MovieChat Forums > The Lone Ranger (1949) Discussion > The Lone Ranger's Disguises

The Lone Ranger's Disguises


I liked when the Lone Ranger wore different disuises as old men with white beards. In the episodes I saw today, he played a doctor in one, an old soldier and a gold prospector in another. He did a good job with the voices too.

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My question is...where does he keep the disguises? There's no room in the saddle bags for a complete costume along with a wig. I watched one today where he was an old prospector with a different horse than Silver or Scout and a fully loaded pack mule. Where did they come from?

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[deleted]

Good question, that! If they had some sort of permanent base of operations, even a cabin someplace, it would make sense, but they were always riding around and as you said, where on earth does the Ranger keep all that paraphernalia?

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What about the silver mine Reid owns? I always considered that to be their sort of "bat-cave"

I assumed they kept all that stuff there, seeing as they would've needed to make frequent stops there, getting the silver bullets Jim made and the money from the silver.

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When I bring up such points my wife says 'Johnny, it's just a tv show.' So just keep that in mind. By the way he also has a coffee pot, cups and other cooking utensils that he and Tonto use in their 'camp'. Where does he keep those? I also saw a show a few days ago where TLR and Tonto came across a dead guy. TLR decided to go into town and see the marshal. All of a sudden Tonto has full size shovel and starts digging a grave. He says 'Me bury while you go into town'. ??? As Linda says 'it's only a tv show'. Enjoy it. lol

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I usually have the old episodes on in the morning while I'm getting ready for work in the mornings.

I agree--I love those disguises! What's more, Clayton Moore was obviously having such a great time doing those voices.

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I know that they have a silver mine somewhere and they use that for money and his bullets. They could store stuff there, but they have no way to carry it aroud with them.

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One thing I've always wondered, not having seen all the episodes...

The Ranger has a wide array of disguises (and voices). But did they ever have him go the route of going ALL the way and disguising himself as a woman?

I'm not sure they ever would have played the Ranger THAT much for laughs...they always respected the character's dignity. But it sure would have showcased Clayton's acting ability...as well as providing considerable laughs!

(Naturally, in accordance with the First Law Of Drag Comedies, Section A, Clause 14, Paragraph 1-B...there would be a member of the outlaw gang who really liked husky older women. And you could just imagine that once this whole ruse was over...Tonto was NEVER gonna let the Ranger hear the end of it!)

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I am a fan of The Lone Ranger and I always will be. I have question to ask. When The Lone Ranger uses disguises such old gold prospector, a fancy dude from east and then uses an alias to with what particular disguise he is using does constitute as lying?

“Lying has been defined a number of different ways. In the general modern usage, it means knowingly and deliberately telling someone something that is not true.” would defition apply to The Lone Ranger?

The Bible condems lying so would that mean The Lone Ranger is morally up right person a liar?

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In the episode I saw tonight the Lone Ranger asked Tonto to go into town to buy him some "old clothes", so he could dress up in a disguise. So obviously they didn't always travel with extra clothing for doing the disguises.

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[deleted]

If the suggestion is correct that the Lone Ranter and Tonto used the silver mine as a sort of bat cave/headquarters to which they returned regularly to replenish stores, money etc that suggests that they didn't venture very far afield in their quest to ensure that law and order prevailed, whereas they were supposed to have wandered far and wide across the 'Old West'.

In truth of course it doesn't matter as it's a fiction and entertainment. If it did we'd wonder why many Roy Rogers and Gene Autry films appear to be set in the Wild West of the 19th Century with cowboys and villains on horseback, but occasionally having to get out of the way of a car or a bus with radio stations and even televisions sometimes in evidence.

And like the tv series of Batman the flimsy mask of the Lone Ranger wouldn't really protect his identity from anyone who knew him and if people didn't know him why bother with a mask anyway?

It's a symbol and the Lone Ranger shows were full of symbolism. I'm surprised that no-one has asked whether or not he had a need for a woman but that is often the case with cowboy heroes. For most of their film careers the Autry and Rogers characters gave the impression of being celibate.

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A couple of things. To the poster who said the Lone Ranger always disguised himself as an old coot, I guess you've only seen a limited number of episodes, or have a poor memory.

Yes an old coot of various types was his most common alter ego, but just off the top of my head I can think of at least 3 times he didn't.

One time he portrayed a young dude from the East who posed as a collector of western items. In another he took over for a Shakespearean actor of a younger age and impersonated him dressing up as Othello. In another story both he and Tonto were dressed as acrobatic clowns. And there were others as well.

As to the general idea of the Lone in disguises, like most here, I always really enjoyed seeing Clayton Moore do that. Recalling seeing this series when I was a very young boy, I think part of the reason I liked this so much was that it was like we were sharing a very special secret with the masked man.

Here I was (and I believe this applies to others who saw this when they were young) as a kid privy to a secret that the adults he was fooling did not know. Most kids feel so inferior to adults who control the world, and yet here we were for a moment smarter and more informed than those know it all big folks. And it was like for a moment I was sharing a special confidence with our hero, that only he, Tonto and I were aware of.

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Clayton was very good with his voices when he goes into disguise! I would loved to have seen him playing an Australian and try and put on an Australian accent! That would have been funny!

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I loved Clayton Moore in "The Return of Don Pedro O'Sullivan, when he is disguised as Don Pedro O'Sullivan himself. He was brilliant!!!

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