Saturday, August 20, 2011

On DVD: The Lone Ranger & the Lost City of Gold (1958)

Two years after his self-titled first feature film, the Lone Ranger (Clayton Moore) returned in "The Lone Ranger & the Lost City of Gold", this time released through United Artists. As with the first film, the movie was released on DVD through Golden Books Entrtainment (now Classic Media).

Fans of The Lone Ranger will recognize the theme song, "Hi-Yo Silver!", co-written by the film's musical director, Les Baxter, as it was used in a few episodes of the series for a quick summation of the Ranger's origin.

On to the story. A gang of hooded outlaws are killing Indians in possession of a set of medallions, which, when assembled form a map that would reveal the location of the titular lost city. One of the remaining holders is also a town doctor. One victim left behind an infant, which the Ranger & Tonto (Jay Silverheels) deliver to the local mission. By the end of the movie, the doctor and his girlfriend have adopted the baby. The Sheriff is no help, bigoted as he is toward Indians. The trail leads to a wealthy widow who intends to claim the treasure for herself. Gee, what a shock.

Now, let's scope the movie:



Regrettably, this would also be the last film in the series, coming as it did after the TV show had ended production, and the Ranger wouldn't return to the big screen until the ill-fated "Legend of the Lone Ranger" in 1981, when Hollywood began tinkering with a legend that didn't need tampering.

Rating: A.

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