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72-423: Toy developer Stan Weston went to Hasbro 's Don Levine with the idea of an articulated doll in the form of a soldier — a basic figure, and with limitless accessories. Levine and his Hasbro team took the concept, making it into G.I. Joe, the first modern action figure for boys — and the first to carry the action figure generic name, an attempt to remove the term "doll" from a toy for boys. Weston took his money from

144-576: A sidekick , Kato . One major difference between the two characters is that everyone considers the Green Hornet to be a bad guy. Reid embraces this persona, thus enabling him to infiltrate real crime syndicates, while secretly aiding the police. Rights to The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet have been acquired by separate owners and the familial link has been ignored in the Western character's various incarnations. The Lone Ranger – Green Hornet connection

216-556: A Greek, Roman, or Norse mythological god (in a similar way to the original Captain Marvel ). Captain Action was given a real name of his own, Clive Arno, and was identified as a widowed archaeologist and museum curator, and was described as having located "the coins of power" in a buried city. Action Boy's comic-book alter-ego was Carl Arno, son of Clive. Dr. Evil was given a back-story too, having been Captain Action's father-in-law, then going mad in

288-745: A backstory, specific enemy or mission. Stanley Weston was inducted into the inaugural class of the Licensing Industry Hall of Fame for his invention to action figures and G.I. Joe. He beat other well known figures, including Walt Disney, for induction into the Hall of Fame. Stanley Weston died in Los Angeles, California , on May 1, 2017, at the age of 84. He is survived by his three children, Cindy Weston Winebaum (married to Jake Winebaum ), Steve and Brad; his brother, Jay Weston; and his half-sister, Ann Sowers. The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger

360-478: A bid to dominate the earth. The Red Crawl's main representative on earth is Dr. Eville (based on Dr. Evil from the Ideal toy line). Drake becomes an agent of the A.C.T.I.O.N. Directorate, a secret agency operating outside the government and dedicated to defending earth from the alien menace. The name of the organization is an acronym for "Advanced Command for Telluric Interdiction Observation and Nullification". Eventually,

432-475: A blue skinned alien with large bug eyes and an exposed brain, wearing a modified Nehru suit and sandals. Ideal did not create any villain costumes for Dr. Evil. A vehicle called the "Silver Streak", a 2-foot-long (0.61 m) amphibian car with missile launchers, was added, large enough for both the Captain and sidekick. Several sets meant to be used by Captain Action in his Captain Action identity were designed for

504-519: A couple of years, the Captain Action line declined in sales. As a result, Ideal Toys discontinued it in 1968. Though Captain Action was produced for only two and a half years, the characters and accessories have become amongst the most fondly remembered, and expensive to obtain on the collector's market, action figures of the era. Throughout the 1970s, Captain Action leftover uniforms and boots were used on knock-off, blow-molded figures from China (where

576-580: A cross-bearing John Reid's name so that Cavendish and his gang will believe that all the Rangers have been killed. In many versions, Reid continues fighting for justice as the Lone Ranger even after the Cavendish gang is captured. As generally depicted, the Lone Ranger conducts himself by a strict Moral Code based on that put in place by Striker at the inception of the character. It read: I believe that to have

648-439: A friend, a man must be one. That all men are created equal and that everyone has within himself the power to make this a better world. That God put the firewood there but that every man must gather and light it himself. In being prepared physically, mentally, and morally to fight when necessary for what is right. That a man should make the most of what equipment he has. That 'this government, of

720-487: A hero in his own right, rather than just a base figure for other heroes. A line of female figures was also released called the "Super Queens Posin' Dolls", which featured Batgirl , Mera , Supergirl , and Wonder Woman figures. Unlike Captain Action and Action Boy, the Super Queens dolls were each individually based on a singular superheroine (instead of a base "Super Queen" doll with interchangeable outfits). After just

792-426: A hit, and spawned a series of books (largely written by Striker), an equally popular television show that ran from 1949 to 1957, comic books, and several films. The title character was played on the radio show by Earle Graser for some 1,300 episodes, but two others preceded him, according to The New York Times : "a man named Deeds, who lasted only a few weeks; a George Stenius [actually George Seaton according to

