Customer Reviews

The Lone Ranger (Widescreen Edition) [VHS]

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Without any knowledge of what this DVD 2 pack contained, I bought it based on my love of Clayton Moore and the Lone Ranger! I was completely surprised by the quality of the film print! This film looks better than many of the feature films today. It is prestine. The trailers, interviews with Dawn Moore and Michael Ansara and photo gallery were the iceing on the cake. This was Clayton Moore's favorite LONE RANGER feature film and rightfully so. This film should have been re-released to the theaters instead of making the forgetable film of the late 1970's and Moore never should have been in a legal battle over the mask he, and only he, deserved to wear. Rick Goldschmidt (Author of THE MAKING OF A RANKIN/BASS HOLIDAY CLASSIC: RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER)

VCI Entertainment and Warner Bros. present the first big screen full length in color "The Lone Ranger" (1956)(Special Edition) (digitally remastered in Dolby), long running Lone Ranger series on radio and then turned out in the early '40s in the movies...it's all new and in Warnercolor the west's greatest hero...the story line is excellent with outstanding action scenes and production with over hours worth of entertainment.... the Ranger and Tonto must overt an all out Indian War and stop the rancher Reece Kilgore from taking over Indian Lands...will the Lone Ranger come up with disguises to get in with the gang of local villians...can we count on the Masked Rider and his faithful Indian Companion to right all the wrongs across the plains...respect for the Native American and the diginity they have earned is displayed throughtout the story and film...watch the scene in which the Ranger bestows upon Red Hawk the Indian Chief, is very touching...we all know very well that Tonto and the Ranger are very good friends and saddle partners...Clayton Moore once stated he loved Jay Silverheels like a Brother...and that my friends is a real hero!

Under director Stuart Hiesler, producers Jack Wrather and Willis Goldbeck, screenplay by Herb Meadow and George W. Trendle...the cast include Clayton Moore (Lone Ranger), Jay Silverheels (Tonto), Silver (Lone Ranger's horse), Scout (Tonto's horse, Lyle Bettger (Reece Kilgore), Bonita Granville (Welcome Kilgore), Perry Lopez (Pete Ramirez), Michael Ansara (Angry Horse), Robert J. Wilke (Cassidy (Kilgore's foreman), Frank DeKova (Chief Red Hawk), John Pickard (Sheriff Sam Kimberley), Beverly Washburn (Lila Kilgore), Lane Chandler (Chip Walker), Kermit Maynard (Rev. Purdy )...the Masked Man rides to new heights of excitement...entertainment for every man, woman and child who ever dreamed of adventure...another thrilling days of yesteryear western with a "Hi-Yo Silver" the Lone Ranger rides again with this big screen technicolor release from Warner Brothers Pictures.

CHAPTER TITLES: (Disc One)

(The Lone Ranger - Special Edition -Wide Screen & Full Screen)

1. Opening

2. The Governor

3. Old Prospector

4. Two Sides

5. Ridin' n' Ropin'

6. Abilene

7. Just in Time

8. Finding Clues

9. Preparations

10.Unmasked

11.The Scarf

12.Held Captive

13.The Rescue

14.Spirit Mountain

15.Silver

16.Explosion

17.The Chase

18.Rest Easy

SPECIAL FEATURES: (Disc Two)

1. Interview with Michael Ansara by Michael Druxman

2. Interview with Dawn Moore by Leonard Maltin

BIOS:(Disc Two)

1. CLAYTON MOORE

Birth Name: Jack Carlton Moore

Birth Date: 9/14/1914 - Chicago, Illinois

Death Date: 12/28/1999) - Los Angeles, CA

2. JAY SILVERHEELS

Birth Name: Harold J. Smith

Birth Date: 5/26/1918 - Ontario, Canada

Death Date: 3/05/1980 - Woodland Hills, CA

3. Lyle Bettger

4. Bonita Granville

5. Michael Ansara

6. Stuart Heisler (Director)

PHOTO GALLERY (Disc Two)

1. "The Lone Ranger" the films stills in color & black and white - Lobby Cards

VCI LONE RANGER TRAILERS:(Disc Two)

1. "Ride in the Whirlwind" (Jack Nicholson, Mille Perkins, Cameron Mitchell and Harry Dean Stanton)

2. "The Shooting" (Jack Nicholson, Millie Perkins, Will Hutchins and Warren Oates)

3. "The Lone Ranger" (thunders to the motion picture screen) (restored trailer)

4. "The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold" (restored trailer) (Golden Book Entertaiment)

THE LONE RANGER CREED (Disc Two)

Written by Fran Striker.

