5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star :		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just received this set this evening and have spent some time going through it. I did not observe any 11-13 minute episodes that have been mentioned in other reviews, the ones I checked appeared to be full-length. There are quite a few 22-23 minute episodes, but there do not appear to be any significant edits to the best of my knowledge. There is some time compression but nothing that I found to be too distracting from what I've observed so far, and I've barely noticed any jumpiness in the picture or any warbling on the sound that sometimes accompanies severe time compression on other releases and TV broadcasts. In fact the episodes look better than any syndicated TV print I've seen. And of course the 25 minute shows look amazing.

The sections immediately following the main title intro that used to say "Return with us now to the thrilling days of yesteryear" do appear to be removed from the episodes I glanced at. There is also a weird insertion of a close-up of the Lone Ranger sitting still on his horse inserted at the point in the main title intro when he's charging up the hill on his horse and the narrator says "...and a hearty hi-yo Silver", then it cuts back to the standard shot of him rearing up on Silver. I don't ever remember that shot being inserted in syndication, I always recall that it was a continuous shot of him riding up the hill and rearing up. It appears in all of the episodes I glanced at. No biggie, but it still struck me as odd.

Only other quibbles I have are that there don't appear to be chapter stops inserted, and the time counter for the episodes continue to accrue; they don't start at 00:00:00 at the beginning of each episode but instead have one continuous running time from the beginning of the first episode to the end of the last episode on the disc. Makes it difficult to figure out each show's running time.

The extras included in this set are plentiful and nicely crafted. The commemorative book in particular has a lot of material to go through. There is a bonus disc featuring some LR cartoons, a Lassie episode with the LR and some radio shows, a Season 1 and 2 episode guide, a 'signed' photo, a vintage comic book reproduction, a vintage ID card, Victory Corps membership kit, Lone Ranger Safety Club postcard, and trading cards.

I was on the fence about this set for the last several days but several reviews here and at the Home Theater Forum (along with the great job Classic Media did on the Sergeant Preston sets I own) convinced me to take the plunge and I'm glad I did. It is a blast seeing these episodes again and reliving some fond memories from my childhood in the process. I hope we get more seasons released from Classic Media, perhaps one next year for the 60th anniversary of the TV show.

Definitely recommended to any Lone Ranger fan! You get a lot of great material for the price.

It is great news to hear that "The Lone Ranger" seasons one and two shall be released as a properly restored 13 disc set. This is the second of two good pieces of DVD news for me this fall, the first being the release of the 1929-1938 Little Rascals shorts.

There was a time, from my childhood up until the mid-1980's, when shows such as the Lone Ranger and The Little Rascals filled week-day afternoon and Saturday morning TV slots. Old movies could be readily found on TV late at night and on Sunday afternoons. Ever since TV stations began filling every extra additional minute with infomercials and their own first-run productions and reality shows, as well as the beginning of the continuous news cycle, these old classics have not seen the light of day. Even networks supposedly dedicated to classic TV seem to think that "Scrubs" and "The Fresh Prince" constitute classic TV. That's why it's great to have shows such as The Lone Ranger properly restored and available to us again.

I also appreciate that all 78 episodes of the first two seasons are in this set, oddly distributed as 52 weekly episodes in season one and 26 in season two. No stingy "Season 1 Volume 1" sets here, just because there were more episodes per season during the 50's and 60's than exist today. Do note that some of the episodes are very short - in some cases only 11 or 12 minutes long. That is because sometimes the sponsor would put two short serials in the same half hour slot. The time really belonged to the sponsor back in those days, and early TV schedules looked a lot like radio at first.

My favorite episode of the first two seasons was "The Silent Voice" towards the end of season two. The witness to a crime is a stroke victim who is completely paralyzed. The Lone Ranger comes up with a way for the woman to communicate by blinking in response to letters of the alphabet.

The other episode from this early part of the series that sticks out is one in which the wife in a husband/wife crime team betrays the husband and shoots him. He is presumed dead and taken to the undertaker's. The Lone Ranger discovers that the husband is not dead, and the husband makes a confession as to what is going on before he dies as he lies on a slab about to buried - alive. The Lone Ranger tricks the wife by claiming that her husband is still alive. That's what I liked about the Lone Ranger - it really could be very dark. There would always be the happy ending with the criminals rounded up and jailed, but that didn't mean that some good people didn't fall along the way or that something really creepy or cringe-worthy wasn't part of the plot. Highly recommended. The following is the listing of the episodes on each disc:

