Hi-Yo Silver (1940)

Directors:

William Witney
John English

Writers:

Franklin Adreon (writer)
Ronald Davidson (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

10 April 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

Edited version of the 1938 Republic serial "The Lone Ranger." |

Plot Keywords:

Lone Ranger | Feature Version Of Serial | Character Name In Title

Cast

Lynne Roberts	...	Joan Blanchard (archive footage) (as Lynn Roberts)
Stanley Andrews	...	Capt. Smith, alias Jeffries (archive footage)
George Cleveland	...	George Blanchard (archive footage)
Chief Thundercloud	...	Tonto (archive footage) (as Chief Thunder-Cloud)
William Farnum	...	Father McKim (archive footage)
Hal Taliaferro	...	Bob Stuart (archive footage)
Bruce Bennett	...	Bert Rogers (archive footage) (as Herman Brix)
Lee Powell	...	Allen King (archive footage)
Lane Chandler	...	Dick Forrest (archive footage)
George Montgomery	...	Jim Clark (archive footage) (as George Letz)
John Merton	...	Kester, a thug (archive footage)
Sammy McKim	...	Sammy, Cannon's grandson (archive footage)
Tom London	...	Belton (archive footage)
Ray Bennett	...	Taggart (archive footage) (as Raphael Bennet)
Maston Williams	...	Joe Snead, a thug (archive footage)
Frank McGlynn Sr.	...	Abraham Lincoln (archive footage)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ted Adams	...	Thug (uncredited) (archive footage)
Billy Bletcher	...	Lone Ranger (voice) (uncredited) (archive footage)
Fred Burns	...	Holt, lead settler at finale (uncredited) (archive footage)
Allan Cavan	...	Maj. Brennan (uncredited) (archive footage)
Edmund Cobb	...	Ranger Running from Behind Rock (uncredited) (archive footage)
Tex Cooper	...	White-bearded Refugee (uncredited) (archive footage)
Art Dillard	...	Morgan Thug (uncredited) (archive footage)
Frank Ellis	...	Morgan Thug (uncredited) (archive footage)
Raymond Hatton	...	Smokey (uncredited)
Jimmy Hollywood	...	Fort Cellblock Guard (uncredited) (archive footage)
Reed Howes	...	Lt. Brown (uncredited) (archive footage)
Jack Ingram	...	Thug Restraining Jeffries (uncredited) (archive footage)
Walter James	...	Joe Cannon (uncredited) (archive footage)
Dickie Jones	...	The Boy (uncredited)
Charles King	...	Morley, a thug (uncredited) (archive footage)
Joe Kirk	...	Morgan Thug with Round Face (uncredited) (archive footage)
Edna Lawrence	...	Marina, the servant-girl (uncredited) (archive footage)
George Magrill	...	Fort Gate Sentry (uncredited) (archive footage)
Millard McGowan	...	Morgan Thug (uncredited) (archive footage)
Forbes Murray	...	The Real Col. Marcus Jeffries (uncredited) (archive footage)
Bud Osborne	...	Morgan Thug Finding Loot (uncredited) (archive footage)
Jack Perrin	...	Morgan, gang leader (uncredited) (archive footage)
Carl Saxe	...	Stockade Wall Sentry (uncredited) (archive footage)
Francis Sayles	...	Texan Congratulating Smith (uncredited) (archive footage)
Carl Stockdale	...	Refugee Leader at Stockade (uncredited) (archive footage)
Blackie Whiteford	...	Thug-soldier (uncredited) (archive footage)

Directed by
William Witney
John English		(director: archive footage)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Franklin Adreon		writer
Ronald Davidson		writer
Lois Eby		writer
Barry Shipman		writer
Fran Striker		radio series
George W. Trendle		Lone Ranger creator
George Worthing Yates		writer

Produced by
Sol C. Siegel	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
William Nobles

Film Editing by
Edward Todd
Helene Turner

Production Management
Robert M. Beche	....	production manager

Music Department
Alberto Colombo	....	musical director
Karl Hajos	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
William Lava	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Republic Pictures

Distributors

• Republic Pictures (1940) (USA) (theatrical)
• Hollywood's Attic (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Videowest (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• VCI Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

69 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)

Certification:

Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures

Trivia:

When the Lone Ranger calls out 'Hi Yo Silver, Away' it is the voice of Earle W. Graser, the radio's Lone Ranger that is heard and not the voice of either Lee Powell or Billy Bletcher. His recording of this signature cry was used even after his death and Brace Beemer had become the Lone Ranger.

Movie Connections:

Followed by The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (1958)

Takes too many liberties with the Lone Ranger legend

This condensed movie serial has its moments (it is, after all, The Lone Ranger), but I found the characterization to be almost nonexistent and the plotline too meandering. What was even worse, they completely ignored the standard history of The Lone Ranger and instead set up a contrived mystery of trying to guess who the real Lone Ranger was out of five suspects (and none of those five was John Reid, the Ranger of radio and TV). A framing story was used to skip past the deleted serial scenes, so it wasn't completely confusing, but some of those scenes sounded pretty exciting and I hope I can see the complete serial someday.