We Need the Masked Man Once More

The announcer's words always started talked about the "thrilling days of yesteryear."  Our parents and grandparents anxiously sat around the radio to listen to his adventures while we curled up in from of the television set to watch him.  Today's generation would consider him so outdated.  After all, he's so moralistic and goody two-shoes.

That's why we need him once more.

We need The Lone Ranger.  He and Tonto rode throughout the West, not only enforcing the law, but dispersing justice.  He had his own code and never once abandoned it.

Originally, The Lone Ranger started out in radio in 1933.  The writers had rules concerning the main character.  They were:

1. The Lone Ranger never smokes, never uses profanity, and never uses intoxicating beverages.
2. The Lone Ranger is a man who can fight great odds, yet takes time to treat a bird with a broken wing.
3. The Lone Ranger believes that our sacred American heritage provides that every individual has the right to worship God as he desires.
4. Play down gambling and drinking scenes as far as possible, and keep the Lone Ranger out of saloons. When this cannot be avoided, try to make the saloon a cafe and deal with waiters and food instead of bartenders and liquor.
5. The Lone Ranger at all times uses precise speech, without slang or dialect. His grammar must be pure. He must make proper use of "who" and "whom", "shall". and "will", "I" and "me", etc.
6. The Lone Ranger never shoots to kill. When he has to use guns, The Lone Ranger never shoots to kill, but rather only to disarm his opponent as painlessly as possible.

When Clayton Moore was cast as The Lone Ranger, he never again took off the mask in front of the camera, saying the role improved his life.  He had been something of a playboy and now wanted to set an example for the thousands of children who watched his show.  Moore wrote down a code for those children to follow, and did so himself.  He in effect truly became his role.  His autobiography was entitled I Was That Masked Man!

We need to follow Moore's example and follow in the footsteps of that masked man.  Listen to truth, justice and the American way.  We may not have a masked man riding to our rescue with his faithful Indian companion Tonto, but The Lone Ranger also taught us to stand up for ourselves.

Hi Yo Silver, Away!

                                                                                                  

It's Not About the Cards

Today, of course, is Easter.  And with a holiday comes another episode of The Hallmark Hall of Fame, the longest-running television series ever to have a single sponsor.  Hallmark has been putting out quality television for decades, and there are a good amount of households who will not answer the phone when this show is on.  They won't say, "I'm watching 'Promise,' or 'Decoration Day.'"  All they need do is say, "I'm watching Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the caller knows they can call when the show is over.

If a movie is particularly good and suitable for all ages, we give it a "Hallmark quality."  No better compliment can be given to it.

Once in a while, the film won't be as well received.  This doesn't happen often, but on those rare occasions, the commercials continue to shine.  As odd as it sounds, they do.  The Hallmark Hall of Fame is the one show where people constantly look forward to the commercials.  Forget the Super Bowl.  You may look forward to those that air during the game, but you're tired of them by the end of the fourth quarter, and certainly by the end of the week.


                                                                                 


Like the films, the commercials deal with relationships.  And that's why we love them so much.  There's an innocence in the commercials television rarely sees and has been missing for a long, long time.  The movies have a standard they stick to, and Hallmark promises this isn't going to change.

The Hallmark Hall of Fame has been around longer than a good amount of those reading this blog.  It will more than likely be around longer than us, as well.  One-third of all Oscar winners have appeared in these shows, and they have won all sorts of Emmy and Peabody Awards, making it the most honored show in television history.  But it's not about the cards, it's not about the awards.

It's about relationships, and that is what makes it all worthwhile.