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864-407: A long time, Tonto rides a white horse called White Feller. In "Four Day Ride" (August 5, 1938), Tonto is given a paint horse by his friend Chief Thundercloud, who then takes White Feller. Tonto rides this horse and refers to him simply as "Paint Horse" for several episodes. The horse is finally named Scout in "Border Dope Smuggling" (September 2, 1938). In another episode, however, the Lone Ranger, in

936-417: A many-in-one hero, who could adopt the guise of several heroes, all of whom Leisure Concepts represented. The name was changed to Captain Action , and first marketed by Ideal in 1966. The figure itself had a rather sad and worried expression, a strange shaped head (so the masks of the various heroes would better stay in place over it) and a more detailed musculature than G.I. Joe's. The original Ideal base for

1008-625: A mishap. The series lasted five issues, until July 1969. In the early 1980s, writer Mike Tiefenbacher wrote a story proposal that would have revived Captain Action and Action Boy as "Captain Triumph" and "Javelin" in the "Whatever Happened To...?" backup feature in DC Comics Presents . DC Comics rejected the idea due to copyright concerns regarding the characters. Issue #5 of the Captain Action comic book series, retitled 'Thrills and Adventure',

1080-562: A new character. I said yes — then he said, "Okay, his name is Captain Action(?!). He has an Actionmobile, a kid sidekick named Action Boy(??!!), a pet Action Panther and a secret Action Headquarters(???!!!) and, by the way, he's also a G.I. Joe-sized action figure". He went on: " Superman must make an appearance in the first issue, because the cover was going to feature Captain Action pushing Superman aside to take on whatever menace I concocted". Sigh. Okay. The comic book storyline had little to do with

1152-818: A pivotal role in the Captain Action ongoing Series. Moonstone Books published a new Captain Action comic book from 2008 to 2010, with the initial six-issue arc written by Fabian Nicieza . A Captain Action Special was also released in 2010 as well as a two-issue miniseries teaming up Captain Action with the Phantom, written by Mike Bullock . In July 2010, Captain Action Season 2 , an ongoing series written by Steven Grant, debuted that lasted 3 issues. Moonstone planned on releasing Captain Action: Classified , which would tell stories of Captain Action's earliest adventures in

1224-607: A plot to steal the valuable Martin Copper Mine and Dan's being fooled by a Lone Ranger impostor into helping him steal it. The Lone Ranger and the Mounties foil the plot and capture the impostor and his gang. In the final episode of the arc, "A Nephew Is Found" (December 25, 1942), dying Grandma Frisby reveals to the Lone Ranger Dan's true identity and how he came to be with her. Fifteen years previously, Grandma Frisby had been part of

1296-641: A radio station serving Detroit, Michigan , on January 31, 1933. As Dunning writes in On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio: "There may have been a few late-night on-air shakedown shows prior to the official January 31, 1933, premiere date. Lacking concrete evidence, [ Lone Ranger authority Terry] Salomonson is inclined to doubt it. "There is nothing in any of the Detroit papers to indicate this, but that in itself doesn't mean much. The papers didn't even list

1368-431: A redesigned 1/6 scale Captain Action figure. National Periodical ( DC Comics ) licensed the character from Ideal and published five issues of Captain Action in 1968, illustrated at first by Wally Wood , then by Gil Kane . The scripts were by a teenage Jim Shooter and Gil Kane . A 2006 interview with Shooter reveals the unpromising setup of the comic: [Editor Mort Weisinger ] called and asked if I'd like to create

1440-747: A relatively new, emerging segment of the retail and entertainment industries, known as licensing and merchandising . He became a licensing agent who oversaw branding negotiations for Soupy Sales and Twiggy during the 1960s. Weston became interested in a possible military toy line from frequent trips to an Army-Navy surplus store in New York City, as well as the military articles in the Encyclopedia Britannica , according to accounts written by his brother, Jay Weston. Weston also scoured thrift stores for military uniforms and paraphernalia . Unlike most toy lines, Weston created G.I. Joe without

