A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-yo silver, the Lone Ranger. His faithful Indian companion, Toto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains, led the fight for law and order in the early western United States. Nowhere in the pages of history can one find a greater champion of justice. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver. The Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, Silver. Let's go, big fellow. I'll go there. The Tennessee kid was young and gentle in appearance, with an innocent expression and ready smile that belied his true character. People accepted him at face value, and even hard, suspicious-natured veteran pioneers of the West were surprised and shocked when they became his victims, and they never forgot the mirthless laughter that signaled the departure of the Tennessee kid and his gang with their loot. The shock was always greater because the Tennessee kid, with his easy, friendly drawl, always laid the groundwork alone before his gang moved in. On a train headed westward, for instance, passengers felt friendly toward the young fellow whose gay chatter relieved the monotony of the journey. I reckon someday I'll go back to Tennessee with my pockets bulging with gold. Fresh proof? Yes, sir. I'll buy the best coaching four in Nashville and have all the ladies fighting for my attention. Well, yes, me. A handsome young fellow like you don't need a coaching four to attract the young ladies, huh? But for your sake, I hope you do make a fortune. Well, now, that's mighty nice of you to say, sir. The train's stopping. Must be something wrong. Hold up. Get your guns ready to fight them all. Reach, all of you. First one who makes a move gets a bullet. Hey, the young fellow has guns on us. He must have gone local. I see you got him under control, Tennessee. I reckon I have. You and Dave go through the car and gather up the valuables. I'll keep him covered. I can't believe it. A nice young fellow like you. All of you look plenty surprised, all right. I'm on the way to getting that fortune I told you about, mister. Hurry up, Sam. Others will be waiting. This won't take long. I won't like to take my wallet. Sorry you asked for this, mister. The Tennessee kid, that's me. And two weeks later, much farther south, a stagecoach rolled along the trail between Benton and Colton. You were lucky, young fellow, to get on this stage. They turned down a couple of other men who wanted to make the trip. Gosh, did they? I guess I am lucky then. But how come the others were turned down, sir? Couldn't take any chances, son. As you know, I'm a deputy sheriff. Riding this stage is an extra guard for an express shipment they got up top. And I gave orders not to sell seats to anyone. But when you come in asking, I could see right away you was all right. Golly, I'm sure glad you think so, sir. You look mighty young and inexperienced to be traveling around alone. Just how old are you? I'm 21, but folks always think I'm younger than that. You sure look younger. I reckon you'll find the West pretty rough for a nice, friendly young chap like you. But then you have an easy way of getting along with people. And maybe... Holy smoke out, Lord. Hold it, mister. I've got a gun. You mean that you're... Tennessee kid, that's me. Sure surprised you, didn't I? It was many miles to the southwest in Goldville that the Tennessee kid was again laying the way for another holdup as he gained the attention of the men in the cafe. I'd sure like to settle in a town like this where folks are so friendly and all. I've seen them when they weren't so inclined to be friendly, son. But you just naturally got away making folks like you. I reckon you'll get along fine here if you do settle in Goldville. Yeah, most young bucks come here trying to act tough. Yeah, they swagger and boast like all get-out. Even those guns you're wearing seem out of place on a quiet, clean-cut youngster like you. Gosh, you all make me feel right at home. Hey, Dave, I was lost. Give him the lead, boys. Reach all of you. Reach, I said. Hey, the boy drove it on us. He don't mean what he said. I mean it, all right. Line up over there so as my gang can get your wallet. Get more with pride, all of you. What's the meaning of this? Who are you anyway? Just a friendly young hombre trying to make a living, mister. And I let all my friends call me the Tennessee Kid. A week later, far to the south, the Lone Ranger and his Indian companion, Toto, rode the trail toward the town of Red Gap. There's been a rumor of unrest among the Indians down this way, Toto. Ah. We go to the mission