Do Elephants Jump?
WhyWas He Called the Lone Ranger When Tonto Was Always Hanging Around?
The classic western features a lone hero entering a new town and facing
a villain who threatens the peacefulness of a dusty burg. The Lone
Ranger, on the other hand, came with a rather important backup,
Tonto. Leaving aside questions of political correctness or racism, calling
the masked man the Lone Ranger is a little like calling Simon and
Garfunkel a Paul Simon solo act.
Before we get to the "Lone" part of the equation, our hero actually
was a ranger, in fact, a Texas Ranger. The Lone Ranger started as
a radio show, first broadcast out of Detroit in 1933, created by George
Trendle, and written by Fran Striker. The first episode established
that circa 1850, the Lone Ranger was one of six Texas Rangers who
were trying to tame the vicious Cavendish Gang. Unfortunately, the
bad guys ambushed the Rangers, and all of the Lone Ranger's comrades
were killed. The Lone Ranger himself was left for dead. Among
the vanquished was the Lone Ranger's older brother, Dan.
So for a few moments, long enough to give him his name, the Lone Ranger really was by himself. He was the lone surviving
Ranger, even if he happened to be unconscious at the time. ... read full excerpt from Do Elephants Jump? ebook
