In 1966,the masked man and his faithful Indian companion began another chapter in their storied multimedia career when they became the stars of an animated TV show for the Saturday morning audience.It lasted 26 episodes,airing until 1969.It modeled itself after The Wild Wild West and would be called "steampunk" today. This is a recreation of the premiere episode.Each episode consisted of three separate stories.Had to use what clips were available,so the quality will be quite variable.
Show opening
"The Trickster"
This guy must be an ancestor of the Flash villain.The actor voicing him sounds like Howard Morris,famous as Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show.
Bumper
"Crack of Doom"
Bet Jay Silverheels never encountered anything like this.
"The Human Dynamo"
Bet Clayton Moore never encountered anything like this.
Haven't had the chance to view any of these yet, but these look interesting.
_________________ The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls who, when he found an especially costly one, sold everything he had to buy it.
Someone's been reading Fantastic Four comics. Word of the day:"haywired"
"The Frog People"
Well,that was bonkers.Giant octopi and sharks in the desert? Aqualungs in the 19th century?
"Terror in Toyland"
First appearance of Tiny Tom,who was the Ranger's archenemy on this show.Since this show copied The Wild Wild West so much, naturally this guy would be a chip off the Dr. Loveless block.He's voiced by Dick Beals,who was most famous as the voice of Speedy, the Alka-Seltzer mascot.I like that for some reason.
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You have to marvel at how a simple mask can be such an effective disguise even with those who should know better.But then this entire genre would fall apart if that weren't the case.
"The Sacrifice"
Someone's been watching The Giant Gila Monster.
"Puppet Master"
Freaky opening to another toy-themed story. The villain's plan wouldn't have worked if our heroes weren't such compliant nitwits.Even the kids watching this must've gone,"Aw,c'mon...!"
_________________ What will be will be even if it never happens.
Apparently there is another Lone Ranger cartoon that I watched as a kid. This was really confusing me because the animation style and character design was not at all how I was remembering the cartoon. It's because I was watching a different one!
Ep. #11 (not a typo;none of the preceding episode is available)
"Man of Silver" is also MIA. These other two parts are pretty fuzzy.Sorry.
"Nightmare in Whispering Pines"
Just what was The Whisperer up to? Was he doing all that just to give Tonto a scare?
"Sabotage"
The Fly returns,making him the first recurring member of the Ranger's rogues gallery. It's debatable how much influence the '60s Batman show had on this show.Batman began in January of 1966; this one didn't start until September.Given how long it takes to make a cartoon,it seems a stretch that the one masked man had much influence on the other masked man.Perhaps superheroes were just on everyone's mind during the mid '60s.
_________________ What will be will be even if it never happens.
Another one that's been thru the projector too many times.The poster also repeats it,but at least he put a bumper different to the one presented above,one with Tonto added to it. Since the other two parts are missing,to make up for the loss here's some art from the show.
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The return of Captain Scavenger,played for comedy.
"Day at Death Head's Pass"
Like the moment when,as Tonto heads off to fight the bad guys,the man looks at the audience and says,"He won't stand a chance!" O,ye of little faith.He's Tonto!
"The Mad,Mad,Mad,Mad Scientist"
Tiny Tom returns,using his steampunk arsenal for another attempt on the Lone Ranger's life. That heat-seeking Gatling gun...
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The Eastern tenderfoot who finds himself out West is a well trodden Western trope.Unlike others, this tenderfoot isn't depicted as a fool,but a man out of his element,who comes to realize that in a good natured way. A quite likable story.
"Tonto and the Devil Spirits"
Hans Conreid returns with his Mephisto schtick,putting Tonto thru some nice (if cut rate) psychiedelia.
"The Deadly Glassman"
Howard Morris returns as another obssessive with a knack for death traps.
_________________ What will be will be even if it never happens.
Last edited by Kid Nemo on Fri Sep 05, 2025 11:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Apparently there is another Lone Ranger cartoon that I watched as a kid. This was really confusing me because the animation style and character design was not at all how I was remembering the cartoon. It's because I was watching a different one!
