The Lone Ranger

[poliphilo]

If you're my age you'll remember watching the Lone Ranger on TV on Saturday afternoons. If you're any younger you won't. He was a cross between Roy Rogers and Superman - and one of a bunch of silly, campy, sexless, older-brotherly, cowboy heroes designed to appeal to prepubescent boys. He came, he went, he wasn't greatly missed.

Some  silly, campy, kids entertainment franchises have never gone out of the public eye. Batman has always been around in print and has kept showing up on TV and in the movies. He doesn't have to be revived, just restyled, because he has never been away.  But the Lone Ranger just stopped dead circa 1960.  You want to relaunch him now, you have to use jump leads. Only us whiskery old grand-dads remember him as a living force and not necessarily with any great fondness. If you're putting a lot of money into him now, be warned; you're effectively starting from scratch.

And that's why the movie slumped. It's got nothing to do with the critics.

PS. I quite like Johnny Depp, but he can't ensure profits just by turning up. I don't believe any movie star can these days.

Comments

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

There's also the issue of a non native American playing a native American. Imagine the furore if he'd blacked up, yet this is simply seen as not mattering!.

Jay Silverheels (not his real name) who played the original Tonto was at least a genuine native Canadian.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't know whether that affected box office, but it might have done. I notice that Depp has been defensive about it in interviews. Apparently he's got Commanche blood- and that's his justification.. As it happens, my kids all have a soupcon of Cherokee blood but it anyone cast them in a movie as native Americans there'd be derisive laughter all round.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Quite! I have Romani blood amongst others but I sure as hell wouldn't have the brass neck play the Gipsy woman as usually portrayed.

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

In a way, we can bend over backward for this one. Mr Depp has some Comanche blood. I'm not sure how much. And he IS Johnny Depp. But...

[wyrmwwd.livejournal.com]

I believe Johnny Depp has some Native American ancestry, even though it is not enough to be considered legally Native American, nor would be be accepted at a Pow Wow. However, my ex-husband was born in the same city that Depp was born, and I used to live right across the river. There are a LOT of people in that area who would be considered nothing other than white, but have, like Depp, some Native American ancestry. These folks are all very proud of their Native American ancestry, and consider themselves "part Native American."

However, unfortunately, these folks would also be considered by the outside world as "Redneck"... a term which is, in itself, full of racial stereotyping, and, for some reason, this is kind of racial stereotyping is acceptable because it affects white people.

What I am saying here is that Johnny Depp probably did not see anything wrong with him playing a Native American, because in his mind, he is. He certainly looks the part, much more than my ex-husband would, even though my ex is either an eighth or a quarter (I forget which). Either his grandmother or his great grandmother actually lived on a reservation.