and visit the Padre. He can tell us if there's anything to the rumor. Well, Padre, good friend to Indians. Them tell truth to him. Yes, I know. We'll soon be close to Red Gap. We'll pitch camp for the night and lay in a few more supplies. The morning, we'll push on to the mission. Ah. Me help me camp in hills. Then me ride to town for supplies. Good enough. Let's hurry a bit so we can pitch camp before dark. Mom's over. Let's go. The Lone Ranger and Toto picked out a suitable spot for a camp. Then, while they made the necessary camping preparations, a pair of evil beady eyes watched them from a nearby hiding place. It was shortly after Toto left the camp for town that a renegade Indian rode his pony into an arroyo about a quarter of a mile away, where several men were waiting. Well, Breed, what'd you find out? Them camp for a night and clear and short way down trail near Creek. Indian leave. Ride trail and go to town. Mask man, him stay in camp. Me come tell him Tennessee kid pronto. You're certain they didn't get wise that you were watching? Ah, me careful. Go on side where wind blow from them to me. Then horses not give sign. The rest of the boys are wondering why we had to go out our way to trail them too. Well, after Breed told you they were riding down this way, Tennessee. Tennessee knows what he's doing, Dave. Yeah, maybe so. You know what it's all about, Sam. The rest of us don't. Well, I reckon I can tell you, Dave, so as you and the others won't be fretting. Ever hear of an hombre called the Lone Ranger? Yeah, sure. He's on the side of the log. Where's the mask? And he right... Holy mackerel. Is that who it is? Yeah. I'll figure he doesn't know about me and the gang yet. But Breed found out that the sheriff of Goldville sent a message to the mission south of here asking the padre to get word to the masked man about me and the gang. We better get away from here then. The farther the better. Nope. I aim to meet that hombre before he gets to hear about me so as I can catch him off guard like I do everybody else. Holy smoke. You sure got plenty of nerve, Tennessee. Well, now, that's downright nice of you to think so, Dave. But I don't need nerve. I just look at them with my boyish grin. They think I'm a choir boy. Look, how and when are you figuring on meeting that mask, Albury? I reckon there's no time like the present. Let's join others, and I'll tell you just what we're going to do. Come on. Half an hour later, the Lone Ranger was busy fixing part of his riding gear while it was still light enough to see. At the sound of approaching hooves, he stood quickly with drawn gun. Oh, oh, oh, there. Mister, I wonder if you... Holy smoke, an outlaw. Ah, look, mister, you got the drop on me. I know I... I'll be on my way if you... No, I'm not an outlaw. Yeah, but that mask... Forget the mask. Why did you come here? Why, I wanted to find out if I was on the right trail of Red Gap. I saw the smoke from your campfire, so I rode over here to ask. Gosh, I'm sorry about... Well, that's all right. Guess I won't need this gun. Oh, I reckon I can relax now that you put it away. Yes, of course. Well, to get to Red Gap, turn left when you go out from here to the trail. Town isn't very far. Thanks a lot, mister. Say, you don't seem to have much experience in the West. The way you ride into a strange camp without being alert for possible gunplay, it's a risky thing to do, my friend. Gosh, I reckon I just didn't think much about it. Easy, Silver. Say, that's sure a mighty fine-looking stallion, mister. Why do you reckon he's acting up like that? I don't know yet. For a moment, the masked man stared at Silver, who was ground-hitched off to one side. The great horse stood with ears pointed, looking at the woods that bordered the back of the campsite. Silver had heard stealthy sounds, too faint for human hearing. At the same time, he caught the scent of men. He knew danger lurked in the woods and was warning his master. Once more, he tossed his head and whinnied. You reckon your horse hears something back in the woods? Could be. The lone ranger had partly turned from Tennessee, and thinking he saw a slight movement behind one of the trees, he moved as if to go for one of his guns. When Tennessee spoke sharply behind him... Don't move, mister! Just reach. If you think you might pull a fast one, I'll tell you there's a couple of tough armors behind the trees back there covering you. Yes, I can see the glint of their guns now. I was taken in by that innocent-looking face of yours. Yeah, everyone is. Reed, Dave, come on, close in on them. A couple of your gang, huh? Easy. That's