Clayton Moore was a circus acrobat at the age of eight and grew up in the Midwest (Illinois)...worked in the circus and traveled to New York and then Hollywood where he became a stuntman and bit player...inducted into the "Stuntman's Hall of Fame" in 1982...also received the "Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame'" also the "Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum" both in 1990...Clayton was once quoted "Playing him [the Lone Ranger] made me a better person.", "Once I got the Lone Ranger role, I didn't want any other. I was playing the good guy."..."I will continue wearing the white hat and black mask until I ride up into the big ranch in the sky." (On his costume as the Lone Ranger, February 4, 1985)...Clayton very much enjoyed quoting and lived by "A Ranger's Creed" which included this moral lesson "That God put the firewood there, but every man must gather and light it himself."

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more of the same from The Lone Ranger vintage era...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment, stay tuned once again with a top notch B-Western from VCI...just the way we like 'em!

Total Time: 87 mins on 2 DVD's ~ VCI Entertainment 8252 ~ (5/01/2001)

This DVD gives you the best of both viewing worlds!! View it in widescreen or standard pan and scan. The Lone Ranger and his faithful companion, Tonto, never looked better. The movie opens in an action packed sequence and continues through confrontations and gunfights without the all the graphic dismemberments. This film will take you back to the times when the whole family sat together and enjoyed true entertainment with a great message. The double dvd set includes a seperate dvd with bonus materials including an interview with Clayton Moore's daughter, Dawn as interviewed by Leonard Maltin. It also contains a recently produced interview with actor Michael Ansara. This DVD is one for the whole family.

This film is the first featurelength movie featuring the stalwart stars of the TV series, Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels. It is the Lone Ranger in his best ever screen performance. The movie is thoroughly watchable entertainment especially in the widescreen format with some gorgeous panoramic cinematography from Edwin Dupar. The story is straightforward but with tight competent direction from Stuart Heisler the film has the look and feel of a big screen movie. Some of the stunts are spectacular to watch and the finale battle between the Lone Ranger (Moore) and the villain, Cassidy (Michael Ansara) is excellent. This a must for western fans who want to see the Lone Ranger at his best.

VCi's offering of the 1956 Lone Ranger feature film is outsatnding. Prior to this, I had to watch my old VHS EP Mode version and it was not pleasant. It never is with EP mode products. The VCi copy is clear and crisp with brilliant and vibrant colors, the way a DVD rendition of classic film should be. Despite the Region 1 tag, it is an all regions DVD and all Lone Rnager fans around the world will have the chance to enjoy this one. This is the best Lone Ranger film of all times as the production values are top notch. The sequel - The Lost City of Gold pales in comparison as somewhat akin to a made for TV movie. That must also be had to complete the cinema presenations of the Lone Ranger. The 1980's feature "Legend of the Lone Ranger" is an aberration, nice to see but not to collect. Congratulations to VCi.

Our family loves these DVD's! The first episode is the one that tells how the Lone Ranger becomes the Lone Ranger. My boys, ages 9 and 10, had just asked me how it all started and I did not know. Now we all know and had fun learning it together! My guys could watch these all day long. It has been fun!

The Masked Man and Tonto in widescreen and color!
The legendary TV series got first-class treatment for it's big screen debut. Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels are provided with a stalwart group of recognizable supporting actors including
Lyle Bettger, Robert Wilke, Michael Ansara, Frank DeKova and Perry Lopez. By the way, Veteran character actor Wilke (He's the loudmouth cowpoke done in by knife-weilding James Coburn in THE MAGNIFICENT 7) portrayed Bad Guy Reece Kilgore's (Bettger) foreman, Cassidy. Ansara was Angry Horse, the Indian who takes on the Masked Man hand to hand. Hiyo, Silver..AWAY!
Trivia: Bonita Granville's (Mrs. Reece Kilgore) last film. She retired to become Mrs. Jack Wrather. A producer/director, Wrather owned the rights to THE LONE RANGER.

Released in glorious Warnercolor, this big-screen version of the classic TV series holds up remarkably well. Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels remain the definitive Lone Ranger and Tonto - supported by handsome production values and director Stuart Heisler's brisk pacing. It's memorable entertainment for all ages. VCI offers the best DVD edition among the numerous public-domain offerings.

VCI Entertainment and Warner Brothers have given us all a real gem here, in this greatest of all Lone Ranger movies, and, likely the capstone to Clayton Moore's career in the movies and television. Not only is this 1956 Warners production considered the best Lone Ranger story ever lensed---for the big screen OR the small---but it is considered by many film historians and aficionados around the world to be one of the best WESTERNS ever made...up there with some nifty John Wayne , John Ford, and Howard Hawks vehicles.

The color cinematography in TLR is glorious and the greens, rusts, blues, and every other color on the Warnercolor pallet

comes across vividly. This is just a scenically gorgeous movie to watch.

