The Legend of the Lone Ranger

1981

1h 38m

IMDb RATING

4.8/10

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Action

Adventure

Western

When the young Texas Ranger, John Reid, is the sole survivor of an ambush arranged by the militaristic outlaw leader, Butch Cavendich, he is rescued by an old childhood Comanche friend, Tonto. When he recovers from his wounds, he dedicates his life to fighting the evil that Cavendich represents. To this end, John Reid becomes the great masked western hero, The Lone Ranger. With the help of Tonto, the pair go to rescue President Grant when Cavendich takes him hostage.

Directors

William A. Fraker

Writers

Ben Roberts(screenplay by)

Ivan Goff(screenplay by)

Fran Striker(characters by)

Stars

Klinton Spilsbury

Christopher Lloyd

Matt Clark

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Trailer
Watch The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981) - Trailer HD 1080p

Photos22

Top cast

Klinton Spilsbury

The Lone Ranger …

Christopher Lloyd

Maj. Bartholomew 'Butch' Cavendish

Matt Clark

Sheriff Wiatt

Juanin Clay

Amy Striker

Jason Robards

President Ulysses S. Grant

John Bennett Perry

Ranger Captain Dan Reid

Ranger Collins

Wild Bill Hickok

Tonto

Young John Reid

Lucas Striker

Gen. George A. Custer

Buffalo Bill Cody

Woman (uncredited)

Young Tonto

General Aurelio Rodriguez

Ted White

Jonathan Reid

Chere Rae

Mrs. Reid

Directors

William A. Fraker

Writers

Ben Roberts(screenplay by)

Ivan Goff(screenplay by)

Fran Striker(characters by)

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User reviews1

Review

Featured review

6/10

***Serious take on the masked Western hero with a glimmer of fun*** The lone survivor of an ambush of a Texas Ranger patrol (Klinton Spilsbury) is rescued by his childhood AmerIndian friend, Tonto (Michael Horse). He becomes the Lone Ranger and, along with Tonto, they go after the traitor & outlaw gang that orchestrated the massacre. Christopher Lloyd plays the villain, Matt Clark the crooked sheriff, Juanin Clay the beautiful lady and Jason Robards President Grant. “The Legend of the Lone Ranger” (1981) is the first cinematic depiction of this Western hero, not counting the movies strewn together from the TV series (1949-1957) featuring Clayton Moore in the titular role. It’s similar to “Mackenna’s Gold” (1969) mixed with “The Comancheros” (1961) and its unacknowledged remake “Rio Conchos” (1964). All of these Westerns have a similar comic book tone, Southwest setting and a plot revolving around a veteran Civil War megalomaniac. The difference is that “The Legend of the Lone Ranger” adds the masked Western hero angle, akin to the later “The Mask of Zorro” (1998), but this doesn’t even occur until two minutes shy of the hour mark. From there, whenever the masked avenger shows up along with the corresponding “William Tell Overture” and “Hi, ho, Silver, Away!” it spurs chuckles. But, disregarding that, this is a standard comic book Western with a respectful, serious take on the legend. This was lead actor Spilsbury’s lone venture into cinema after only two small TV gigs. He looks the part and has the charisma, but the script doesn’t give his character enough dimension and his voice was dubbed with James Keach’s deeper vox. His fellow actors in the movie said this was unnecessary since there was nothing wrong with Spilsbury’s voice (obviously the producers just wanted a deeper vox). Meanwhile, it’s nice to see winsome Juanin Clay again (who had a significant role in the Buck Rogers episode “Vegas in Space” two years earlier), but not enough is done with her. Unfortunately, bad publicity resulting from the studio’s ill-advised lawsuit with Clayton Moore over his wearing the mask in public appearances tarnished the film’s premiere. This combined with the recent box office bomb of “Heaven’s Gate” (1980) and the general public disinterest in Westerns at the time doomed the movie. But, if you appreciate any of those Westerns noted above, it’s worth a look even though the Johnny Depp version is all-around more entertaining (2013). The film runs 1 hour, 38 minutes, and was shot Arizona (Monument Valley), New Mexico (Bonanza Creek Ranch and Eaves Movie Ranch in Santa Fe, Cook Ranch in Galisteo, Abiquiu), Southern Cal (Bronson Canyon Vasquez Rocks) and Utah (Moab, Monument Valley). GRADE: B-

Wuchak23 Aug, 2019