right, mister. And four more waiting close by. I kind of figured you were heading for the mission. The padre has a message telling about us. The Tennessee kid and his gang. The Tennessee kid, huh? I'll remember the name and the face. Listen to him, boys. Say and he'll remember. It won't do him any good if it does. Let's gun him down and get out of here. Not have so much talk. Now, take it easy, both of you. I got other plans. What do you got on your mind, Tennessee? We'll tie him up and take him to the Royal, where the others are waiting. What for? Get it over with now. I'll figure his Indian frontal trail is there, and then we'll jump him, too. Then we'll have them both. Then what? Then you and the others can use him for target practice. Breed, go back in the woods and bring your horse and Dave's here. May not be going long. Dave, with you standing right in front of this masked armor with your gun ready, I reckon it's safe enough for me to take his guns away from him, huh? Walk up alongside of him, Tennessee. Pull that mask off. Want to see his face. Yeah, but be careful. From what I've heard, he's plenty clever and tricky. Maybe so. But it wasn't clever enough to keep me from tricking him a while ago. And don't forget, Dave. The Tennessee kid has a reputation for being mighty clever, too. Yeah, I gotta admit things worked out like you expected, the wood Tennessee. And the masked man will have to admit he's finally met someone who's able to outsmart him. Go ahead. Get his gun. I'm aiming to Dave. But first, I'm gonna take that mask off the famous Lone Ranger. The curtain falls on the first act of our Lone Ranger story. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. Now, to continue our story. As the young outlaw chief brazenly strode to his side, the Lone Ranger, who stood holding his hands over his head, tensed inwardly. Then, as the Tennessee kid reached up to yank the mask away, the masked man with a lightning move went into action. No, you don't. One hand descended on the back of Tennessee's neck, while the other grabbed the outlaw's arm, twisting it behind his back. At the same time, the Lone Ranger swung the outlaw in front of him, and dropping the hand from Tennessee's neck, he planted a gun in the outlaw's back. No, no, let go. Hey, pull the fast one. I'll hit you if I shoot, Tennessee. Tell your friend to toss his gun at that arroyo over there. Throw your gun into the arroyo. He's got a gun at my back. I guess I have to. Here it goes. Here, Silver. I'll toss your guns over there, too, Tennessee. Now, walk toward your friend. I'll tie you both with my lariat, and I'm taking you to the sheriff. Come along, Silver. Momentarily, the Lone Ranger had forgotten about the breed who had gone to get the outlaw's horses in the woods. As he walked Tennessee toward Dave, with Silver walking just behind him, the Lone Ranger caught a glimpse of the half-breed coming through the trees. He knew he could handle the breed, but at the same moment, he heard the beat of many hooves, just as Silver gave a loud whinny of warning. The others are coming. They got tired waiting. The Lone Ranger realized that the situation would soon become more than he could handle. Swinging around to Silver just behind him, and he hurriedly mounted, and as Tennessee and Dave shouted to the other outlawers. Hurry up! The masked man's getting away! The Lone Ranger urged Silver at a gallop toward the nearby arroyo. Come till there! The outlaws came into view just as Silver carried the Lone Ranger into the arroyo. Hurry, big fella! Come on till there! After escaping from the Tennessee kids' gang, the Lone Ranger rolled at a fast pace toward town. Soon he realized that they were not following and pulled Silver into a slower pace. Easy, Silver. Easy, boy. Twilight was falling as he rounded a bend and saw a cloud of dust coming up the trail that indicated a horseman riding fast. The Lone Ranger turned off the trail behind a group of boulders. Someone coming. Go behind those boulders, big fella. Come on. Oh, Silver. Oh. Must be Toto. Yes, it is Toto. Toto, wait! Come on, Silver. Oh, Silver. Oh, Silver. He was happy. Why are you not waiting at camp? The gang of outlaws headed by a fellow called the Tennessee Kid came to the camp, Toto. They got the drop on me. But I managed to trick them and got away. It was a close call. Ah. And what we do keep us happy? They leave our campsite and try to cover their trail. I'll go back and follow them alone, Toto. But this time I'll be on guard. And what me do? Go back to Red Gap. Have the sheriff get a posse together. Then you can pick up my trail. There'll