On this day May 22, 1981, The Legend of the Lone Ranger premiered in theaters. Directed by William A. Fraker, the film starred Klinton Spilsbury as the masked hero, Michael Horse as Tonto and Christopher Lloyd as the villainous Butch Cavendish. It aimed to reintroduce the iconic Western character to a new generation of moviegoers.
Despite high hopes and a substantial 18 million dollar budget, the film struggled at the box office and earned only 12.6 million dollars. It faced controversy for replacing longtime radio and TV Lone Ranger actor Clayton Moore and for dubbing over Spilsbury’s voice.
Fun fact: James Keach provided the voice for the Lone Ranger, dubbing over Klinton Spilsbury in post-production.
Despite high hopes and a substantial 18 million dollar budget, the film struggled at the box office and earned only 12.6 million dollars. It faced controversy for replacing longtime radio and TV Lone Ranger actor Clayton Moore and for dubbing over Spilsbury’s voice.
Fun fact: James Keach provided the voice for the Lone Ranger, dubbing over Klinton Spilsbury in post-production.