Probably Filmation's "New Adventures of the Lone Ranger," in the early 1980s.
I never saw that one. Never even HEARD of the 1960s series until this thread! To me, the Long Ranger is a b&w live-action series starring Clayton Moore. Still meaning to catch some of the cartoons posted here when I get a few minutes.
_________________ The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls who, when he found an especially costly one, sold everything he had to buy it.
Okay, I've now viewed the cartoons about the ghost riders and the "Frog People." The latter was pretty nutty, all right. Very comic-book stuff. Don't know where the octopus and shark in the desert river are supposed to have come from, but the proto-SCUBA gear could technically have been a thing that long ago:
Meanwhile, Tonto seemed to do just as well without it. It's not like you had to swim underwater THAT far in that little southwestern river. He can also get an awful lot of information out of just a few puffs of smoke.
The one about the ghost riders does do an interesting job of making a virtue out of necessity in the way it creates eerie images with its extremely limited animation. If guys in phosphorescent outfits rode by you on a dark night, your mind would probably play all kinds of tricks on you. My last Halloween ghost costume was nothing more than a sheet and a white mask, but under street lamps they say I looked like I was almost glowing and floating along.
The credits are interesting. I recognize the names of some of the directors. Vladimir "Bill" Tytla was a Disney alum. John Halas was a major figure in British animation. Rudy Larriva was a top-quality Warner Brothers animator who eventually directed a number of late Road Runner cartoons.
I half-expected to see Alex Toth's name in there too. The styling of the backgrounds and character designs reminded me a bit of his work. If it wasn't him, it was somebody trying to channel him. Or maybe they shared a common influence.
Thanks for sharing these with us!
_________________ The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls who, when he found an especially costly one, sold everything he had to buy it.
My pleasure,and thanks for the data on the aqualung's history. Always thought that was an invention of Jacques Cousteau.
Ep. #17
"The Black Knight of Death"
Another meglomaniac of the Old West.That armor has got to be hot,on top of impractical. Why did our hero let Tonto go into town alone? Wotta jerk.
"Taka"
Tonto's remarkable pet eagle get the spotlight in another animals vs. hunters story.Highlights are Taka snatching a gun right out of the hunter's hands,and the bears tossing logs around. We also meet Taka's family.
"Fire Rain"
Was that Ulysses S. Grant as the president? Was the Old West really so full of wannabe conquerors? Gotta love that madcap climax.
_________________ What will be will be even if it never happens.
Last edited by Kid Nemo on Fri Sep 05, 2025 11:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
LR goes solo in this nice table-turning tale. Some striking backgrounds and layouts here.Whatever it's limitations in the animation,the look of this show is to be admired.
"Wolfmaster"
Tonto vs. another animal trainer.
"Death Hunt"
Tiny Tom returns with more deathtraps.
_________________ What will be will be even if it never happens.
Apparently there is another Lone Ranger cartoon that I watched as a kid. This was really confusing me because the animation style and character design was not at all how I was remembering the cartoon. It's because I was watching a different one!
Probably Filmation's "New Adventures of the Lone Ranger," in the early 1980s.
I never saw that one. Never even HEARD of the 1960s series until this thread! To me, the Long Ranger is a b&w live-action series starring Clayton Moore. Still meaning to catch some of the cartoons posted here when I get a few minutes.
Yes absolutely the Filmation one. When this thread began I just assumed that what I was watching in the 80s was a rerun of this older one, but it became clear that they were different things entirely.
Agree that Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels are "my" Lone Ranger and Tonto too. Those were definitely reruns for me.
Protection rackets of the Old West. Taka is incredibly strong,and our heroes' horses certainly earn their hay for this team.
"Curse of the Devil Dolls"
Voodoo in the Old West;love it.
"It Came From Below"
They went to a lot of effort just to rob banks and payrolls.Never will understand the supervillian mind. Loved LR's stunt with the bullet and the pipe wrench.He surely is the deadest shot in the Old West. Tonto taking down the water tower with 3 arrows? Superhuman feat.
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