be a full moon tonight, but there's still about an hour to go before darkness sets in. Ah. Me go get sheriff and posse, come back to camp and pick up trail. Leave it as fast as you can, Toto. Ah. You be careful, Kimo Sabe. Adios. Adios. Get him up, Scound. On Silver. After the lone ranger escaped from the gang, Tennessee called them together for a conference. It's no use following the masked man. He headed toward town. He's got a fast stallion. For a minute, I thought we were done for. He moves quicker than any hombre I ever saw. I was counting on Breed coming back with the horses. I reckon the masked man sort of forgot about Breed while he was trying to think what to do with us. Yeah, what are we going to do now, Tennessee? Yeah, he's in the side of the law, you know. Best thing for us to do is to head away from here pronto and keep traveling, covering our trail every chance we get. Maybe if we go far enough away from here, we'll throw that Indian in the mask, Combray off our tracks for good. That's it. Now shut up for you. Now listen to me. Why do you think I showed our hand and tried to get that Indian in the lone ranger? I'll tell you why. Because I knew that once they heard about this gang, they wouldn't give up until they got every last one of us. Yeah, masked man never give up. But now we'll fix them without wasting any time. We'll ride directly to the hideout. We'll cross the gorge over the Red Gap Bridge. That's where the stagecoach crossed and it's strong and wide enough for a body of horsemen to ride on. Then what? We've got plenty of blasting powder at the shack. We'll fasten a keg of that powder under the bridge. Attach a fuse long enough to reach the big boulder just on the other side. You mean blow up the bridge to delay him from getting across? No, that wouldn't stop him for long. We'll wait until the lone ranger comes along with the Indian or with any others he might bring. As they start under the bridge, I'll light the fuse. The explosion should take place when they're about halfway over. All right, let's get going, fellas. Right, James. Easy, please. The lone ranger rode back toward the camp to take up the trail of the outlaw gang. He held Silver to an easy gate so that he could be on the alert for an ambush. He found the campsite deserted and had no difficulty picking up the trail. As he followed the outlaw's trail, the lone ranger noticed that they made no effort to cover their tracks. But had openly ridden along the stage trail. In about half an hour, he approached the bridge across the gorge. Pulling off the trail into a clump of cottonwoods, he reined to a halt. Oh, he said a big fellow. All right, wait here, big fellow. I'll be back before Tunnel comes along with the posse. The lone ranger moved on foot to the edge of the clump of trees to a point from which he could inspect the gorge. His suspicion had been aroused by the open trail left by the outlaws. And he decided that they expected to be followed and would perhaps wait somewhere in ambush. The twilight had deepened and in the gorge itself, the shadows were spread like a dark cloak so that it wasn't possible to see anything or anyone down there. For a few moments, the masked man stared keenly at the big boulders beyond the bridge. Then silently deciding to be on guard when approaching them, he turned and went back to Silver. As he reached Silver's side, he heard approaching hoofbeats. It must be the posse coming with Tonto. I'll now be ready to meet them easy, big fellow. Yes, that's Tonto all right. Come on, Silver. He can't be the one. Oh, Silver, oh. A him friend who sent for posse. Howdy, mister. Howdy. Tonto told me about that man, so we'll forget about it. He says you had a run-in with the Tennessee Kidners gang. That's right. They've left a plain trail along here. Two plain. I expect them to wait somewhere in ambush. Then you think the Tennessee Kid is smart enough to know the betrayal? Yes, of course. Now, there are some big boulders just across the bridge ahead. We'll have to approach them cautiously. They might be waiting there. We'll have our guns ready. I reckon they figure it'll soon be dark and they can ride all night. Maybe, but there'll be a full moon. If they continue to leave an open trail, we can still go after them. That's right. We'll keep right along with you, masked man. Let's get going. Yes, and after we cross the bridge, watch those big boulders. Come on, Silver. Come on, let's go. In moments, the lone ranger and Toto with a posse rode onto the bridge and started across. The lone ranger once more eyed the boulders beyond. Suddenly, his quick eye caught