1512-410: A surge of conscience, releases Silver back to the wild. The episode ends with Silver returning, bringing along a companion that becomes Tonto's horse Scout. In an echo of the Lone Ranger's line, Tonto frequently says, "Git-um up, Scout!" (The phrase became so well embedded in the Lone Ranger mythos that International Harvester used it as an advertising line to promote their Scout utility vehicle in

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1584-706: A wagon train travelling to Fort Laramie . Also on that wagon train had been Linda Reid, wife of Texas Ranger Captain Dan Reid, and her six-month-old son, Dan Jr., who were travelling from their home in Virginia to join her husband. Before the wagon train could reach Fort Laramie, Indians attacked it and Linda Reid was among those killed. Grandma Frisby took charge and care of Dan Jr., but upon reaching Fort Laramie, found two messages waiting, one that Captain Reid (voiced in this story by Al Hodge ) had been killed in an ambush at Bryant's Gap and

1656-576: Is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto . The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in a radio show on WXYZ (Detroit), conceived either by station owner George W. Trendle or by Fran Striker , the show's writer. Test episodes aired earlier on radio station WEBR in Buffalo . The radio series proved to be

1728-477: Is assumed by Dr. Eville. His stories also take place in the 1960s. Moonstone has also created an original character, Lady Action, who works for the British branch of the A.C.T.I.O.N. Directorate. Both Action Boy and the newly introduced Lady Action (AKA Nicola Sinclair), have been featured as back up stories in the Captain Action comic. Lady Action also debuted in a one shot comic of her own in 2010, and continues to play

1800-418: Is finally able to change into other superheroes, though this only works for original characters like Savior rather than for licensed characters like Superman. The exception to this has been a crossover adventure with the Phantom whose adventures Moonstone was also publishing. Moonstone has featured a similarly revised Action Boy. In this version he is Sean Barrett, the son of a famous naturalist whose identity

1872-603: Is more likely the word derives from the Anishinaabe language . Gimoozaabi is said to mean "he looks out in secret." These catchphrases , the Ranger's trademark silver bullets, and the theme music from the William Tell Overture have become tropes of popular culture. Republic Pictures released two serials starring the Lone Ranger. The first, released in 1938, used several actors playing different Texas Rangers, one of whom

1944-401: Is part of Philip José Farmer 's Wold Newton Universe , which connects disparate fictional characters. At the beginning of each episode, the magnificent white stallion, Silver, would rear up with the Lone Ranger on his back, then they would dash off, the Ranger encouragingly shouting, "Hi-Yo, Silver!" Tonto could occasionally be heard to urge on his mount by calling out, "Get-um up, Scout!" At

2016-614: The Los Angeles Times ]. After Graser died in 1941, Brace Beemer assumed the role after serving as the program's narrator. On the radio, Tonto was played by John Todd and Roland Parker, among others. Clayton Moore portrayed the Lone Ranger on television, although during a contract dispute, Moore was replaced for a season by John Hart . Jay Silverheels , a Mohawk from the Six Nations Indian Reserve in Ontario , Canada,

2088-483: The "Ranger", and Liz playing damsels in distress). The part of nephew Dan Reid was played by various child actors, including Bob Martin, James Lipton , and Dick Beals . The theme music was primarily taken from the "March of the Swiss Soldiers" finale of Gioachino Rossini 's William Tell Overture , which thus came to be inseparably associated with the series. The theme was conducted by Daniel Pérez Castañeda, with

2160-459: The 1960s, but this did not happen. Instead, in 2013 Dynamite Entertainment put out a mini-series with Captain Action called Codename: Action that included several pulp and comic book characters in an origin story for Captain Action. In 2016 Small Monsters Games developed and released the Captain Action card game. This is an all-ages casual game including art from classic comics artists Jerry Ordway , Kerry Callen, and Paul Gulacy . The game

