The two biggest heroes on the small screen in the dawning days of television in the late forties and early fifties were Hopalong Cassidy and The Lone Ranger. William Boyd had bought the rights to his old Hopalong Cassidy movies and made a mint while launching a fabulous comeback when he sold them to TV. The Lone Ranger came to television in 1949 with Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels iconic in the roles of The Ranger and Tonto. Boyd exploited the popularity of his old movies by filming a series of half-hour shows directly for television. Both THE LONE RANGER and HOPALONG CASSIDY were among the ten top rated shows.
The Hoppy shows were fairly well produced for that era. Outdoor scenes were filmed outdoors. Top character actor Edgar Buchanan was brought in as sidekick Red Connors. Casts were filled with B movie stalwarts, the plots lifted from the Hopalong Cassidy radio series.
This was the most interesting episode. Clayton Moore had left THE LONE RANGER series over a salary dispute, being replaced by John Hart for one season. He found a gig as a cement-thick heavy on the Hoppy show. Moore plays a vicious outlaw who is guilty of counterfeiting, kidnapping, and murder. In the end Hoppy ferrets him out at his hideout in a remote barn and the two slug it out. Although Hoppy appears elderly and even a bit unsteady on his feet at times, he has no trouble handling the younger Moore, knocking him down several times. In the time-honored tradition of B western bad guys, Moore cheats. He grabs a pitchfork and tries to gut Hoppy before a right cross puts him out for good.
As Moore's voice was unmistakable, I wonder what the other little shavers thought while watching their two great heroes going toe to toe. I know what this one thought. I was disconsolate. My mother noticed I wasn't eating my Cheerios the next morning and inquired why. I told her that The Lone Ranger had turned into a bad guy. She was wise. She told me that it was obviously not The Lone Ranger, but his evil twin brother. That made me feel much better.
The Hoppy shows were fairly well produced for that era. Outdoor scenes were filmed outdoors. Top character actor Edgar Buchanan was brought in as sidekick Red Connors. Casts were filled with B movie stalwarts, the plots lifted from the Hopalong Cassidy radio series.
This was the most interesting episode. Clayton Moore had left THE LONE RANGER series over a salary dispute, being replaced by John Hart for one season. He found a gig as a cement-thick heavy on the Hoppy show. Moore plays a vicious outlaw who is guilty of counterfeiting, kidnapping, and murder. In the end Hoppy ferrets him out at his hideout in a remote barn and the two slug it out. Although Hoppy appears elderly and even a bit unsteady on his feet at times, he has no trouble handling the younger Moore, knocking him down several times. In the time-honored tradition of B western bad guys, Moore cheats. He grabs a pitchfork and tries to gut Hoppy before a right cross puts him out for good.
As Moore's voice was unmistakable, I wonder what the other little shavers thought while watching their two great heroes going toe to toe. I know what this one thought. I was disconsolate. My mother noticed I wasn't eating my Cheerios the next morning and inquired why. I told her that The Lone Ranger had turned into a bad guy. She was wise. She told me that it was obviously not The Lone Ranger, but his evil twin brother. That made me feel much better.