something the others didn't seem to notice. A slight flare of a lighted match near the ground at the end of one of the boulders. Then a small, faint wisp of smoke moved from the boulder along the ground toward the bridge. Even as the masked man realized what it was, a lone horseman galloped from behind the distant boulders and headed around the bend and the trail beyond. Look. A man going horse from behind boulders. Oh, no, no, no. Must have been a lookout. That means you already... Oh, forget that. Hurry, ride off the bridge. Get off as fast as you can. Well, what's the reason... Don't ask questions. Oh, no. Get them off this bridge. Easy, silly, big fella. Get going or you'll all be killed. No, Silver. Over them. Hey, he's gone local. Yeah, he climbed over the side of the bridge. You go. Do as him say. Hurry. Get him out. Get him out. Get him out. As the posse galloped toward the end of the bridge, the lone ranger who had climbed under onto the heavy supporting timbers of the bridge swung himself forward, grasping and clinging for dear life while he strained his eyes to find the object he knew must be under there. Got to find it. Oh, I see the light of the fuse creeping along. Finally, he saw the small keg tied to one of the timbers. Clinging with one hand and tightly hugging a crossbeam with his knees, he reached out and tugged at the keg. Got to get it loose. Maybe if I can pull out the fuse... Oh, it won't loosen. I'll yank at that keg again. Hell, no use. Maybe if I hang from that beam above, I can use my feet to kick it loose. Grasping the beam above, the lone ranger swung free. Perspiration broke out in his forehead as he realized that a slip meant his body would hurtle to the gorge below. Then as he saw the glowing end of the fuse moving close, he forgot his own danger. He swung his foot forward in a superhuman effort, kicking at the small keg until finally it came loose. Got it. That lighted in of the fuse is almost here. This will do it, I hope. The small keg swung out and fell in a wide arc into the gorge and away from the bridge. Then the masked man began scrambling up the beams in hopes of reaching the roadway of the bridge before the explosion. But even before he could do so, it happened. In the hideout shack, a short way up the trail, the outlaws waited for Tennessee to return. Yeah, we heard the explosion. Reckon Tennessee's plan worked out like it figured, huh? Yeah, he should have let us all go up there with him. And if things went wrong, we could have gunned down the men trailing us. Tennessee knows what he's doing. He wanted to do this job by himself. Folks will be a long time figuring out what caused that explosion, I reckon, huh? You know, we gotta admit that with Tennessee's innocent face and smart brain, this gang is going places. Maybe Tennessee couldn't get to grab off that hombre's mask, but I reckon he sure found a way to blow it off, huh, fellas? Imagine the kid outsmarting the Lone Ranger when many a big, tough hombre is giving up to him, huh? Hey, something went wrong. Gotta get out of here pronto. What do you mean? What went wrong? The masked man and an engine came with a posse. I watched from the trail until the explosion. But they still rode on. And the bridge didn't blow up. Now let's get out of here right now. Hey, boy, mackerel, he's alive. Well, I'll fix that. Oh, you won't. Oh, got him down, man. Get him. I'll get him right now. You better not try. I'm in and covering you from the windows. The sheriff's with a masked hombre in the doorway. Yeah, and guns at the windows, like he says. All right, the rest of me come in here and round up these dirty coyotes. All right, all right. Take their guns and tie their hands. All right, we'll turn to them. But the explosion, how did you all escape? You were right in the middle of the bridge. Tennessee. You're a tough killer with a baby face. But your brains seem to match your looks. You ought to know better than to try to outsmart that masked man. Somehow, he got wise to what was happening and ordered us off the bridge. He went down and loosened the blasting powder. Bridge is still standing undabbed. Say, the masked man's gone. So is the Indian. You haven't said who he is, Sheriff. Do you know? Yep, I know. And I reckon Tennessee knew, too. That's why he was anxious to get him. You see, he's the Lone Ranger. Are you still there? This is a feature of the Lone Ranger, Incorporated, created and produced by George W. Trendle, directed by Charles D. Livingston, and edited by Fran Stryker. The part of the Lone Ranger is played by Brace Beamer. Blown Ranger is played by Brace Beamer.