2232-618: The 1970s.) In the Format Films animated cartoon, which ran from 1966 to 1968 , Tonto also had an eagle he called Taka, and installments that focused exclusively on him or had him team up with the Lone Ranger ended with his saying, "Fly, Taka! On, Scout!" (Those where he teamed with the Lone Ranger had the Ranger following this up with the customary "Hi-yo, Silver! Away!") The creators of the character were George Trendle (manager of WXYZ radio station) and writer Fran Striker. The first of 2,956 radio episodes of The Lone Ranger premiered on WXYZ ,

Captain Action - Misplaced Pages Continue

2304-713: The 1980s, Weston oversaw the creation of the ThunderCats animated series (1985–1989), which spawned the successful ThunderCats toyline. Weston was born Stanley Alan Weinstein in New York City on April 1, 1933. He attended New York University (NYU) before enlisting to the United States Army during the Korean War . He returned to New York City after the war and completed his master's degree at New York University. Shortly after completing his master's degree, Weston joined

2376-461: The 2013 Disney film The Lone Ranger . The name Luke Hartman was used in the 2003 TV-movie/unsold series pilot . The character made his initial appearance in the 11th episode of the radio show. Fran Striker told his son that Tonto was added so the Lone Ranger would have someone to talk to. He was named by James Jewell , who also came up with the term " Kemosabe " based on the name of a summer camp owned by his father-in-law in upstate Michigan. In

2448-490: The A.C.T.I.O.N. directorate is able to use the alien technology to create superheroes and the Red Crawl is apparently defeated. The series also tell the story of a second Captain Action, Miles's rebellious son, Cole Drake, who inherits the heroic identity in the 21st century. It is revealed that the Red Crawl was never actually defeated and that the superheroic Protectors are actually under their control. Cole must struggle against

2520-493: The G.I. Joe venture and founded his own licensing company, representing DC Comics , Marvel Comics , and King Features Syndicate . After the success of G.I. Joe, Stan Weston's company, Leisure Concepts , then brought the idea of a new, articulated, twelve-inch (305 mm) action figure to Ideal Toys Corporation, who were seeking an action figure of their own, to remain competitive in the toy market. Weston proposed Captain Magic ,

2592-447: The Lone Ranger removes his mask and lets her see his face. Her last words are, "Ride on, Lone Ranger ... ride on forever ... with Danny at your side." The Lone Ranger takes the grieving Dan outside the cabin, gives him the locket, and reveals their true relationship. Dan Reid Jr. went on to be a recurring character throughout the remainder of the series, riding with the Lone Ranger and Tonto on his own horse Victor. Eventually, Dan Reid Jr.

2664-576: The Masked Man; the character is Captain Reid's son, and the Lone Ranger's nephew. When Trendle and Striker later created The Green Hornet in 1936, they made this Dan Reid the father of Britt Reid, alias the Green Hornet, thereby making the Lone Ranger the Green Hornet's great-uncle. In The Lone Ranger radio series, Dan was played by Ernest Winstanley, Bob Martin, Clarence Weitzel, James Lipton , and Dick Beals . The Lone Ranger's nephew made his first appearance in "Heading North" (December 14, 1942) under

2736-461: The Merciless (with a new flesh-tone Dr. Evil figure), The Green Hornet , and his never-before-made sidekick Kato . The line met with lackluster sales, and carded costumes-only were issued separately: Green Hornet, Kato, Lone Ranger (in blue outfit), Tonto, The Phantom , and his never-before-made enemy Kabai Singh . Also revived was Action Boy (now called Kid Action, due to Hasbro owning the rights to

2808-455: The Yukon ), Bill Saunders (as various villains, including Butch Cavendish), Paul Hughes (as the Ranger's friend Thunder Martin and as various army colonels and badmen), future movie star John Hodiak , Janka Fasciszewska (under the name Jane Fae), and Rube Weiss and Liz Weiss (later a married couple, both actors in several radio and television programs in Detroit, Rube usually taking on villain roles on

