sowny.net | The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum


You are not logged in. Would you like to login or register?

July 24, 2020 10:32 am  #1


Who Was That Masked Man? The First Real Lone Ranger Was From Kitchener

Another great piece from the Waterloo Record reveals that the very first permanent voice of the Lone Ranger on early radio was from a deep-voiced announcer who grew up in Kitchener. 

Flash From the Past: Radio’s masked man had a Kitchener identity  

(Now that everyone is wearing a COVID-protecting mask, I often laugh when a complete stranger does something nice for someone else, and I think of that infamous final line from those shows: "Who was that masked man? I just wanted to thank him." Same dialogue. Very different context!)

 

July 24, 2020 12:09 pm  #2


Re: Who Was That Masked Man? The First Real Lone Ranger Was From Kitchener

RadioActive wrote:

(Now that everyone is wearing a COVID-protecting mask, I often laugh when a complete stranger does something nice for someone else, and I think of that infamous final line from those shows: "Who was that masked man? I just wanted to thank him."

"I dunno...but he gave me this silver bullet..."

 

July 24, 2020 12:43 pm  #3


Re: Who Was That Masked Man? The First Real Lone Ranger Was From Kitchener

Must have been Bob Seger!

     Thread Starter
 

July 24, 2020 3:29 pm  #4


Re: Who Was That Masked Man? The First Real Lone Ranger Was From Kitchener

I grew up during the last years of network radio and the Lone Ranger version starring Brace Beemer and narrated by the great Fred Foy was by far the best kid’s adventure serial on the air.  In fact, it transferred to TV very well and the classic TV episodes with Clayton Moore were accurate representations of the original radio scripts.  On the other hand, in my opinion, the radio version of Gunsmoke starring William Conrad was superior to TV’s Gunsmoke with James Arness.  

 

July 24, 2020 3:51 pm  #5


Re: Who Was That Masked Man? The First Real Lone Ranger Was From Kitchener

Thanks for this RA.  I sent it to friends who listened live in the 40s, between reports from lorne greene and foster hewett games.  it was much appreciated.

 

July 24, 2020 4:29 pm  #6


Re: Who Was That Masked Man? The First Real Lone Ranger Was From Kitchener

I know it's not everyone's area of interest, but I love radio history, especially obscure stuff like this that I never knew about. Glad to see I'm not the only one!

     Thread Starter
 

July 24, 2020 6:38 pm  #7


Re: Who Was That Masked Man? The First Real Lone Ranger Was From Kitchener

mojo55 wrote:

I grew up during the last years of network radio and the Lone Ranger version starring Brace Beemer and narrated by the great Fred Foy was by far the best kid’s adventure serial on the air.  In fact, it transferred to TV very well and the classic TV episodes with Clayton Moore were accurate representations of the original radio scripts.  On the other hand, in my opinion, the radio version of Gunsmoke starring William Conrad was superior to TV’s Gunsmoke with James Arness.  

William Conrad sounded the way James Arness looked. On the radio series, Howard McNear played the roll of Doc Charles Adams. If I hear him in an episode, all I imagine is Floyd the Barber walking the streets of Dodge City.

 

July 24, 2020 7:07 pm  #8


Re: Who Was That Masked Man? The First Real Lone Ranger Was From Kitchener

And of course there's another near local tie-in with The Lone Ranger. The guy who created the show and the character was Fran Stryker - a Buffalo native who got his start in radio at WEBR. (The original one, not the new one!)

He was also behind The Green Hornet, which ended up as a short-lived ABC-TV show in the 60s, starring the somewhat forgettable Van Williams in the title role and the unforgettable Bruce Lee as his martial arts expert sidekick, Kato. 

     Thread Starter
 

July 25, 2020 11:24 am  #9


Re: Who Was That Masked Man? The First Real Lone Ranger Was From Kitchener

Although his first name was seldom used, Dr. Adams' first name was Galen.