Sample #1648
"Used to it all
There is an ongoing debate in my family about the origin of the word “cowboy.” We know the term was originally used to describe a herder or drover of cattle. Some of my family maintains it was coined in Spain, describing the Mexican or Spanish version of those workers.
My father’s family, on the other hand, insists the term was used by Anglo cowboys to describe the tough but generally peaceful herders or drovers.
The debate came up again a few weeks ago when we went to watch “Lone Ranger” with my father and his wife, my stepmother, Barb. The man riding the white horse was a sheriff, not a cowboy, they insisted.
I finally admitted I didn’t really care where the term came from and we all had a good laugh over it.
When we were kids, the most important part of the “Lone Ranger” program was the William Tell Overture. My father used to march us out of the living room after it was over, saying it was time to wash up for supper. The silly thing is, even as a kid, I was always aware the William Tell Overture was from an opera. I never realized it was from a Rossini opera.
In those days we watched “Lone Ranger” every Saturday, and the William Tell Overture was part of every episode.
I hadn’t seen the program for a very long time. I knew there was a new movie coming out, and my dad had seen it. He was pretty pleased with it and wanted us to go see it. He had promised my husband and I a date night.
I thought the new movie was fine. I liked the opening scene where William Tell is trapped in an apple barrel. That is the part that is used in the William Tell Overture. I also enjoyed the rope bridge, and I liked that the bad guys weren’t all bad.
We liked the white horse. I could tell he was an Appaloosa because of the splashes of color on his back. The horse was definitely a character.
What I really liked was that the movie gave us a glimpse of the America that exists only in memories. The one that was so much like that TV show, with men on white horses riding up and down the street.
We laughed because one of the bad guys in the new movie had a name I hadn’t heard in a long time. Bat Masterson.
I have to admit, though, there was a little bit of apprehension when it came to watching the old “Lone Ranger” program. We were worried it would be too corny. It wasn’t. The Lone Ranger in the new movie was funny, too. The guy with the camera on the white horse was too.
The problem with the “Lone Ranger” program in those days was the William Tell Overture. Even the TV version was cut, so we could get on with our Saturday-evening chores.
Now I know why my dad didn’t want us to watch the program. We might have been swayed to do something we didn’t have time to do.
“Lone Ranger” was on television in the 1950s and ’60s. It has been playing on television ever since. It’s still on my DVR. I think I will watch it this week.
– Mary Bilyeu is the Register’s senior editor. She can be reached at mbilyeu@registermedia.com.
There is an ongoing debate in my family about the origin of the word “cowboy.” We know the term was originally used to describe a herder or drover of cattle. Some of my family maintains it was coined in Spain, describing the Mexican or Spanish version of those workers.
My father’s family, on the other hand, insists the term was used by Anglo cowboys to describe the tough but generally peaceful herders or drovers.
The debate came up again a few weeks ago when we went to watch “Lone Ranger” with my father and his wife, my stepmother, Barb. The man riding the white horse was a sheriff, not a cowboy, they insisted.
I finally admitted I didn’t really care where the term came from and we all had a good laugh over it.
When we were kids, the most important part of the “Lone Ranger” program was the William Tell Overture. My father used to march us out of the living room after it was over, saying it was time to wash up for supper. The silly thing is, even as a kid, I was always aware the William Tell Overture was from an opera. I never realized it was from a Rossini opera.
In those days we watched “Lone Ranger” every Saturday, and the William Tell Overture was part of every episode.
I hadn’t seen the program for a very long time. I knew there was a new movie coming out, and my dad had seen it. He was pretty pleased with it and wanted us to go see it. He had promised my husband and I a date night.
I thought the new movie was fine. I liked the opening scene where William Tell is trapped in an apple barrel. That is the part that is used in the William Tell Overture. I also enjoyed the rope bridge, and I liked that the bad guys weren’t all bad.
We liked the white horse. I could tell he was an Appaloosa because of the splashes of color on his back. The horse was definitely a character.
What I really liked was that the movie gave us a glimpse of the America that exists only in memories. The one that was so much like that TV show, with men on white horses riding up and down the street.
We laughed because one of the bad guys in the new movie had a name I hadn’t heard in a long time. Bat Masterson.
I have to admit, though, there was a little bit of apprehension when it came to watching the old “Lone Ranger” program. We were worried it would be too corny. It wasn’t. The Lone Ranger in the new movie was funny, too. The guy with the camera on the white horse was too.
The problem with the “Lone Ranger” program in those days was the William Tell Overture. Even the TV version was cut, so we could get on with our Saturday-evening chores.
Now I know why my dad didn’t want us to watch the program. We might have been swayed to do something we didn’t have time to do.
“Lone Ranger” was on television in the 1950s and ’60s. It has been playing on television ever since. It’s still on my DVR. I think I will watch it this week.
– Mary Bilyeu is the Register’s senior editor. She can be reached at mbilyeu@registermedia.com.