2880-546: The character as well: a four foot working parachute, a jet mortar, a jet pack, a weapons arsenal, and several other secret weapons to add to the Action Cave, which the special box for the Streak could convert into. Both the Captain and Dr. Evil received "secret lairs", which doubled as carrying cases for the figures, but which are now quite rare. All of this was an attempt by Ideal to build the "Action" line and focus on Captain Action as

2952-484: The end of each episode, mission completed, one of the characters would always ask the sheriff or other authority, "Who was that masked man?" When it was explained, "Oh, he's the Lone Ranger!", the Ranger and Tonto would be seen galloping off with the cry, "Hi-Yo, Silver! Away!" catching the attention of one of the townspeople crossing the street. Tonto usually referred to the Lone Ranger as " Kemo sabe ", described as meaning either "faithful friend," or "trusty scout". It

Captain Action - Misplaced Pages Continue

3024-420: The following guidelines that embody who and what the Lone Ranger is: Although the Lone Ranger's last name in the radio shows was given as Reid, his first name was never specified in any of the radio or television shows. Various radio reference books, beginning with Radio's Golden Age (Eastern Valley Press, 1966), give the Lone Ranger's first name as John. Some cite the 20th-anniversary radio program in 1953 as

3096-427: The following, which was sometimes changed to reflect the storyline of the episode: In the early days of the western United States, a masked man and an Indian rode the plains, searching for truth and justice. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear, when from out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver! The Lone Ranger rides again! By the time it was on ABC at 7:30 pm Eastern,

3168-425: The introduction, voiced by Fred Foy , had become "Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear", followed by, "From out of the west with the speed of light and a hearty 'Hi-yo, Silver! ' " The intro was later changed to: 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

3240-532: The line was Captain Action in his blue and black uniform, with lightning sword and ray gun included in the box. Separate Superman , Batman , Lone Ranger , The Phantom , Flash Gordon , Captain America , Sgt Fury , Steve Canyon and Aquaman costumes (with accessories) were available; the next wave (1967) added Spider-Man , Buck Rogers , the Green Hornet , and Tonto , with a Blue Lone Ranger variation (matching

3312-521: The local Native American language, "Tonto" meant "wild one". The character spoke in broken English that emphasized Tonto had learned it as a second language. Because tonto means "stupid" or "ignorant" in Spanish, the character is renamed " Toro " (Spanish for "bull") or " Ponto " in Spanish-speaking countries. Dan Reid was introduced on the radio series in 1942 as a juvenile sidekick to

3384-533: The name Action Man ) and retro long box packaging for Captain Action and Dr. Evil. The changes made little difference in the general sales and the second coming of Captain Action ended in 2000. Since 2005 Captain Action Enterprises holds the licensing rights and has been producing an array of new merchandise, including statues, toys, comics, trading cards, collectibles and apparel. In March 2011, Round 2 Corp. and Captain Action Enterprises announced plans for

3456-503: The name Dan Frisby, the grandson of Grandma Frisby. The two lived in an area described as "the high border country of the northwest" near the town of Martinsville close to the Canada–US border. This and the following four episodes ("Design for Murder", December 16, 1942; "Rope's End", December 18, 1942; "Law of the Apex", December 21, 1942; and "Dan's Strange Behavior", December 23, 1942) centered on

3528-467: The name John Reid was used in an illustration of the grave marker made by Tonto, which appeared in either a comic-book version of the character's origin story or in a children's record set. The name John Reid is used in the 1981 film The Legend of the Lone Ranger . The Lone Ranger is also John Reid in Dynamite Entertainment 's licensed Lone Ranger comic-book series that began in 2006, and in

3600-678: The original was cast and assembled) and Ideal itself reused the original body molds to rush a Star Wars-like toy to the market, the Knight of Darkness, in 1977. Captain Action collectors would buy the figure (cast in black plastic) often using the hands to replace the sometimes missing hands of the vintage figures. After 30 years off the market, Captain Action was revived in 1998, by retro toy company Playing Mantis. In addition to Captain Action and Dr. Evil, costumes released boxed with Captain Action figure were The Lone Ranger (in red and black outfit), Tonto , Flash Gordon , his never-before-made nemesis Ming

