Celebrating Tonto …

Jay Silverheels - Tonto Portrait

Jay Silverheels / Tonto

Born: 26 May 1912 , Six Nations Reservation, Brantford, Ontario, Canada  Was a full-blooded Mohawk Indian, one of 11 children of A.G.E. Smith, who had served as a decorated officer in the Canadian forces in WWI.

Birth name: Harold J. Smith

Adopted the nickname ‘Silverheels” during a very brief boxing career, which saw him compete as a middleweight in a Golden Gloves bout in New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
Alternate story: Jay took his stage name of Silverheels from his track days as a youth, when, wearing white shoes, he ran so fast his feet appeared to be streaks of white. Since he thought it would be awkward for a Native American to have the name of Whiteheels, he chose Silver instead.

Wikipedia: “While playing in Los Angeles on a touring box lacrosse team in 1937, he impressed Joe E. Brown with his athleticism. Brown encouraged Silverheels to do a screen test, which led to his acting career.  Silverheels began working in motion pictures as an extra and stunt man.”

Internet Movie Datebase (IMDB): “He was a star lacrosse player and a boxer before he entered films as a stuntman in 1938. He worked in a number of films through the 1940s before gaining notice as the Osceola brother in a Humphrey Bogart film Key Largo (1948) (John Huston cast him). Most of Silverheels’ roles consisted of bit parts as an Indian character. In 1949, he worked in the movie The Cowboy and the Indians (1949) with another “B movie” actor Clayton Moore. Later that year, Silverheels was hired to play the faithful Indian companion, Tonto, in the TV series The Lone Ranger (1949) series, which brought him the fame that his motion picture career never did.
“Silverheels could not escape the typecasting of Tonto. He would continue to appear in an occasional film and television show but became a spokesperson to improve the portrayal of Indians in the media.”
– IMDb Mini Biography By: Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com>

Reportedly beat out 35 other actors to win the Tonto role in the initial radio version of “The Lone Ranger“, which he had been invited to audition for based on his appearance in Key Largo (1948).

“Silverheels became an outspoken activist for Indian rights and a respected teacher within the Indian acting community. He appeared on talk and variety shows performing his own poetry. In later years, he began a second career as a harness racer. His health failed in the 1970s, and he died of a stroke in 1980, a beloved figure to the Baby Boom generation America. His son, Jay Silverheels Jr. has acted in television as well.”
– IMDb Mini Biography By: Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>

Jay played Apache chief Geronimo in two films, Broken Arrow (1950) and Walk The Proud Land (1956).

First Americans in the Arts honored Jay Silverheels with their Life Achievement Award.

Jay founded the Indian Actors’ Workshop in Echo, California in 1963.

Inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1993.

Jay was inducted into the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1997.

Was an avid horse-racer when not acting.

 

The Lone Ranger and Tonto – Silver and Scout

The Lone Ranger and Tonto / Silver and Scout

I’m sure most people think that The Lone Ranger came out of the 50’s. Wrong! The Lone Ranger started on radio back before 1933 and ran over 900 shows up until 1956. 23 years! It translated to TV from 1949 to 1957.

So … my “Thrilling days of yesterday” go back to the early 50’s when I used to listen to The Lone Ranger on the radio. We didn’t always have a TV because Dad feared (rightly) that we wouldn’t read much.  But I loved the radio shows and listened to Hopalong Cassidy, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, The Shadow, Superman – and a few other radio programs as well. Grand stuff.

The Lone Ranger page 1

The Lone Ranger Page 2

The Lone Ranger and Silver

The Lone Ranger Theme / William Tell Overture by Rossini 

The Lone Ranger pistol bar

Tonto and Scout 2

Silver Bullets

Silver

that long ago

Steeds of Renown _______ The Western Quiz

The End of an Era

The Lone Ranger and Tonto

If there’s any one thing that separates the modern Western from Westerns of the past, it’s the loss of Romance.
Nothing illustrates this loss more than the almost non-existent relationship between the modern Western Hero and his Horse/Steed.
In the modern Western a horse is just a prop – a vehicle  – a necessary, but no-named beast. Slap on your saddle and ride off – not likely into the sunset.

It’s sad I tell ya.

WIth that in mind I’d like to pay homage to those lost Days of Yesteryear …
with this quiz:

The Steeds of Renown / A quiz:

The quiz matchups range from ridiculously easy – to insanely difficult.
And some are just plain ridiculous.

