The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)

★ 4.9 1h 38m IMDb
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When the young Texas Ranger, John Reid, is the sole survivor of an ambush arranged by the militaristic outlaw leader, Butch Cavendich, he is rescued by an old childhood Comanche friend, Tonto. When he recovers from his wounds, he dedicates his life to fighting the evil that Cavendich represents. To this end, John Reid becomes the great masked western hero, The Lone Ranger. With the help of Tonto, the pair go to rescue President Grant when Cavendich takes him hostage.

The Legend of the Lone Ranger

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Cast

Klinton Spilsbury
Klinton Spilsbury as The Lone Ranger / John Reid Age 74 · Chihuahua - Mexico Glenn Klinton Spilsbury (born March 4, 1951) is an American former actor. His sole major acting credit is the film The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981), in which he played the title role. Spilsbury,...
Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Lloyd as Maj. Bartholomew 'Butch' Cavendish Age 87 · Stamford, Connecticut, USA Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and on television since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Dr.
Matt Clark
Matt Clark as Sheriff Wiatt Died 2026 · Washington, District of Columbia, USA ​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Matt Clark (November 25, 1936 — March 15, 2026) was an American actor and director with credits in both film and television. Clark has played diverse character...
Juanin Clay
Juanin Clay as Amy Striker Died 1995 · Los Angeles, California, USA ​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Juanin Clay (born Juanin Clay de Zalduondo; November 26, 1949 - March 12, 1995) was an American actress who appeared in the 1983 drama-thriller film WarGames. S...
Jason Robards
Jason Robards as President Ulysses S. Grant Died 2000 · Chicago, Illinois, USA Jason Nelson Robards Jr. (July 26, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American actor. Known as an interpreter of the works of playwright Eugene O'Neill, Robards received two Academy Awards, a Tony Award...
John Bennett Perry
John Bennett Perry as Ranger Captain Dan Reid Age 85 · Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA John Bennett Perry (born January 4, 1941) is an American actor, singer and former model. He is the father of actor Matthew Perry..

Audience Reviews

Wuchak 6/10 Aug 23, 2019
***Serious take on the masked Western hero with a glimmer of fun***

The lone survivor of an ambush of a Texas Ranger patrol (Klinton Spilsbury) is rescued by his childhood AmerIndian friend, Tonto (Michael Horse). He becomes the Lone Ranger and, along with Tonto, they go after the traitor & outlaw gang that orchestrated the massacre. Christopher Lloyd plays the villain, Matt Clark the crooked sheriff, Juanin Clay the beautiful lady and Jason Robards President Grant.

“The Legend of the Lone Ranger” (1981) is the first cinematic depiction of this Western hero, not counting the movies strewn together from the TV series (1949-1957) featuring Clayton Moore in the titular role. It’s similar to “Mackenna’s Gold” (1969) mixed with “The Comancheros” (1961) and its unacknowledged remake “Rio Conchos” (1964). All of these Westerns have a similar comic book tone, Southwest setting and a plot revolving around a veteran Civil War megalomaniac.

The difference is that “The Legend of the Lone Ranger” adds the masked Western hero angle, akin to the later “The Mask of Zorro” (1998), but this doesn’t even occur until two minutes shy of the hour mark. From there, whenever the masked avenger shows up along with the corresponding “William Tell Overture” and “Hi, ho, Silver, Away!” it spurs chuckles. But, disregarding that, this is a standard comic book Western with a respectful, serious take on the legend.

This was lead actor Spilsbury’s lone venture into cinema after only two small TV gigs. He looks the part and has the charisma, but the script doesn’t give his character enough dimension and his voice was dubbed with James Keach’s deeper vox. His fellow actors in the movie said this was unnecessary since there was nothing wrong with Spilsbury’s voice (obviously the producers just wanted a deeper vox). Meanwhile, it’s nice to see winsome Juanin Clay again (who had a significant role in the Buck Rogers episode “Vegas in Space” two years earlier), but not enough is done with her.

Unfortunately, bad publicity resulting from the studio’s ill-advised lawsuit with Clayton Moore over his wearing the mask in public appearances tarnished the film’s premiere. This combined with the recent box office bomb of “Heaven’s Gate” (1980) and the general public disinterest in Westerns at the time doomed the movie. But, if you appreciate any of those Westerns noted above, it’s worth a look even though the Johnny Depp version is all-around more entertaining (2013).

The film runs 1 hour, 38 minutes, and was shot Arizona (Monument Valley), New Mexico (Bonanza Creek Ranch and Eaves Movie Ranch in Santa Fe, Cook Ranch in Galisteo, Abiquiu), Southern Cal (Bronson Canyon Vasquez Rocks) and Utah (Moab, Monument Valley).

GRADE: B-

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