Hi-Yo Silver (1940)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

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" (1966)

Who did the Ranger's voice

I am commenting on your statement that Earl W. Graser did the Lone Ranger's voice in the serial. If you check Bill Witney's book "In a Door, Into a Fight, Out a Door, Into a Chase," you will see that he credits Billy Bletcher as being the voice. After all, Witney was the director of that film and he should know. Witney said that they didn't want to use the voice of the actor who was to be the Lone Ranger, because the kids would know who the Ranger before the last chapter. I don't know if they had Lee Powell picked as the Ranger at that point. The Ranger's eye mask had a mesh that covered the mouth so you could not see the lips move. Yak Canutt who wore the mask for the action scenes, liked to spit tobacco and occasionally forgot he was wearing a mask that covered his mouth. When he would go to spit, the tobacco juice came back in his face. Witney said "We were glad that the censors weren't on the set when that happened." Witney says that five voice actors were used before they decided on Billy Bletcher. Bletcher was about five foot tall and weighed 200 pounds. When he delivered the Hi Yo Silver line, the sound would reverberate through the Alabama Hills. While Earl Graser was known to radio audiences as the Lone Ranger, it was Brace Beemer's deep voice that fans remember and also this was Clayton Moore's inspiration for doing his role.