Throwing My Loop…
By: Michael Johnson
HI YO, SILVER!
“A fiery
horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty
Hi Yo Silver! The Lone Ranger! With his faithful Indian
companion Tonto, 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 hoof beats of the great horse Silver!
The Lone Ranger rides again!”
And then we would hear...
“Come on, Silver! Let's go, big fellow! Hi Yo,
Silver! Away!”
(Isn't that just about the best thing you ever
heard in your life?)
According to Wikipedia, The Lone Ranger came into the
world in 1933 from a WXYZ Detroit station script writer
named Fran Striker. For 2,956 episodes, The Lone Ranger and
Tonto rode right through the radio into living rooms all
across America. Though the series was aimed at children,
adults made up at least half the audience. The television
show aired from 1949 until 1957 starring Clayton Moore as
the Lone Ranger, and Jay Silverheels (Harry Smith) – a
Mohawk lacrosse player from Canada - as Tonto. Both Moore
and Silverheels took their responsibility as role models for
young people seriously all their lives. Here are a few
examples from the “Lone Ranger's Creed.”
“To have a friend, a man must be one.”
“All men are created equal and all have the power to
make this a better world.”
“God put the firewood here, but every man must gather
and light it himself.”
“We must be prepared to fight physically, mentally, and
morally for what is right.”
“That sooner or later, somewhere, somehow we must
settle with the world and make payment for what we have
taken.”
“That all things change but truth, and that truth
alone, lives on forever.”
“I believe in my Creator, my country, and my fellow
man.”
(Think there's any way we might bring that back?)
Why the mask? Because when six Texas Rangers are
ambushed by outlaws at the beginning of the series, an
Indian named Tonto comes along to find one Ranger remains
alive. Tonto saves the life of the young man named John
Reid. Tonto digs six graves to trick the outlaws into
believing all the Rangers are dead. The Lone Ranger dons his
mask to honor his fallen comrades so the outlaws will never
know which one brought them to justice.
My favorite episode tells the story of how Silver came
to be with the Lone Ranger. In the early days, the Lone
Ranger rode a chestnut mare called Dusty. The Lone Ranger
and Tonto happen on a white stallion fighting an enraged
buffalo. The horse is severely injured, but Tonto applies a
poultice made from tree sap, and the two men spend the night
by firelight ministering to the fallen animal. As you might
expect, the horse is alive at dawn. Tonto and the Lone
Ranger watch him rise and begin to trot away. “Him make good
horse for you, Kemo Sabe,” says Tonto.
“No, Tonto,” says the Lone Ranger. “It must be his
decision.”
Silver stops and turns to look at the two men...then
comes trotting back to the Lone Ranger.
The rest is history.
The Lone Ranger always spoke precisely and used perfect
grammar. Neither he nor Tonto ever drank or smoked, and when
forced to use their guns, only maimed their opponents as
painlessly as possible. And that's why he used silver
bullets – to remind himself that life was precious and
should not be wasted or thrown away. And no matter how hard
we might try, you and I simply cannot imagine the Lone
Ranger or Tonto ever being in a saloon at two in the
morning... and shooting themselves in the leg with their own
gun...now, can you?
Clayton Moore was born in Chicago, Illinois. He began
his career as a circus acrobat at age eight, later becoming
a trapeze artist. Silverheels suffered a stroke in 1976. For
years prior, the Lone Ranger and Tonto had ridden in the
Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena; the Lone Ranger on
Silver and Tonto on the paint called “Scout.” In 1977,
Clayton Moore rode alone, and that was the only day the Lone
Ranger ever rode a horse other than Dusty or Silver. On that
day to honor his friend...the Lone Ranger rode a paint.
Clayton Moore died in California at age 85 in 1999 from
a heart attack. Throughout his career, he expressed love and
respect for Jay Silverheels. Silverheels – who also lived in
California - died in 1980 due to complications from the
stroke he suffered earlier. He was 67 years old.
On their arrival in heaven, I'm sure the Lord himself
must have helped Saint Peter check them in...and heaven is
all the better for it.
-- Michael Johnson
Junior Lone Ranger
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Sharon and Rowdy |
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Healing Shine |
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