The Lone Ranger Rides Again

Man, this was a great show. Written and performed with enthusiasm, with great sound effects and strong scripts, it ran over 20 years on radio.
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What made it such a great show? First, the back story of the Ranger is pretty cool. He was, of course, the sole surviver of a band of Texas Rangers that was ambushed by outlaws. Opting to hide his identity (and funding his activities with his secret silver mine), he dedicated his life to bringing justice to the West. He's cool. His best friend Tonto is cool. Even their horses, Scout and Silver, are cool.
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Second, the show had wonderful production values, with great sound effects and a skilled set of actors to take the various character roles in each episode.
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Third, it had the most perfect theme music ever. If hearing the William Tell Overture doesn't generate a vivid image of the Ranger astride Silver, galloping across the Southwestern desert, then you need to get your ears checked.
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Fourth, it stayed true to the character of the Ranger. He pretty much has to be corny--a symbol of justice and the ideal that we are all our brother's keepers. Try to inject angst or to play the character tongue-in-cheek and you would lose your audience instantly.
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From 1941 until the series ended in 1954, the Ranger was played with deep-voiced authority by Brace Beemer. Beemer's performance really captured the ideals that make the Ranger so appealing a character. (Much as Clayton Moore also did when the character came to television.)
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Fifth, the stories were great. The Ranger was an expert pistol-shot, of course, but he doesn't depend purely on violence to get the job done. He uses his brains more often than his silver bullets, coming up with clever plans to trick or trap whatever outlaws he's after at the moment.
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During the run of the series, there were also a number of extended story arcs. The Ranger once spent four consecutive episodes helping to protect the first transcontinental railroad from sabotage. A great two-parter involved three sets of bad guys trying to recover a map to a hidden cache of outlaw gold, with the Ranger caught in the middle. The Ranger and Tonto spent a dozen or so episodes on the waterfront in San Francisco, dealing with smugglers, thieves and a outbreak of plague.
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The most extended story arc ran for about 60 episodes beginning in late 1941. An organization called the Legion of the Black Arrow was planning a campaign of terrorism and sabotage across the West, hoping to sow enough confusion to allow them to set up a dictatorship. For months, the Ranger and Tonto barely foiled one plot after another, dealing with hidden agents of the Black Arrow at every turn. On several occasions, they captured someone they thought was the leader, only to have their captive assassinated by someone even higher up before he could talk.
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One last factor in the success of the Lone Ranger was announcer Fred Foy. It was Foy who asked that we "Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear" at the beginning of every episode. Foy was a wonderful announcer and an integral part of the show, able to jump in with vivid and exciting third person narration whenever needed.
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We are fortunate that so many Lone Ranger episodes have survived today. They are just as entertaining to listen to now as they were when they aired over half-a-century ago. The Lone Ranger radio show gives us some of the best storytelling ever.