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THE LONE RANGER WILL RIDE AGAIN....THANKS TO MWOTRC
by Kathleen O'Reilly, ©2013
(From Radio Recall, April 2013)
Any survey aimed at identifying the most
popular 'old time radio' show of all times would
certainly list The Lone Ranger at or near the top.
Even the first bars of the William Tell Overture
typically trigger countless childhood memories.
Decades after its first broadcast, there remains a
persistent hunger for more episodes to stir the
imagination's powerful ability to join with the Lone
Ranger as he successfully battles injustice with his
ever-faithful companion Tonto.
Part of that hunger will be satisfied June 25-26
in East Lansing,Michigan. Featuring the matchless
sound effect talents of Mark and Marsha Bush, a
script specially written by Jack French will use his
considerable talent and knowledge of the Western
genre to make it possible for the our cowboy hero
to ride again---this time across the campus of
Michigan State University.
Led by these three MWOTRC linchpins, the
scripted radio performance to include adults and
children alike, will be one of the evening
entertainment offerings at Michigan State
University's annual Grandparents University (GPU).
This increasingly popular GPU concept is catching
on at colleges across the country but MSU's
remains the most extensive vited to a three-day program in which they
bunk together and share their meals on campus
while attending a wide array of classes. Two
generations learn together side-by-side at what the
faculty describe as the highlight of their own
academic year You can see the details of MSU's
GPU program and class offerings at
www.grandparents.msu.edu
and/or
www.grandparents.msu.edu/classesl2013
Why select Michigan State University as The
Lone Ranger site? Like most native Detroiters I
have deep hometown pride not only in The Lone
Ranger but the Green Hornet and Challenge of the
Yukon. (Jack French is likewise a Michigan native!)
As my great nephew Caleb looks forward to his third
year at GPU with his grandpa, my brother John, I
thought his GPU generation should have the fun of
learning this part of Detroit's history All the better
to hear back stories of this most iconic legacy of the
Golden Era of Detroit radio.
The script is being built around instantly
identifiable sites and fixtures on the MSU campus,
including the Michael Jordan statue so popular with
youngsters of all ages. A lookout in the plot will be
poised on Beaumont Tower and the sound of the
creaky drawbridge sound effect will transport the
audience to the Red Cedar River that flows around
the campus. There will even be a chance for the
audience to vote on which of two endings to the
plot they want to see unfold.
The program will also shed light on why the
originators of these Detroit legendary radio
programs selected classical music for the theme
songs rather than simply relying on Western and
other popular music of the day Grandparents and
grandchildren will learn why Tonto came from the
Pottawatomie tribal nation, not from some other
tribe, and many more such fascinating insights.
The evening's program will also be a rare
opportunity for children of all ages to learn the art of
sound effects with demonstrations to include a
variety of examples of what children can duplicate
once back home or in the classroom. As part of
their Michigan visit, plans are also underway to have
a series of media interviews with Jack, Mark and
Marsha. This way many in the Midwest far beyond
the walls of the MSU campus can be exposed not
only to their expertise but our hopefully contagious
enthusiasm for this American classic.
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