Lone Ranger Returns, The

The only known copy of this serial is a 16mm reduction print found in Mexico in the 1970s. The print has Spanish subtitles and looks like it has been run past a belt sander and then stored in a jumbled mass under someone's bed for 30 years. In addition, the DVD version used as the source for this edit looks to be a multi-generation dupe; the night scenes are extremely dark, one reel is nearly washed out, sound quality is variable, and the picture for most of one significant scene was lost where the film came off the projector track when the film was originally mastered to tape. Being from an old 16mm film, the focus is a bit soft, and has been made somewhat softer by Batson panning and scanning each individual shot in order to eliminate the Spanish subtitles. Still, the intent here is to make this serial more accessible to curious viewers interested in the early origins of a cultural icon.