Old TV Shows

An Iconic TV Franchise

 

This month, my interest in Law & Orders was not as strong as the first go around.  My interest shifted to TV Westerns from the 1950s and early 1960s.   I have watched the Lone Ranger, Bat Masterson, Tombstone Territory, and Tales of Wells Fargo.  I really liked The Lone Ranger.  It was a show I loved as a kid, and it was familiar and warming to watch it again as an adult.  All of these shows were half-hour Western dramas with the same formula.  A dastardly crime was committed, and then the protagonist solved the crime within the half-hour.  True to the 1950s ethos, the good guys always won.

In recovering from knee surgeries back in January and now in June.  It took a few weeks to get back to get back to my normal mental self.  This was due to the anesthesia to wearing off and then weaning myself off the pain meds.  The first time around, I had two Jack Reacher books staged to read in my recovery.  The first took a full week to read simply because of my less than normal concentration.  I read the second book in two days. 

I also watched TV as well.  In January, I watched a lot of Law and Order reruns.  They held my interest, and I always liked that series.  The "Law & Order" franchise is one of the most influential and long-running television franchises in the history of American TV. Created by Dick Wolf, it first premiered in 1990 and has since expanded into six interconnected series that explore one crime in each episode.  The first half of each episode is about and crime and how law enforcement investigates and find the perpetrators.  In the second half, the show shifts to the legal system trying the perpetrators for the crime.  It is a wonderfully crafted format that has lasted 35 years and still in production.  I watched re-runs which are almost always on a handful of re-run cable networks.

The Lone Ranger was a former Texas Ranger.  We never knew the Lone Ranger’s name as he preferred to roam and do his good deeds anonymously.  His desire to remain anonymous was so strong, he wore a mask further protect his anonymity.  The Lone Ranger was assisted and his loyal Native American companion Tonto. Together, they roamed the American West fighting injustice, helping settlers, and defending the innocent.  They found crimes and injustice that needed righting in every episode.  Once they righted the wrong, the did not stick around to get thanks or bask in the glory of their good deed.  Instead the humbly rode off in search of their next adventure.

The Lone Ranger TV series ran from 1949-1957.  There were 221 shows in the series.  Clayton Moore and John Hart played the Lone Ranger.  Jay Silverheels was Tonto.

There is a Detroit connection to the Lone Ranger that I sort of knew about but never knew what it was.  In preparing for this post, I learned that the TV series was the natural extension of the widely popular Lone Ranger radio show.  The Lone Ranger, as well as the Green Hornet, were created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker who were based in Detroit.  The Lone Ranger debuted on WXYZ, a large Detroit radio station, on January 30, 1933.  It aired in only in Detroit before going national. 

I owe a debt to the Law and Order franchise and the Lone Ranger for entertaining me through my recovery.  While, they were not prescribed by any medical experts, they were sure helpful in the healing process from knee replacements.