Klinton Spilsbury is John Reid, heading West to Texas to rejoin his brother after obtaining a college education.
He befriends pretty Amy Striker on the stagecoach ride back to the town of Del Rio and even helps save the stage and its passengers from holdup men.
But brother Dan Reid has mixed feelings about John’s return. Texas is still a place in need of taming, and he fears it won’t be tamed by law books.
Indeed. no sooner has John gotten up the nerve to kiss Amy than her dad’s newspaper office is ransacked because he keeps writing about the villainous deeds of the Cavendish gang.
Well, that won’t be a problem for the gang anymore. After ransacking the office, they hang the newspaperman from the rafters.
The Texas Rangers set out in pursuit of those responsible, with Dan leading the way and younger brother John donning a Ranger badge for the first time.
It’s all part of Cavendish’s ploy to lure the Rangers into a trap with the help of a traitor among the group.
When the shooting stops, Dan is dead and John is lying under him, seriously wounded.
That’s when he’s found by Tonto, a childhood friend, who takes John Reid back to his village to recuperate.
Once he’s healthy again, John catches a white stallion he names Silver, slips silver bullets into his six guns, dons a mask and rides off with Tonto by his side.
There’s a brother’s murder to avenge.
And the Lone Ranger doesn’t know it yet, but there’s soon going to be a president in need of rescuing as well.
Klinton Spilsbury as John Reid, returning to Del RIo, Texas, in The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)
Klinton Spilsbury as The Lone Ranger, with a death to avenge and a president to save in The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)
Review:
During production, filmmakers sued Clayton Moore to prevent him from making public appearances as the Lone Ranger, fearing the aging actor would give the public the wrong impression of the masked avenger.
Had he known the end results of their efforts, Moore should have sued the filmmakers for depressing interest in the Lone Ranger character.
Want the recipe for a $16 million flop? Hire two good-looking but completedly inexperienced actors for the lead roles. Use a script that doesn’t allow the William Tell overture to play until the 58-minute mark. Film the entire thing in soft focus to give the movie a washed-out look.
It all leads to an explosive climax, but by that time viewers have also endured one of the worst theme songs in Western music history and rhyming narration by Merle Haggard that’s both ridiculous and unneccessary.
The film also manages to waste Christopher Lloyd, who surely could have turned in a much nastier performance as the villain of the piece, and Jason Robards, who’s portrayal of President Grant is at times clownish.
As for the leads, Michael Horse would eventually gain acclaim for his role as a deputy in the hit TV series “Twin Peaks.” But 40 years later, Klinton Spilsbury has yet to appear in another film.
In fact, that’s not even his voice you hear. His reading of his lines was deemed so dreadful, he was dubbed by James Keach.
As for the aforementioned lawsuit, Moore got around it by wearing wrap-around sunglasses instead of a mask during public appearances.
As for the movie, don’t waste your time. Watch the much more fun 2013 film “The Lone Ranger” instead.
Michael Horse as Tonto, coming to the rescue of a childhood friend in The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)
Christopher Lloyd as Butch Cavendish, dreaming of a New Republic of Texas in The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)
Directed by:
William A. Fraker
Cast:
Klinton Spilsbury … The Lone Ranger / John Reid
Michael Horse … Tonto
Christopher Lloyd … Butch Cavendish
Matt Clark … Sheriff Wiatt
Juanin Clay … Amy Striker
Jason Robards … President Grant
John Bennett Perry … Dan Reid
David Hayward … Ranger Collins
John Hart … Lucas Striker
Richard Farnsworth … Wild Bill Hickok
Lincoln Tate … General Custer
Theodore J. Flicker … Buffalo Bill Cody
Marc Gilpin … Young John Reid
Patrick Montoya … Young Tonto
David Bennett … Gen. Rodriguez
Runtime: 98 min.
Theme song:
“The Man in the Mask”
performed by Merle Haggard
Jason Robards as President Grant, about to be kidnapped by Cavendish in The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)
Matt Clark as Wiatt, the Del Rio sheriff in cahoots with Cavendish in The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)
Memorable lines:
Amy Striker, having boarded a stagecoach: “Would one of you gentlemen change places with me? I can’t read riding backwards.”
Dan Reid: “In Texas, robbers are outlaws. In Washington, robbers are elected.”
Dan Reid, when Tonto hands him a bullet because he’s having trouble hitting a target with a pistol: “A silver bullet?”
Tonto, nodding: “It’s more accurate.”
Tonto, spotting Silver: “He shines like the moon.”
Dan Reid: “Like silver.”
Sheriff Wiatt, factitiously, as a lynch mob descends on the jail, intent on stringing up Tonto: “They’re like a herd of buffalo. They’re gonna be tough to control.”
President Grant: “Now, look, when I was out here three years ago, these hills were flush with buffalo. I’ve been here three days, and I haven’t seen a single one. Cody, what happened to them?”
Buffalo Bill: “I shot ’em.”
President Grant, when Cavendish reveals his plans to start a New Republic of Texas: “Major Cavendish, you are a diseased son of a bitch.”
Juanin Clay as Amy Striker, the newspaper editor’s daughter John Reid falls for in The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)
John Bennett Perrry as Texas Ranger Dan Reid, trying to discourage his youngest brother from settling in lawless Texas in The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)
Marc Gilpin as a young John Reid, bidding farewell to his friend Tonto in The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)
Patrick Montoya as a young Tonto becoming blood brothers with a young John Reid in The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)
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