Stuart Heisler's direction here is sure-handed and solid and the screenplay is engrossing. And while TLR is not an ADULT adult western like, say, "High Noon", it is well above the level of the stereotypical "kid's B-Picture" as well. This is something with some meat and maturity to it, more along the lines of, say. Errol Flynn's "Dodge City" than a Saturday matinee Gene Autry oater. (Indeed, the narrative prolog for

TLR utilises stock footage of cattle drive and wagon train scenes FROM "Dodge City").

The cast is superb. Moore and Silverheels are definitive, as usual, and Michael Ansara gives a strong performance as an Indian warrior (and contributes to a great "special features" recollection as well, as does Bonita Granville). Lyle Bettger turns in one of his great patented oily villain portrayals as Reece Kilgore, greedy, power-hungry cattle baron trying to drive a tribe of Indians off their reservation so as to gain access to the large silver deposits he has discovered inside their venerated Spirit Mountain. Robert Wilke is equally evil as Cassidy , Kilgore's foreman and chief gunman. Wilke was one of the great villains of the 50s and 60s in movie and tv westerns, and, if you can't place him by name, he was Capt. Nemo's (James Mason's) burly first mate in Disney's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea".

The musical score to the film is excellent as well, with the talented David Buttolph doing first rate orchestrations of the William Tell Overture and numerous incidental background themes . One of these themes Buttolph uses in the film is quite interesting. In a scene where the Lone Ranger has secretly met with the territorial governor at a mission church, the two of them walk out from the mission talking and the the Lone Ranger mounts Silver and rides away with Tonto. Playing lightly in the background on the soundtrack is a jaunty little melody that, within a year's time or so, will evolve into the theme for t.v.'s "Maverick".

Some people who watch this film today seem amazed at how much respect for American Indians and their cultures are shown in it. This are obviously "johnny-come-latelies" to the Lone Ranger mythos, for anybody with ANY familiarity AT ALL with Lone Ranger media knows that Indians were ALWAYS treated with respect in all LR scripts , be they movie, radio, or television scripts. In fact, it could well be argued that the Lone Ranger adventures were historically pivotal in showing the "OTHER side of the coin" re: Cowboy & Indian interaction in the old west.

Another great aspect of watching this movie is that you get to see "The Stunt", followed by "The Fight". Say what?, you ask.

Well, its like this; Clayton Moore's principle stunt double was a first-rate stuntman named Bill Ward . Ward was both a superlative rider (all scenes of TLR doing hair-raising rides or jumps on Silver are done by Ward, who was also Silver's "wrangler") and a great fight participant to boot. In this latter capacity, Bill Ward's agility, coordination, and overall athleticism was strikingly similar to that of the legendary David Sharpe (who, along with Yakima Canutt & Tom Steel, was considered the "best in the business" in the 30s, 40s, and into the fifties). When this reviewer first saw the end of this movie again some years ago, I believed absolutely that "The Stunt" had to have been done BY Dave Sharpe; thought he was the only one crazy enough, or agile enough, to have done it. But I was wrong. Ward did it. Clayton Moore says so in his autobiography.

So what IS this "stunt" I'm talking about? In Hollywood stunt parlance there was a "gag" called "bulldogging" that was done in B pictures so often it became almost a cliche. Derived from rodeo bulldogging, where a cowboy has to leap from his horse, grab a bull/steer around the neck and wrestle him to the ground, movie stunt "bulldogging" involved pursuit of the baddie by the stunt double of Roy, Gene, Hoppy, or whomever...at the end of which time Trigger, Champion, Topper (or whomever) would pull alongside the bad-guy's horse and

the good guy would dive across to the other guy's horse and pull that rider out of the saddle. Both would hit the ground and, after a brief exchange of blows, the good guy would punch the outlaw's lights out.

It was decided that the Robert Wilke character, "Cassidy", was going to try to "make his break" at the film's end, and that the Ranger would run him down on Silver and "bulldog" him. But the producer wanted something better than the standard old I've-seen-this-a-hundred-times bulldogging. He wanted something different and spectacular...and his stunt crew gave it to him. Bill Ward and Bob Morgan (who later lost a leg doubling George Peppard on the railroad logging car sequence in "How The West Was Won")came up with what is considered the greatest movie bulldogging stunt of all time. It has never been bested.

The stunt works this way: Ward is the Lone Ranger, in pursuit of Bob Morgan, who is doubling Robert Wilke. Morgan is skirting the edge of a steep ridge (the same ridge Ward and "Tonto" come charging down at the opening of the movie), Ward comes right into him from behind and from the side. He does NOT come directly alongside Morgan, but, instead, in an EXTREMELY dangerous move, LAUNCHES himself from the saddle from BEHIND Bob Morgan and literally FLIES through the air (no wire, no net, no CGI...no NOTHING) to grab Morgan and jerk him off his mount. THIS is "the stunt", and it remains awesome to this day.