Disc #1
1. Enter the Lone Ranger [25:42] - (September 15,1949) - Six Texas Rangers, led by Captain Dan Reid, are ambushed in a canyon by the outlaw, Butch Cavendish and his gang. One ranger, Reid's brother John, survives the attack. He is found and nursed back to health by an old friend from his childhood, Tonto. John Reid fashions a mask from his slain brother's vest, and becomes the Lone Ranger.
2. The Lone Ranger Fights On [25:43]
Part two of the introduction tells why the Lone Ranger uses silver bullets and how he found his horse, Silver.
3. The Lone Ranger's Triumph [25:20]
The conclusion of the intro. The outlaw Butch Cavendish becomes the first of 219 people to ask "Who was that masked man?".
4. Legion of Old Timers [22:11]
5. Rustler's Hideout [22:52]
6. War Horse [24:37]
Disc #2
1. Pete and Pedro [24:50]
2. The Renegades [25:24]
3. The Tenderfeet [22:36]
4. High Heels [13:27]
5. Six Gun's Legacy [25:26]
6. Return of the Convict [22:39]
7. Finders Keepers [22:38]
Disc #3
1. The Masked Rider [24:27]
2. Old Joe's Sister [25:34]
3. Cannonball McKay [22:34]
4. The Man Who Came Back [22:43]
5. Outlaw Town [22:44]
6. Greed for Gold [22:46]
Disc #4
1. Man of the House [22:55]
2. Barnaby Boggs, Esquire [23:09]
3. Sheep Thieves [22:55]
4. Jim Tyler's Past [11:40]
5. The Man With Two Faces [22:58]
6. Buried Treasure [22:59]
7. Troubled Water [22:52]
Disc #5
1. Gold Train [22:53]
2. Pay Dirt [22:49]
3. Billie the Great [22:45]
4. Never Say Die [22:47]
5. Gold Fever [22:51]
6. Death Trap [22:52]
Disc #6
1. A Matter of Courage [22:42]
2. Rifles and Renegades [22:45]
3. Bullets for Ballots [22:46]
4. The Black Hat [12:18]
5. Devil's Pass [22:49]
6. Spanish Gold [22:48]
7. Damsels in Distress [22:40]
Disc #7
1. Man Without a Gun [22:41]
2. Pardon for Curley [22:49]
3. Eye for an Eye [22:48]
4. Outlaw of the Plains [13:14]
5. White Man's Magic [22:42]
6. Trouble for Tonto [22:47]
7. Sheriff of Gunstock [22:44]
Disc #8
1. The Wrong Man [22:42]
2. The Beeler Gang [22:50]
3. The Star Witness [22:44]
4. The Black Widow [22:45]
5. The Whimsical Bandit [22:51]
6. Double Jeopardy [22:50] (9/7/1950) - End of Season 1.
Disc #9
1. Million Dollar Wallpaper [22:56] (9/14/1950) - Start of Season 2
2. Mission Bells [22:41]
3. Dead Man's Chest [22:46]
4. Outlaw's Revenge [22:46]
5. Danger Ahead [22:47]
6. Crime in Time [22:50]
Disc #10
1. Drink of Water [22:50]
2. Thieves' Money [22:50]
3. The Squire [22:49]
4. Masked Deputy [11:37]
5. Banker's Choice [22:48]
6. Desert Adventure [22:47]
7. Bad Medicine [22:46]
Disc #11
1. One Jump Ahead [22:47]
2. Lady Killer [22:48]
3. Paid in Full [22:45]
4. Letter of the Law [13:19]
5. The Silent Voice [25:12] - I actually remember this one in detail. The witness is a stroke victim who is completely paralyzed. The Lone Ranger comes up with a way for the woman to communicate by blinking in response to letters of the alphabet.
6. The Outcast [22:47]
7. Backtrail [22:48]
Disc #12
1. Behind the Law [22:48]
2. Trouble at Black Rock [22:49]
3. Two Gold Lockets [22:47]
4. The Hooded Men [22:41]
5. Friend in Need [22:40]
6. Mr. Trouble [22:45] - (3/8/1951) - End of season 2.
Disc #13
Extra Features.

...To Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear! That's right Classic TV western fans - it's finally happened. Hi-Yo Silver, Away! Our favorite hero, The Lone Ranger, rides again! He is being given the DVD respect he deserves but has never received.

The years of wasting money on Lone Ranger DVDs only to get release-after-release of public domain junk that should have been dumped into the trash bin rather than the cut-rate DVD bin are over. Classic Media has produced the best quality and most extensive compilation of RE-MASTERED episodes of this icon of so many of our childhoods - whether male or female.

The Lone Ranger - the 75th Anniversary Collector's Edition includes every episode from Season 1 and Season 2, which aired on ABC from 1959-1960, together in one package. (In these seasons, Clayton Moore portrayed The Lone Ranger and Jay Silverheels was Tonto, his Native-American partner.)

