The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)

In this retelling of the classic origin story, young lawyer John Reid (Klinton Spilsbury) survives an ambush by the Butch Cavendish gang that kills his Texas Ranger brother. Nursed back to health by his childhood friend Tonto (Michael Horse), Reid dons a mask to fight crime, eventually saving President Ulysses S. Grant from a plot to make Texas an independent nation. The cast also includes Christopher Lloyd and Jason Robards with Klinton Spilsbury’s voice dubbed by James Keach. It was filmed in New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and California with many scenes shot in Monument Valley, Carson National Forest, Santa Fe National Forest, and Valley of Fire State Park. 

M.V. Moorhead will introduce the film and lead a post-screening discussion with the audience.

M.V. Moorhead is currently the weekly film reviewer for Phoenix Magazine online. He has won five first-place Arizona Press Club awards for film, theatre and opera criticism at Phoenix New Times; he’s also written reviews for the Erie Times-News, Wrangler News and other publications. His other writings have appeared in publications throughout the U.S. and in Australia, ranging from USA Today to Elysian Fields Quarterly to Weird Tales. A native of Erie, Pennsylvania, he’s lived in Arizona for more than 30 years. 

Rating: PG

Length: 1h 38m