Click link below to do this quiz:

http://q40655.questionwritertracker.com/NDTPQM83/

Steeds of Renown Quiz

Cat Ballou - Lee Marvin and Steed
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . . . . . . . . .

I hope that was a bit of fun for you. 

Your Score: 

Less than 10 correct = Stand down wind Please.

13 Correct = Fetch yer saddle. 

16 correct = Let’s ride!

19 correct = Welcome at my campfire.

22 or more correct = There’s a bottle in the saddlebag … 

The Lone Ranger Creed

The Lone Ranger Theme / William Tell Overture /  Gioachino Rossini

The Lone Ranger Creed
The Lone Ranger Creed

The Lone Ranger: “Only you, Tonto, know I’m alive. To the world, I’ll be buried here beside my brother and my friends… forever.”

Tonto: “You are alone now. Last man. You are lone ranger.”

The Lone Ranger: “Yes, Tonto, I am… the Lone Ranger.”

Tonto … Jay Silverheels

Jay Silverheels - Tonto 3

Jay Silverheels / Canadian Mohawk
Jay Silverheels achieved his greatest fame as the The Lone Ranger’s friend, Tonto. Being irreplaceable as the Lone Ranger’s best friend he subsequently also appeared in films, The Lone Ranger (1956) as well as in The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (1958). – Wikipedia

Jay Silverheels - Tonto

Silverheels began working in motion pictures as an extra and stunt man in 1937. During the early years of his screen career, he was billed variously as Harold Smith or Harry Smith, and appeared in low-budget features, westerns, and serials. He adopted his screen name from the nickname he had had as a speedy lacrosse player. From the late 1940s he played in more prestigious pictures, including Captain from Castile starring Tyrone Power, I Am an American (1944), Key Largo with Humphrey Bogart (1948), Lust for Gold with Glenn Ford (1949), Broken Arrow (1950) with James StewartWar Arrow (1953) with Maureen O’HaraJeff Chandler and Noah Beery, Jr., Drums Across the River (1954), Walk the Proud Land (1956) with Audie Murphy and Anne BancroftAlias Jesse James (1959) with Bob Hope, and Indian Paint (1964) with Johnny Crawford. He made a brief appearance in True Grit (1969) as a condemned criminal about to be executed. He played a substantial role as John Crow in Santee (1973), starring Glenn Ford. One of his last roles was a wise white-haired chief in The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing (1973). – Wikepedia

… those thrilling days of yesteryear …

The Lone Ranger 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=w6Geh0NWiYg#t=17s

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!

From the Website: 

CLAYTON MOORE, THE LONE RANGER

Clayton Moore with his beautiful horse, Silver

http://claytonmoore.tripod.com/

The Lone Ranger Creed!
By: Fran Striker

“I believe that to have a friend,
a man must be one. 

That all men are created equal
and that everyone has within himself
the power to make this a better world. 

That God put the firewood there
but that every man
must gather and light it himself.

In being prepared
physically, mentally, and morally
to fight when necessary
for that which is right. 

That a man should make the most
of what equipment he has.

That ‘This government,
of the people, by the people
and for the people’
shall live always.

That men should live by
the rule of what is best
for the greatest number. 

That sooner or later…
somewhere…somehow…
we must settle with the world
and make payment for what we have taken.

That all things change but truth, and that truth alone, lives on forever. In my Creator, my country, my fellow man.”

… those thrilling days of yesteryear …

The Lone Ranger 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=w6Geh0NWiYg#t=17s

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!

From the Website: 

CLAYTON MOORE, THE LONE RANGER

Clayton Moore with his beautiful horse, Silver

http://claytonmoore.tripod.com/

The Lone Ranger Creed!
By: Fran Striker

“I believe that to have a friend,
a man must be one. 

That all men are created equal
and that everyone has within himself
the power to make this a better world. 

That God put the firewood there
but that every man
must gather and light it himself.

In being prepared
physically, mentally, and morally
to fight when necessary
for that which is right. 

That a man should make the most
of what equipment he has.

That ‘This government,
of the people, by the people
and for the people’
shall live always.

That men should live by
the rule of what is best
for the greatest number. 

That sooner or later…
somewhere…somehow…
we must settle with the world
and make payment for what we have taken.

That all things change but truth, and that truth alone, lives on forever. In my Creator, my country, my fellow man.”