3672-489: The other that her own husband had been killed in an explosion. Taking Dan and certain items concerning his identity (including a small gold locket containing a picture of Dan's parents and a picture of Captain Reid's brother), Grandma Frisby travelled to Martinsville and raised Dan as her grandson. On hearing this story, the Lone Ranger reveals his true identity and his own story to Grandma Frisby, and promises that he will care for Dan like his own son. Before Grandma Frisby dies,

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3744-463: The people, by the people and for the people' shall live always. That men should live by the rule of what is best for the greatest number. 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. In my Creator, my country, my fellow man. In addition, Fran Striker and George W. Trendle drew up

3816-454: 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! This was followed by Brace Beemer's voice, declaring, "Come on, Silver! Let's go, big fellow! Hi-yo, Silver! Away!" The Lone Ranger

3888-509: The renewed alien menace and the rogue superheroes. The stories of the original Captain Action are told in the 1960s where the character is a costumed super spy. The identity-changing aspect of the toy line shows up in Captain Action's ability to use a material called "plastiderm" to disguise himself as almost anyone. In the modern stories the younger Captain Action uses the more advanced "plasmaderm" which allows him not only to assume someone's likeness, but any powers they possess. Thus Captain Action

3960-414: The series by John Todd, who played Tonto on The Lone Ranger radio series. According to the episode "The Legend of Silver" (September 30, 1938), before acquiring Silver, the Lone Ranger rode a chestnut mare called Dusty. The Lone Ranger saves Silver's life from an enraged buffalo, and in gratitude, Silver chooses to give up his wild life to carry him. The origin of Tonto's horse, Scout, is less clear. For

4032-539: The show in their radio logs at first." The show was an immediate success. Though it was aimed at children, adults made up at least half the audience. It became so popular, it was picked up by the Mutual Broadcasting System and, on May 2, 1942, by NBC's Blue Network , which in time became ABC . By 1939, some 20 million Americans were listening to the program. It also had numerous listeners in other countries. An announcer introduced each episode with

4104-417: The softer parts excerpted from Die Moldau , composed by Bedřich Smetana . Many other classical selections were used as incidental music, including Wagner's Flying Dutchman Overture , Bizet 's Symphony in C , Mendelssohn 's Fingal's Cave Overture , Emil von Řezníček 's Donna Diana Overture, Liszt 's Les préludes , Tchaikovsky 's 1812 Overture and music by Schubert . Classical music

4176-498: The source of the name, but the Lone Ranger's first name is never mentioned in that episode. In the final chapter of the 1938 Republic The Lone Ranger movie serial, he is revealed to be Texas Ranger Allen King. In the second serial, The Lone Ranger Rides Again , he identifies himself as Bill Andrews. The Lone Ranger's first name is also thought to have not been mentioned in contemporary Lone Ranger newspaper comics, comic books, and tie-in premiums , though some have stated that

4248-419: The still popular Clayton Moore series) and collectible flicker rings in each box. Sgt. Fury was dropped from the line in the second wave. In 1967, Captain Action proved popular enough to expand the line by adding a partner and an enemy. Action Boy had a similar costume to Captain Action that was red, blue and black. Separate uniform sets available for Action Boy were Robin , Superboy and Aqualad . Dr. Evil,

4320-423: The television series, Tonto gave Reid a ring and the name Kemo Sabe , which he said means "trusty scout". John Reid then tells Tonto that he intends to hunt down Cavendish and his men and to bring them to justice . To conceal his identity and honor his fallen brother, Reid fashions a black domino mask using cloth from his late brother's vest. To aid in the deception, Tonto digs a sixth grave and places at its head

4392-405: The toy concept, as some of the heroes licensed for use as costumes for the Captain Action doll were not owned and published by DC ( Spider-Man and Captain America for example, were Marvel Comics characters), therefore the ability to change into different characters was entirely dropped. Instead, Captain Action came to possess magical coins, each of which provided him with a spectacular power from

