GOOD GUYS DIDN'T HAVE TO KILL TO WIN.Byline: Dennis McCarthy Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
``I figure 50 years from now there will be two kids, and they'll be deciding who'll be the Lone Ranger Lone Ranger arch foe of criminals in early west. [Radio: “The Lone Ranger” in Buxton, 143–144; Comics: Horn, 460; TV: Terrace, II, 34–35] See : Crime Fighting Lone Ranger and who'll be Tonto.'' - Rand Brooks at the memorial service for actor Clayton Moore Clayton Moore (September 14, 1914 – December 28, 1999) was an American actor best known for playing the fictional western character The Lone Ranger. Born as Jack Carlton Moore . Fifty years ago, Freddie and I would meet in the park down the block from the projects in the Bronx, and play odds and evens for it. On the count of three, we'd shoot out one or two fingers from our fist. If it was odds, Freddie was the Lone Ranger. If it was evens, I was. I used to pray for evens. It was similar experiences shared by so many kids that Rand Brooks had in mind when he spoke at Clayton Moore's memorial service Sunday - that the Lone Ranger, whom Moore played on TV for 169 episodes in the '50s, will live on with another generation of kids. But I don't think so. The hero a lot of guys from my generation grew up idolizing rode into the sunset a long time ago. His kind of hero went out of style. Not tough or mean enough. Did you know the Lone Ranger never killed anyone? Not one bad guy in eight years on TV and hundreds of shootouts, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. ``The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows.'' Try pitching an action hero show like that on TV today. Good luck. No dead bodies in Dodge City Dodge City, city (1990 pop. 21,129), seat of Ford co., SW Kans., on the Arkansas River; inc. 1875. The distribution center for a wheat and livestock producing area, it also packs meat and makes agricultural implements. - no blood and guts? No, gasp, sex? Forget it. Who wants to see a hero who doesn't exact revenge by maiming or killing the bad guys - a hero who doesn't stick around to get the girl and have a drink on the town? Not the Lone Ranger. He was too busy for all that. He had to hit the trail - ride off into the sunset on Silver, with his sidekick Tonto on Scout. There were more bad guys up to no good out there the Lone Ranger had to bring to justice. Cool. Did you know how the Lone Ranger came to be Lone? Stick this one in the back of your mind just in case Regis Philbin Regis Francis Xavier Philbin (born August 25, 1931) is an Emmy Award-winning American television personality best known for his roles as a talk show host, game show host, singer and presenter at various events. calls. His real name was John Reid John Reid may refer to:
``The rangers were lured into an ambush in a canyon, and five of them were slaughtered,'' according to the TV history book. ``The sixth, young John Reid, was left for dead. ``But Reid managed to crawl to safety near a water hole, where he was found and nursed back to health by a friendly Indian named Tonto. Reid had once helped Tonto, and the Indian now vowed to stay with him as the `lone' Ranger sought to avenge a·venge tr.v. a·venged, a·veng·ing, a·veng·es 1. To inflict a punishment or penalty in return for; revenge: avenge a murder. 2. the deaths of his comrades. ``Reid buried his past at the graves of the five dead Rangers, donned a mask, and set out with Tonto to avenge wrongs throughout the Old West.'' Without having to kill anyone. ``Even in a lot of the (John) Wayne movies, and Wyatt Earp The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp series, it was mainly fistfights in the barroom, or a showdown at the end of the movie in the middle of the street, where most of the time the gun was shot out of the bad guy's hand, and he was sent off to jail,`` said Joe Cranston. Joe's a writer and old movie cowboy who helped start Reel Cowboys, a group of movie cowboys who live in the Valley, and do some wonderful work with abused kids and women. ``It's all so brutal now,'' Cranston says. ``We're creating a whole generation of people desensitized de·sen·si·tize tr.v. de·sen·si·tized, de·sen·si·tiz·ing, de·sen·si·tiz·es 1. To render insensitive or less sensitive. 2. Immunology To make (an individual) nonreactive or insensitive to an antigen. to murder. And a lot of the time, it's the good guys, the hero, doing all the murdering in order to win.'' ``The Lone Ranger didn't have to kill to win. He treated ladies like ladies, and honesty was important. ``Your word meant something,'' Cranston said. ``That was always underlined, and the kids could see it. They all wanted to be the Lone Ranger.'' Who knows, Joe says? Maybe Rand Brooks is right. Maybe 50 years from now, kids will again be deciding who'll be the Lone Ranger and who'll be Tonto if we give them the chance to have heroes like we had 50 years ago. ``I think people really want that, but we haven't seen it on TV or in the movies for so long we've forgotten what the good guys were like,'' Cranston says. They didn't have to kill to win. They treated ladies like ladies. Honesty was important, and their word meant something. Good guys. Before they went out of style because they weren't tough or mean enough. |
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