# The Lone Ranger **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [February 6, 2026, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456 "2026-02-06T23:35:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/21 "2026-02-07T15:37:52Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Didn’t even wash his face when he got up, and never disappeared behind a rock to empty his bladder. He had to watch out for rattlesnakes. > **[Lone Ranger and Tonto](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLg5fOZ2S4I%2F)** > > From a 1970's sketch show ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/22 "2026-02-07T15:38:03Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > What’s the definition of a “square”? Someone who can listen to the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger. Likewise The Barber of Seville without mentioning The Rabbit of Seville. Even this week our classic station KBAQ called the piece TRoS instaes of TBoS during pledge drive. 🎶_Whaaaaat would you want with a rabbit?_ ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/23 "2026-02-07T16:09:09Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > What’s the definition of a “square”? Someone who can listen to the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger. When I was in high school, we used to annoy a high-brow friend by referring to it as “The Lone Ranger Overture”. He would correct us, and we would apologize for our “mistake”. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/24 "2026-02-07T17:57:39Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > When I was in high school, we used to annoy a high-brow friend by referring to it as “The Lone Ranger Overture”. He would correct us, and we would apologize for our “mistake”. Another Piano Tech I used to work with whooshed a snobbish client by referring to “Kitten On The Keys” as having been written by “Claude De Pussy.” The client sniffed disdainfully and corrected him: “Day Boo ZAY.” ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/25 "2026-02-07T18:01:59Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Preston’s dog King Ahem. As a fellow old fossil I respectfully remind you the dog’s name was “Yukon King.” On TeeVee, don’t know about the radio. Unless I’m mistaken in which case I shall commit seppuku at once. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/26 "2026-02-07T18:14:16Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > the dog’s name was “Yukon King.” IIRC, his full name (kennel name?) was Yukon King, but Sgt Preston often just called him ‘King’. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/27 "2026-02-07T18:49:47Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Mid 50’s for me. Same here. Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels were iconic in the roles. Westerns were all the rage in 50s TV and I watched every one that was aired in Alaska or that was shown in the theater. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/28 "2026-02-07T19:20:50Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Likewise The Barber of Seville without mentioning The Rabbit of Seville. Even this week our classic station KBAQ called the piece TRoS instaes of TBoS during pledge drive Back when I was in University in the early 90s, I had a set of CDs. The premise was that a lot of people knew more classic music than they realized, and the tracks were all things that were used in pop culture. There was one disc for movies, and one for classic animation like Bugs Bunny. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/29 "2026-02-07T19:51:13Z")
A couple of years ago, I was surfing the web with my nephew-by-marriage, a young guy who had just emigrated from Russia. The subject of the William Tell Overture came up, and he had no clue as to what I was talking about. I told him “I’m sure you’ve heard it sometime in your life,” and called it up on YouTube using the Lone Ranger as an example. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching _ **The Legend of the Lone Ranger** _ (1949) and _ **The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold** _ (1958). ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/30 "2026-02-07T20:08:05Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Back when I was in University in the early 90s, I had a set of CDs. The premise was that a lot of people knew more classic music than they realized, and the tracks were all things that were used in pop culture. I remember watching these on TV ca. 1966, when I was in sixth grade. Watch this one first [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/a0H7kYwK-M8/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AG-AoAC8AGKAgwIABABGGUgZShlMA8=&rs=AOn4CLCPw0k9ZN7s2OFtsvbsnmOHHzeNFg "1960s Lark Cigarettes "William Tell Overture" Commercial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0H7kYwK-M8) and then this one. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SE-NdrzfFOo/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHeAoACiAKKAgwIABABGHIgRShHMA8=&rs=AOn4CLA-H8MLAp1FJE7rqxe6c5wiPgxYRA "Jeno's Pizza Rolls Commerical") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE-NdrzfFOo) Jeno’s, BTW, was based in Duluth, and Clayton Moore was living in Golden Valley at the time, so this was definitely a Minnesota thing. **More Trivia:** The guy from Lark in the second clip is Frank Overton, who played Maj Harvey Stovall in the TV series _ **12 O’Clock High** _. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/31 "2026-02-07T20:15:11Z")
I saw the punch line coming a mile away! 🤭 I thought at first it was a clip from _ **Kentucky Fried Movie** _, but I guess I was wrong. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/32 "2026-02-07T20:17:43Z")
That must have taken years of rehearsal! 😲 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/33 "2026-02-07T20:19:36Z")
Never mind, terenti beat me to it. Too bad William Tell himself didnt show up also. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/34 "2026-02-07T20:22:38Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > A couple of years ago, I was surfing the web with my nephew-by-marriage, a young guy who had just emigrated from Russia. The subject of the William Tell Overture came up, and he had no clue as to what I was talking about. Oddly enough, he already knew about the Lone Ranger from having seen (I guess) the version with Johnny Depp as Tonto. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2026, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/35 "2026-02-08T04:35:46Z")
but didn’t many cartoons introduce us to classical music (which of course we knew nothing about)? here’s looking at you Disney ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2026, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/36 "2026-02-08T08:02:26Z")
Interesting question. How many such works can you name? There are posts on YouTube giving lists of classical music everybody recognizes but can’t name. Most of the ones I know are from Warner Bros. cartoons, like Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture (the “Mynah Bird” theme). The only one from Disney I can think of immediately is The Sorcerer’s Apprentice in _ **Fantasia** _. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2026, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/37 "2026-02-08T22:11:56Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I remember watching these on TV ca. 1966, when I was in sixth grade. The Jeno’s commercial was done by Stan Freberg. His box set came with a VHS tape that included it and other classics. Johnny Carson ran it, not as an ad but as a piece of comedy. The Lone Ranger was pretty iconic by the late '50s, early '60s. Lenny Bruce had a Lone Rangers bit, and Dylan name checked them on his second album. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/38 "2026-02-09T01:22:55Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > The Lone Ranger was pretty iconic by the late '50s, early '60s. Lenny Bruce had a Lone Rangers bit, and Dylan name checked them on his second album. Bill Cosby also did a bit on TLR & Tonto on his 1964 album. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/39 "2026-02-15T04:15:33Z")
I’m surprised no one had redone the story to have him using silver bullets because he’s either a werewolf hunter or a vampire hunter. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2026, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456/40 "2026-02-15T10:20:01Z")
Actually, he couldn’t claim it if he was. The reason he wore the mask in the first place was to hide his identity because he’d been marked for death by the Cavendish Gang. Maybe I’m missing something here, but I’d think there are better ways of going underground than disguising yourself as another outlaw. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lone-ranger/1027456.md?page=3)