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As a little boy I was into cowboys and indians. So, it was not surprising that my hero at the time was the Lone Ranger. The Lone Ranger wore white, had a black mask and rode on his white trusted steed.
His side kick was a Native American who he referred to as TONTO. Weird name to give to a friend. Because TONTO in Spanish means, someone that is stupid. TONTO, on the other hand, was a bit more respectful. Because he referred to the Lone Ranger as Quemo Sabe. Sabe in Spanish means, someone who is intelligent and knows.
So, the Lone Ranger thought that his Native American friend was stupid. While, on the other hand, TONTO thought the alone Ranger was smart. What a toxic relationship for a Dynamic Duo.
Well, at least now, when the Lone Ranger rides off into the sunset and people are left to wonder ... who was that mask man ? They know now what he was all about.
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Steve
The question I have is, who told the Lone Ranger that this man's name was Tonto? And did he know what it meant in Spanish? The TV show never explained any of that. In fact, from a writing perspective, the story never really developed either character beyond very one-dimensional personalities with no depth. Now I'm curious to Google and see if the stories were invented for those old black and white 15 minute shorts they've play in movie theaters and so there was no time for character development. That would make more sense to me.
Yes .. you are correct. I am talking about the black and white version.
by R+C; ; Report
OK, my brain won't stop working on this. I know Wikipedia isn't the most reliable source, but here is what I found:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lone_Ranger
Apparently it was created as a radio show in 1933. And then the writers of that wrote some books. And then came the TV series in 1949 which ran until 1957. According to the Wikipedia entry Tonto was added to the story to give the Lone Ranger someone to dialogue to. Kemosabe was the name of a summer camp that the writer's father-in-law ran, so he just borrowed it. In the local Indian language, which the article never says what tribe, Tonto meant 'wild one'.
by Steve; ; Report
I see .. “ WILD ONE “, but in-reality though, “ TONTO “ in Spanish means .. someone who is stupid. But, that’s ok. Whatever the definition, I wrote it just for fun. I appreciate your feedback
by R+C; ; Report
I found a little more info. Tonto was supposed to be from the Potowatomie tribe, which is a real tribe from the Michigan area where the writers were when they created the story. In the Potowatomie language Tonto means 'wild one.' They did not speak Spanish and neither did the writers.
by Steve; ; Report
I stand corrected.
by R+C; ; Report