In the classic story, our hero is a lone Texas Ranger who survived an ambush and was nursed back to health by Tonto, who referred to him as 'Kemo Sabe.' They bankrolled their efforts to do good via a silver mine, which also supplied the Ranger with the silver bullets -- the calling card he becomes known by throughout the West.

Enter the Lone Ranger! The first three episodes tells the origin of our hero, and how he met and joined forces with Tonto, as well as how he found his trusty steed, Silver. (Tonto rode Scout.) After that, the episodes chronicle their exciting adventures.

In addition to the 78 episodes (1,900 plus minutes) of the show on about a dozen photo-discs, this Anniversary set also includes three bonus episodes from the '60s cartoon series, a classic episode of Lassie featuring The Lone Ranger, and an original Lone Ranger radio show broadcast from 1950. But, not to end there, this great package includes an 88-page Commemorative Book, a complete episode guide, reprints of rare comic books and photos, and limited edition collectibles, too.

Fran Stiker and George W. Trendle created the Lone Ranger as a local radio program in 1933. It quickly went nationwide and was the cornerstone of the old Mutual Radio network. The "Hi-Yo Silver!" shout at the beginning of each episode is a recording of Earle W. Graser, who played the Lone Ranger on radio from 1933-1941.

Here is the complete Classic TV opening (which played over the strains of Rossini's `William Tell' Overture):

"A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty `Hi Yo Silver!' The Lone Ranger...`Hi Yo Silver, away!' With his faithful Indian companion Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains, led the fight for law and order in the early west. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. The Lone Ranger rides again!"

At the end of most episodes, the towns folk or others who were saved from the desperados often asked, "Who was that Masked Man?" to images of The Lone Ranger and Tonto galloping away into the sunset.

The Lone Ranger is truly immortal, with three feature films, more than 3,000 Classic Radio shows, 220 Classic TV shows, 18 novels, hundreds of comic books, and a Star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. (In 1952, B-film actor John Hart replaced Clayton Moore, who had threatened to quit after 1950. He was being paid only $500 an episode for his hit show, and wanted a substantial raise. Audiences rejected Hart in the role, and after a mere 36 episodes Moore was back atop Silver. Moore wore the mask in 169 episodes through the end of the show's run in 1957, while Silverheels was Tonto for each episode of the TV series. Moore also brought and won a famous lawsuit to allow him to wear THE MASK and costume in personal appearances after he left the show. While the suit was pending, he wore wraparound sunglasses and starred in an equally famous sunglass commercial that asked, "Who was that Masked Man behind those Foster Grants?")

Still today, the Ranger remains a symbol of truth, justice, courage and friendship, embodied in the Lone Ranger creed, a copy of which is included in this boxed set, and reads in part: "I do solemnly swear to be honest and truthful...to pledge my hand to the weak...to pledge my heart to the helpless...to pledge my life to my fellowmen."

Hooray to Classic Media for this truly classic, and long-overdue, DVD tribute to the Ranger for both old and new fans alike.

I love this set but hate that part of the openings is missing where the narrator says, "With his faithful Indian companion Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains, led the fight for law and order in the early west. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. The Lone Ranger rides again!"

Also, the close up of the LR rearing up at the rock, the insert shot, doesn't fit and I don't remember it being there. Many of the episodes are time sped, but having said all that, it is clear that the producers of this set took great care in remastering and adding extras and I for one appreciate their effots. Any LR fan will be happy to have this, despite its imperfections.

To J herman and all the other fans..Yes, the idea of this box set is wonderful. Yes, the prints look pretty damn good for a 60 year old show.BUT I'm into the seventh disk already and have seen the pattern of the shows. ( I might have to amend my comment when I'm all done, however )The episodes are the ones shown a bunch of years ago on the western channel. They are edited down because I happen to have a dvd set of " Lost Episodes " which give you the entire show, General Mills flag swaying before a wind-whipped field of wheat, and the original commercials--some with Clayton Moore himself. First off, the opening ride on this anniversary box set is from the color episodes with the color eliminated. The insert shot is who knows what. After the ranger rears Silver, he rides down the hill along a winding narrow path, a short shot of riding down a hill behind a boulder without Silver's extra chest piece ( it's from the origin episodes )and then out into a badlands scene with him riding right at you and firing his pistol straight at the camera and toward you the viewer. All this to " with his faithful Indian companion Tonto the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains led the fight for law and order in the early west....return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear when the Lone Ranger rides again"... I know these episodes to be true, cause I watched them in the fifties as a little boy. I even had the ranger double gun set and used to stand in front of a mirror and try to outdraw myself. ..The show's closing seconds showed the ranger and Tonto riding along a winding path and over the top of a small rise to the narration of " return with us next week...." They always had in the shows these great shots of the two of them making abrupt turns to the right or left. ..Still, it's wonderful to have this box set and am anxiously awaiting the rest of the series. ..Now where on earth is the first six wonderful years of Bonanza???

