The Legend of the Lone Ranger is a 1981 American Western adventure film directed by William A. Fraker and starring Klinton Spilsbury, Michael Horse and Christopher Lloyd.

It is based on the story of The Lone Ranger, a Western character created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker.

Producers outraged fans by refusing to allow previous Lone Ranger actor Clayton Moore to wear the character's mask during public appearances, and created further bad publicity when it became known that the voice of leading man Spilsbury was dubbed by another actor, James Keach.

The two eventually become blood brothers, and John later leaves the reservation for Detroit, grows up to become a lawyer, and takes a stagecoach to a town to set up his law practice.

During his visit, word reaches them about the whereabouts of Cavendish after some of the gang ride into town during a festival and kill Amy’s uncle.

By the late 1970s they believed that the story was ripe for retelling in an epic vein similar to Richard Donner's Superman (1978), with the potential for sequels.

[8] In October 1977 Lew Grade announced he would make the film as part of a slate of movies worth $97 million, including Love and Bullets, Escape to Athena, and Raise the Titanic.

[15] William Fraker the director said "The Lone Ranger will work if we can make him real" and said he was influenced by Lawrence of Arabia.

The mask doesn’t look good if the eyes are too close.”[18] Tonto was played by Michael Horse, a silversmith by trade, whose only other acting experience had been a bit part in a Raquel Welch TV-movie.

"[12] Horse would later make himself known as a supporting regular on David Lynch's prime-time experimental television series Twin Peaks.

[19] The movie's ballad-narration, The Man in the Mask, was performed by country music artist Merle Haggard, and composed by John Barry with lyrics written by Dean Pitchford of Footloose and Sing fame.

"You just never believed what he was saying because he memorized the lines but he had never internalized them,” says Jim Van Wyck, who was a DGA assistant director trainee on the film.

[21] The film was part of a brief revival of the Western in 1980, which also included The Long Riders, Heaven's Gate and The Mountain Men.

[22] Part of the plan was to shoot a feature film with a new actor to replace the 65-year-old Clayton Moore, who had starred in the long-running and hugely successful television series for much of the 1950s.

Moore responded by changing his costume slightly and replacing the mask with similar-looking wraparound sunglasses, and by cross-litigating against Wrather.

[10] AFD shut down in February 1981 after a series of unsuccessful films, particularly Raise the Titanic, and distribution was instead handled by Universal (who would eventually become the owner of the source material itself through its ownership of Classic Media's parent company, DreamWorks Animation[25][26]), along with other Grade movies like On Golden Pond and The Great Muppet Caper.

Other contributing factors were fading public interest in Westerns by the 1980s and alterations to some fundamental elements of the Lone Ranger's character, such as his trademark silver bullets being made into magical talismans in the movie instead of mere symbolism.

[18] The film received generally mediocre reviews:[32] Time Out London said, "The mystery is how Fraker, a gifted cameraman who made a superb directing debut in Westerns with Monte Walsh, could produce such a clinker as this.

Siskel, anticipating a short film career for Spilsbury, added this: "I think it [this movie] is going to provide a great trivia question for the 1990s: Not ‘Who was that Masked Man,’ but who played him?

On behalf of both critics, Siskel summed up the film this way, "Roger [Ebert] and I agree that ‘The Legend of the Lone Ranger’ is a total waste of time... neither one of us can recommend you see it".

"[35] Movie historian Leonard Maltin gave the picture 2 out of a possible 4 stars, noting "Some fine action, great scenery, and a promising storyline; yet these are sabotaged by awkward handling, uncharismatic leads, and an absolutely awful ballad-style narration.

"[36] Sir Lew Grade later wrote, in his 1992 autobiography Still Dancing: My Story, that he thought that the problem with the movie was that it took an hour and ten minutes before the Ranger first pulled on his mask.

[41] A line of action figures was created by the toy company Gabriel in 1982, including Buffalo Bill Cody, Butch Cavendish, George Custer, The Lone Ranger, and Tonto.