The Lone Ranger was typical of the first wave of Westerns to hit TV in the early 1950's. Characters and plots were simple--good guys vs. bad guys--and there was none of the character development that marked the later "adult" Westerns.

Clayton Moore was the best-known TV Lone Ranger (he also filled the role in two feature films made in the late 1950's), but the character was also played by veteran actor John Hart for a couple of seasons. Tonto was always played to poker-faced perfection by Jay Silverheels, a mixed-blood Mohawk Indian who in later years became quite successful as a horse breeder and racer. Asked once if he would consider racing Scout, he smiled and replied, "Heck I can beat Scout."