For years, the Lone Ranger TV show has been in syndication somewhere. Since the 1949 season, it has run continuously on satellite and TV networks around the world. The Lone Ranger, like Roy Rogers, became synonymous with honesty, integrity, and is a `universal' personality.
That has been both a problem and a blessing. With broadcast copies being the standard, and only 17 PD episodes available on VHS and DVD, fans have been waiting for the real thing. Now it is here. Classic Media has now released seasons I and II in a special collectors edition celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Masked Man and Tonto. The 13 box set includes 78 episodes (1900 minutes), an 88 page book packed with photos, a mask, and a rare comic book reprint. There are special features like the Lone Ranger appearance on Lassie (1958), Lone Ranger cartoons (1966), and an episode guide as well. The well heeled Ranger fan should take note.
The quality of the programs is outstanding! The video is crisp, the audio is clean, and the masked man never looked better in b/w. It is clear that they spared no expense in the preservation/restoration process. One thing that was very cool was the commercial break point that has not been deleted. Blowing wheat fields never looked so good. One hint to the origin of the `masters', is the commercial break insert here mark, indicating that these may be from masters or broadcast copies that were salted away somewhere.

If I can be critical of the collectors set it is the 88 page booklet. It is attractively packaged, with graphic images of the Lone Ranger from comics, advertising, and animated features, but a legend might have been useful. There are many photos from a variety of sources, but the book text is a largely a reprint from the Saturday Evening Post (1939! It would have been far better had there been an authoritative booklet on the history of the Ranger. The chronology is mostly based on the TV/movie history of the Lone Ranger with a couple of mentions that are not accurate. 1948 is the beginning of the Lone Ranger comic, but not at 145 issues. There were 2 other books released, and actually, Magic Comics and another McKay book began to reprint the comic strip in 1941, and even further back, the Lone Ranger ice cream comic hit stands in 1938/9.
That aside, this is long overdue, and very welcome.

Thanks for bringing us a DVD set that will place the Lone Ranger on video shelves one more time.

Tim Lasiuta

Just some helpfull info about this box set, I sent a email to Customer Support at Classic Media and I got a response....per Home Video Operation Manager at Classic Media the box set consist of 78 INDIVIDUAL original complete episodes and including the original music theme, hope this will clear some cofusion regarding this box set.

This set is truly what it is advertised to be. I just received my set today. Obviously, I have not viewed ALL 78 episodes yet, but do have a good start. The first three episodes are NOT condensed, but are three individual episodes. Nothing is "sped up". The commercial breaks (mid and end) are intact, with the wheat field. The General Mills ads themselves are not there, but that is fine. The next week previews are present. The opening is with Clayton Moore.

The cost is just a little bit pricey, but really not bad considering you are getting 78 complete episodes, in order, plus some bonus material. It is money well spent.

No regrets at all!

Two excellent previous reviews from the "Texan" and "Tim" give you the best info so far on this fabulous set.

The packet of memorabilia includes an authentic-looking "Victory Corps" membership card and vintage envelope, a "Safety Club" card, a packet of full color "Trading Cards," a reproduction of the little "Legend" comic book, and a glossy, signed facsimile photo of the Lone Ranger and Silver.

As a casual fan of the Lone Ranger TV show, but a rather rabid LR radio fan, I found this DVD Collection very much worth the money. At a nice Amazon discount, I feel it's well worth the money.

I doubt there will ever be another Lone Ranger Collector's Edition to match the 75th Anniversary release(s). Who knows what we will be watching 25 years from now for the 100th!

My only caveat is to take care sliding the DVDs in and out the cardboard gatefold pockets. Be sure they're dust and dirt free before returning them to their sleeves. Slimline cases for the DVDs might have been a better choice, especially at this price.

It's black and white, it's old, it's corny, and it's wonderful. Just like I remember from when I was a kid.

I bought this set as a gift for my husband who loves old westerns and is a big Gene Autry and Roy Rogers fan. He talked about Clayton Moore and seemed excited about the 75th anniversary edition, so I bought it for his birthday. He absolutely loves it. The funny thing is, I'm not really big into TV, but every time I heard "Hi Yo Silver, away" or the William Tell overture, it instantly sent me back to my childhood and tom-boy days. I ended up watching most of the episodes with my husband, just enjoying some good ol' fashioned entertainment. Sure beats the heck out the crap you find on TV today.