Tag: Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger Rides into Court

On: By: Romeyn

CHICAGO, Feb. 24.—(AP)—The Lone Ranger rode right into Federal Judge William J. Campbell’s courtroom today, figuratively speaking.

The mythical hero of millions of youngsters was represented by Atty. Raymond J. (Hi Yo, Silver!) Meurer who demanded and obtained a temporary order restraining a competitor from using the Ranger’s name.

The suit by Lone Ranger, Inc., Detroit, alleged that Sunbrock Shows, Inc., which will present a rodeo here Saturday, advertised with “fraud and misrepresentation” that the Lone Ranger would appear. It also asserted Sunbrock infringed on a copyright of the Lone Ranger’s name and familiar ‘Hi Yo, Silver, Away!”

Meurer’s suit alleged that an original idea conceived in 1933 by George W. Trendle of Detroit had been exploited at a cost of $1,000,000 via the radio, movies and comic strips and that 4,000,000 youngsters were members of Lone Ranger clubs.

The suit also asked $250,000 damages from Sunbrock Shows, Inc., its owners, Larry Sunbrock and William E. Baker, and perormers. Judge Campbell, with hoofbeats seemingly echoing in the courtroom, set a further hearing for tomorrow.

Lone Ranger, 1938

On: By: Romeyn

In 1865, Captain Mark Smith of the Confederate Army leads a band of deserters to conquer Texas and rule it as a dictator. In one of his first actions, he captures and assumes the identity of Texas’ new Finance Commissioner, Colonel Marcus Jeffries, after having the real man murdered. When a contingent of Texas Rangers enters the territory, Snead, one of Smith’s men, leads them into an ambush by Smith’s “troopers”. The Rangers are apparently wiped out, although one injured survivor is left. The survivor, nursed back to health by Tonto, swears to avenge the massacre and defeat “Colonel Jeffries” and his men.

When he is not operating as the Ranger, he appears under an assumed identity as one of a group of Texans resisting Smith’s rule. Smith, through a henchman, has narrowed the field of suspects down to five specific members of the resistance. One of these five, Allen King, Bob Stuart, Bert Rogers, Dick Forrest, and Jim Clark, actually is the Ranger, but only Tonto, and the other four Texans, know which one it is. Together, they operate as an effective team attempting to end Smith’s rule. (Wikipedia)