"The fight" follows "the stunt" immediately and the editing of the two is seamless. It is a rolling, slugging, tumbling fist fight that continues all the way to the bottom of this steep draw. The cross-cuts of Moore fighting Wilke and Ward fighting Morgan are excellent, and the totality of this entire sequence...from the bulldogging through the downhill fight...is just awesome. It is something no one who has ever seen this movie ever forgets.

I'd advise you to treat yourself to it as well. This is one humdinger of a western from start to finish, and if you are someone who loves colorful action and adventure in your cinema diet, then don't miss this one.

And yes, it ends just like you know it should:

"But, Padre, I wanted to see his face...to learn his name!"

"You cannot see his face. He will wear his mask until his

work is done. And, as for his name...he is The Lone Ranger."

"HI-YO SILVER!!! AWAY!!"

Yeah!!!!!!!!!!

VCI Entertainment and Warner Bros. present the first big screen full length in color "Lone Ranger" (1956) (digitally remastered in Dolby), long running Lone Ranger series on radio and then turned out in the early '40s in the movies...it's all new and in Warnercolor the west's greatest hero...the story line is excellent with outstanding action scenes and production with over hours worth of entertainment.... the Ranger and Tonto must overt an all out Indian War and stop the rancher Reece Kilgore from taking over Indian Lands...will the Lone Ranger come up with disguises to get in with the gang of local villians...can we count on the Masked Rider and his faithful Indian Companion to right all the wrongs across the plains...respect for the Native American and the diginity they have earned is displayed throughtout the story and film...watch the scene in which the Ranger bestows upon Red Hawk the Indian Chief, is very touching...we all know very well that Tonto and the Ranger are very good friends and saddle partners...Clayton Moore once stated he loved Jay Silverheels like a Brother...and that my friends is a real hero!

Under director Stuart Hiesler, producers Jack Wrather and Willis Goldbeck, screenplay by Herb Meadow and George W. Trendle...the cast include Clayton Moore (Lone Ranger), Jay Silverheels (Tonto), Silver (Lone Ranger's horse), Scout (Tonto's horse, Lyle Bettger (Reece Kilgore), Bonita Granville (Welcome Kilgore), Perry Lopez (Pete Ramirez), Michael Ansara (Angry Horse), Robert J. Wilke (Cassidy (Kilgore's foreman), Frank DeKova (Chief Red Hawk), John Pickard (Sheriff Sam Kimberley), Beverly Washburn (Lila Kilgore), Lane Chandler (Chip Walker), Kermit Maynard (Rev. Purdy )...the Masked Man rides to new heights of excitement...entertainment for every man, woman and child who ever dreamed of adventure...another thrilling days of yesteryear western with a "Hi-Yo Silver" the Lone Ranger rides again with this big screen technicolor release from Warner Brothers Pictures.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

VCI LONE RANGER TRAILERS:

1. Lone Ranger (thunders to the motion picture screen) (restored trailer)

2. The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold" (restored trailer) (Golden Book Entertaiment)

While you're at it check out Bobby J. Copeland's book on "Silent Hoofbeats", a salute to the horses and riders of the bygone B-Western era...finally a book listing each and every steed that carried our heroes over the dusty trails and plains...Copeland has composed each section in his book to perfection...names of our western stars with the most comprehensive information of movie and TV horses...Clayton Moore with Silver and Jay Silverheels with Scout appear several times...published by Empire Publishing and available on Amazon.

If you enjoyed "The Lone Ranger" why not pick up the special editions from VCI Entertainment people:

1. Lone Ranger (Special Edition #8252) with bonus interview with Michael Ansara by Michael Druxman

interview with Dawn Moore (Clayton Moore's daughter) by Leonard Maltin...Biographies...Lone Ranger Creed...Photo Gallery...Trailers:"Ride in the Whirlwind", "The Shooting", "The Lone Ranger"...2 DVD edition (Standard & Widescreen versions)

2. Lone Ranger & the Lost City of Gold" (Special Edition #8254) with bonus:Cowboy Hall of Fame induction of Clayton Moore, 1991...Cowboy Hall of Fame induction of Jay Silverheels, 1993...Biographies, Lone Ranger Creed, Photo Gallery, Trailers:"Ride in the Whirlwind", "The Shooting", "The Lone Ranger"...2 DVD edition (Standard & Widescreen)

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more of the same from The Lone Ranger vintage era...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment, stay tuned once again with a top notch B-Western from VCI...just the way we like 'em!

Total Time: 86 mins on DVD ~ VCI Entertainment 8304 ~ (2/12/2002)