The Lone Ranger and Tonto Get What's Coming To Them in Thank You Mask Man

This is one of those things that probably couldn't get made nowadays, for fear of Disney, who hold the movie rights to The Lone Ranger, getting litigious...but it's a surreal classic of '60s animation. It's also something we couldn't go all the way through opening weekend of The Lone Ranger without sharing. Comedian Lenny Bruce, one of the first comedians to integrate sex and politics into his material (and a perennial defendant for having done so), offered his take on The Lone Ranger and Tonto in Thank You Mask Man, an animated short film created by James Magnuson after Bruce's death and animated around a comedy routine by Bruce. It's not safe for work, but since it's the Fourth of July, you're probably not at work anyway, right? It's a send-up of an old trope of Lone Ranger stories, in which he would ride off into the sunset, not stopping to acknowledge the thanks ("Thank you, masked man!") of those he'd rescued during the story. Here, a small town becomes frustrated with him never staying for thank you or accepting the gifts they prepare and take him prisoner at gunpoint, demanding he accept their courtesy. Politically-incorrect hilarity ensues. A few side notes, courtesy the film's Wikipedia page. Wikipedia isn't a great source, but these claims are backed up by the book The Trials of Lenny Bruce:

• Initially, the gay community disliked the film (which suggests a sexual relationship between The Lone Ranger and Tonto), perceiving it as homophobic, but it was later shown at gay film festivals. It's not The Lone Ranger's implied homosexuality that's being mocked, but the townsfolk's reaction to it.
• Along with Marv Newland's Bambi Meets Godzilla, Thank You Mask Man was screened at a in-person showing of Blazing Saddles. Magnuson and Newland appeared to answer questions about their films.

Check it out below.