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4464-497: Was also the masked hero, like Don Diego de la Vega was also Zorro. Unlike Vega/Zorro, however, the Lone Ranger's true identity remained unknown to the audience until the conclusion. The character played by Lee Powell is ultimately revealed to be the Lone Ranger. The second serial, The Lone Ranger Rides Again , was released in 1939 and starred Robert Livingston . Tonto was played in both by Victor Daniels, billed under his usual stage name, Chief Thundercloud . A feature version of

4536-442: Was an American inventor and licensing agent who created the G.I. Joe toy line in 1963, as well as the very concept of the action figure . Weston later sold the rights to his invention, which he called "outfitted action figures", to Hasbro for just $ 100,000. He later created his own company, Leisure Concepts , which represented and licensed products based on the likeness of Farrah Fawcett , Star Wars , and Nintendo . During

4608-463: Was cast as Tonto. While details differ, the basic story of the Lone Ranger's origin is consistent in most versions of the franchise. The Lone Ranger is the sole survivor of a group of six ambushed Texas Rangers . A posse of six members of the Texas Ranger Division, led by Captain Dan Reid, pursue a band of outlaws led by Bartholomew "Butch" Cavendish but are betrayed by a civilian guide who

4680-689: Was designed by Meg Stivison. In 2010, the coffee table book Captain Action: the Original Super Hero Action Figure , by Michael Eury , was published by TwoMorrows Publishing . In July 2012, an original Captain Action pulp novel was released by Airship 27, called Captain Action: Riddle of the Glowing Men , written by Jim Beard. A second novel by Jim Beard titled Hearts of the Rising Sun

4752-403: Was originally used because it was in the public domain , thus allowing production costs to be kept low while providing a wide range of music as needed without the cost of a composer. In the late 1930s, Trendle acquired the rights to use incidental music from Republic Pictures motion picture serials as part of a deal for Republic to produce a serial based (loosely) on the Lone Ranger. This music

4824-426: Was played by several actors: Tonto was played throughout the run by actor John Todd (although in a few isolated occasions, he was replaced by Roland Parker, better known as Kato for much of the run of sister series The Green Hornet ). Other supporting players were selected from Detroit area actors and studio staff. These included Jay Michael (who also played the lead on Challenge of the Yukon , or Sgt. Preston of

4896-460: Was released in 2014 by Airship 27. A novel featuring Lady Action — The Sands of Forever — by Ron Fortier was released by Airship 27 in 2015. A third Captain Action novel titled Cry of the Jungle Lord , written by Jim Beard and Barry Reese , was released by Airship 27 in 2017. Stanley Weston (inventor) Stanley Weston (born Stanley Alan Weinstein ; April 1, 1933 – May 1, 2017)

4968-442: Was secretly working with Cavendish, and who led the unsuspecting rangers into an ambush at a canyon known as Bryant's Gap. Later, a Native American named Tonto stumbles onto the grisly scene. He discovers one of the rangers, Captain Reid's younger brother John, barely alive, and he nurses the man to health. In some versions, Tonto recognizes the lone survivor as the man who had saved his life when they both were children. According to

5040-410: Was sent East to gain an education, making infrequent appearances on the series whenever Fran Striker wanted to remind the audience of the family connection, and later became part of The Green Hornet radio series, first appearing on October 22, 1936, establishing the connection between the Lone Ranger and the Green Hornet in the episode "Too Hot to Handle" (November 11, 1947) and being played throughout

5112-464: Was then modified by NBC radio arranger Ben Bonnell and recorded in Mexico to avoid American union rules. This music was used in both the radio and later television shows. The radio series inspired a spinoff called The Green Hornet, which depicts the son of the Lone Ranger's nephew Dan, Britt Reid , originally played by Al Hodge , who in contemporary times, fights crime with a similar secret identity and

5184-519: Was used as a prop in the 'It's the Arts' episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus . In 2008 Moonstone Books began a new series and created a new back-story for the character. Captain Action was now Miles Drake, a former Marine who discovers a cache of alien weaponry during the Vietnam War . The weapons are connected to a race of alien parasites called the Red Crawl, who have been taking over world leaders in

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