Tonto was the sidekick of The Lone Ranger, the popular Western character created by Fran Striker. Tonto made his first appearance on the twelfth show (which aired on station WXYZ in February 25, 1933). Though he became as iconic as his friend, Tonto was originally created just so the Lone Ranger would have someone to talk to. Throughout the radio run (which spanned twenty-one years), with only a few exceptions, Tonto was played by American actor John Todd. Don Quixote and Sancho Panza unsuccessfully confront windmills. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... The Western is an American genre in literature and film. ... Fran Striker (1903 – September 4, 1962) was an American writer for radio and comics, best known for his contributions to The Lone Ranger. ... WXYZ is the ABC affiliate in Detroit, Michigan. ... February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... John Todd (born Fred McCarthy, 1877 – July 14, 1957) was an American radio actor. ...

The back story of how Tonto met the Lone Ranger was included, with very few differences, in both later episodes of the radio drama and at the beginning of the Lone Ranger television series (arguably the most well-remembered version today). Tonto (played by Jay Silverheels on television) rescues a man named Reid, the sole surviving Texas Ranger of a party who was tricked into an ambush by the outlaw Butch Cavendish (although later reference works referred to the future Lone Ranger as "John" Reid, no first name was ever given to the Lone Ranger in either the radio or TV series). Tonto recognizes the ranger as someone who had saved him when they were both boys. He refers to him by the title "Kemo Sabe"[1], saying that it means "Faithful Friend" in the language of his tribe. Tonto helps Reid give a decent burial to the other rangers. Radio drama is a form of audio storytelling broadcast on radio. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... Jay Silverheels (June 26, 1912 – March 5, 1980) was a Canadian Mohawk Indian actor. ... Texas Rangers, a body of law enforcement in the state of Texas which is the oldest law enforcement body in North America with statewide jurisdiction and serves as a State Bureau of Investigation. ... An ambush is a long established military tactic in which an ambushing force uses concealment to attack an enemy that passes its position. ... Butch Cassidy, a famous Western American outlaw An outlaw, a person living the lifestyle of outlawry, meaning literally outside of the law. ...

(This is actually a retroactive change to Tonto's origin. As originally presented, in the Dec. 7, 1938 radio broadcast, Reid had already been well-established as the Lone Ranger when he met Tonto. In that episode, "Cactus Pete", a friend of the Lone Ranger tells the story of how the masked man and Tonto first met. According to that tale, Tonto had been caught in the explosion when two men dynamited a gold mine they were working. One of the men wanted to kill the wounded Tonto, but the Lone Ranger arrived on the scene, and made him administer first aid. The man subsequently decided to keep Tonto around, intending to make him the fall guy when he would later murder his partner. The Lone Ranger foiled both the attempted murder and the attempted framing of Tonto. No reason was given in the episode as to why Tonto chose to travel with the Lone Ranger, rather than continue about his business. A reasonable assumption would be that he felt a sense of gratitude to the man).

The Ranger dons a mask and vows revenge – not so much against Cavendish personally as against all who would break the law in such a manner, and begins his travels of the Old West, accompanied by Tonto. This Native American was portrayed as an intelligent character, almost an 'equal' partner to the Ranger in his work. Together, they seem to be capable of righting almost any wrong within the half-hour time frame. This was by far the highest-rated television program on the ABC network in the early 1950s and its first true "hit". The stela of King Hammurabi depicts the god Shamash revealing a code of laws to the king. ... Great Basin region, typical American West The Western United States has played a significant role in history and fiction. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... The 1950s was the decade spanning the years 1950 to 1959. ...

The radio series identified Tonto as a chief's son in the Potawatomi nation. His name translates as wild one in his own language. For the most part, the Potawatomi did not live in the Southwestern states, and their cultural costume is different from that worn by Tonto. (This could be explained by some bands of Potawatami being forcibly removed from their lands and being forced to settle in what's now present day Kansas and Oklahoma.) The choice to make Tonto a Potawatomi seems to come from station owner George Trendle's youth in Michigan. This is the traditional territory of the Potawatomi, and many local institutions use Potawatomi names. The phrase kemo sabe, however, was coined not by Trendle but by James Jewell, co-creator and director of the radio series; according to Jewell, his father-in-law ran a camp named ke-Moh-Sah-Bee in Michigan. Rain dance, Kansas, c. ...

Later, the portrayal of Tonto, in radio, television, and film, was seen by some Native Americans as degrading; Tonto spoke in a pidgin, saying things like, "That right, Kemo Sabe," or "Him say man ride over ridge on horse." Television actor Silverheels was not above making a little fun of the character himself, as in a classic Tonight Show sketch with Johnny Carson. (In reality, Silverheels was a Canadian from a First Nations reservation in Ontario.) An Aani (Atsina) named Assiniboin Boy. ... A pidgin, or contact language, is the name given to any language created, usually spontaneously, out of a mixture of other languages as a means of communication between speakers of different tongues. ... The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was the full name of NBCs The Tonight Show during the years that Johnny Carson hosted from 1962 to 1992. ... For other people named John Carson, see John Carson (disambiguation). ... First Nations is a term of ethnicity used in Canada. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Official languages English (French has some legal status but is not fully co-official) Flower White Trillium Tree Eastern White Pine Bird Common Loon Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman Premier Dalton McGuinty...

Tonto also surfaced in the various films, comic strips, and comic books based on The Lone Ranger. Later depictions beginning in the 1980s have taken efforts to show Tonto as an articulate and proud warrior whom the Ranger treats as an equal partner. This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

Sources

• Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. pp. 404–409. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-507678-8
• Osgood, Dick (1981). Wyxie Wonderland: An Unauthorized Fifty-Year Diary of WXYZ, Detroit.' Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green University.