In this 2013 post I talked about a great story that fit perfectly into my novel, The Burning Ground. That book is available on a Kindle Countdown Deal for one more day.
Jay Silverheels and Clayton Moore
Yeah, I know: most people say “The Lone Ranger and Tonto” rather than the other way around, but to me the Native American always comes first. I got to thinking about them recently for an obvious reason: the recently released Disney film, The Lone Ranger. No Tonto in the title here, but at least the top-billed star, Johnny Depp, is playing the role (in war paint and everything), and the story is told from his point of view. This will make my bride immensely happy, as she loves Johnny Depp and his quirky roles. (Although I still can’t get her to see Sleepy Hollow.)
Being an…uh, older person I grew up with the Lone Ranger and Tonto in the TV series, which ran from 1952 to 1954. (Years earlier it had been a radio program.) Loved the show! Clayton Moore played the Lone Ranger, and Tonto was portrayed by Jay Silverheels, a Canadian Mohawk First Nations actor. A deep-voiced announcer, Fred Foy, recited the classic opening to the show:
“A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty Hi-Yo Silver! The Lone Ranger! 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 western United States! Nowhere in the pages of history can one find a greater champion of justice! Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear! From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver! The Lone Ranger rides again!”
In my Native American-themed ghost story, The Burning Ground, I have a scene where a number of people are telling humorous stories. (Can’t tell you why; it’s a key plot point. Guess you’ll just have to read it.) I found an awesome Tonto/Lone Ranger story on a Native American website and used it in the scene. Here it is:
Tonto and the Lone Ranger go camping in the foothills. They set up a tent and go to sleep. Hours later Tonto wakes the Lone Ranger and asks him to look up, tell him what he sees. “A lot of stars,” he says, and Tonto says, “What does that tell you?” The Lone Ranger says, “That there are millions of galaxies and maybe billions of planets, and that we are just one small and insignificant speck in the cosmos. What does it tell you, Tonto?” And Tonto says, “It tells me, Kemo Sabe, that you are an idiot. It tells me that someone has stolen our tent.”