don't seem to have edits in the story.

Here's the latest episode. S2E8 'Thieves Money'.

 

[RBailey]

I always preferred the color LR episodes. Can’t wait to check them out tomorrow.

 

[Bob Gu]

I do miss that terrific and exciting 'horse opera;' music that was dropped for the color episodes.

It was public domain music rearranged by Alberto Columbo, I think, for the Republic Lone Ranger serials and later Republic serials.

The music was used on the LR radio show too. I am hazy if the music was later adapted for the serials or the other way around.

When I reintroduced my older brother to The Lone Ranger TV series. He said he thought the exciting music was raising his blood pressure!

 

[Bob Gu]

Well, that was puzzling, only the fourth episode shown this morning had the full "Tonto...Lone Ranger Rides Again" opening, in color. The first three openings didn't even get to the 'Lone Ranger Rock'.

Maybe we will see the full opening on the majority of the color episodes shown, going forward, on GRIT.

Today was the first time I've ever seen the full Lone Ranger opening in color.

 

[BobO'Link]

I do miss that terrific and exciting 'horse opera;' music that was dropped for the color episodes.

It was public domain music rearranged by Alberto Columbo, I think, for the Republic Lone Ranger serials and later Republic serials.

The music was used on the LR radio show too. I am hazy if the music was later adapted for the serials or the other way around.

When I reintroduced my older brother to The Lone Ranger TV series. He said he thought the exciting music was raising his blood pressure!

You *do* know that The Lone Ranger theme music is the finale of Gioachino Rosinni's "William Tell Overture," and is known as "March of the Swiss Soldiers."


Here's the entire overture (Warner Brothers used several segments in various cartoons and portions have been used in many movies over the years). The 4 segments are "The Prelude (Dawn)," "The Storm," "Call to the Cows," and "March of the Swiss Soldiers":


There are no horses or mentions of horses in the opera (which is roughly 4 hours in length if fully performed).

 

[Bob Gu]

Howie, I was referring to the non- William Tell music in the Lone Ranger. The background scores that were used in the Republic serials, the Lone Ranger radio show and the first four seasons of the TV show.

 

[Jason Goodmanson]

Different iteration, but the 1938 Lone Ranger serial had quite a few scenes filmed where I grew up - Lone Pine, California. Lone Pine was used for tons of classic westerns, and quite a few modern films too. For me, most famously , was Tremors.

I don't know all of who's in the California area, but visiting the Film Museum in Lone Pine might be a good time. I was there for the first film handful of film festivals they had.

Some links:
Hi Yo! Salute to the Lone Ranger Set in Lone Pine
Lone Ranger Visits Lone Pine

 

[rcmeserve]

I can’t listen to Liszt’s ‘Les Preludes’ without picturing the Masked Rider of the Plains. Excerpts turn up constantly on LR radio & TV episodes, along with snippets of Tchaikovsky, Wagner, etc. Stirring stuff.

 

[Bob Gu]

Grit will show the S5 "Christmas Story" on Saturday. Will it be in color this time? (GritXtra shows it tonight.)

The S5 episode "Quicksand" was on yesterday. The character actor Ric Roman played a bad guy Indian like a tough talking gangster. Funny contrast to the usual 'me Tonto' speech patterns, in westerns.

The Lone Ranger radio show was still going strong in 1949 when the TV show started and Jay Silverheels was required to stick to the stereotype to match the radio Tonto.

 

[Bob Gu]

The S5, should be in color, "Christmas Story" was shown this morning in black and white on GRIT and was shown in black and white on GritXtra on Wednesday night.

This B&W version was restored but edited.

If, for some reason, the new restorations didn't include the color "Christmas Story", I don't get why they didn't just show the time sped color version of this episode.

 

[ponset]