"Return with us now, to those thrilling days of yesteryear."

December 22, 2010 7:35 PM

At 89, radio and TV announcer Fred Foy is dead. The booming intro voice for the Lone Ranger, and later the Green Hornet television series, Foy was also Dick Cavett's announcer, for several years.

A May 5, 2008 interview with Foy, in which he discussed his life and career in detail is a treat for anyone who watched The Lone Ranger and Tonto on a black and white Zenith or RCA TV...

posted by paulsc (15 comments total)

That intro was a Saturday morning ritual...

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posted by HuronBob at 7:40 PM on December 22, 2010

I used to listen to my father's tapes of the old radio show. It's probably hard to imagine for a lot of people nowadays, but they really used to be able to tell a vivid story with those old radio programs, so vivid you could almost believe you had watched it on TV. There seem to be a few sites floating around, like this one, where you can listen to some of the episodes. I always loved that intro; it actually gave me goosebumps as a kid. "Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear..."

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posted by Gator at 7:50 PM on December 22, 2010

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posted by trip and a half at 7:50 PM on December 22, 2010

The Lone Ranger was the first movie that made me realize making movies of things I love isn't always going to turn out well.

I used to have a Lone Ranger mask. I wore it all the time, but then I graduated from high school.
posted by cjorgensen at 8:00 PM on December 22, 2010

So did he do the intro for radio as well?
posted by cjorgensen at 8:04 PM on December 22, 2010

Yes, for several years.
posted by Gator at 8:09 PM on December 22, 2010

"So did he do the intro for radio as well?"
posted by cjorgensen at 11:04 PM on December 22

He was long the announcer for the radio show, on WXYZ in Detroit, prior to WWII, which he talks about in some detail in the interview... Later, during WWII, he broadcast from Cairo, Egypt as the only American voice on an all British outpost station. Guy lead a heck of a life in early mass media, largely because of the popularity of his familiar, pleasant voice and diction.
posted by paulsc at 8:12 PM on December 22, 2010

these older actors )Louie Prima), preforming in the 1960's "The Jungle Book" for the Disney animated movie and cartoon were unbelievably talented. I loved the scene with the monkeys and that song "I Wanna Be Like You" is still stuck in my brain and that's a good thing, i hope i'm not to early to wish warm greetings (Merry Christmas) to all the loyal MeFi's, LOL.
posted by tustinrick at 8:32 PM on December 22, 2010 [1 favorite]

"I used to have a Lone Ranger mask. I wore it all the time, but then I graduated from high school."
posted by cjorgensen at 8:00 PM on December 22

Watching Fred Foy recall the first episode, where Tonto finds the badly wounded Ranger, and his 5 dead companions, including the Ranger's brother, and how the recuperating Ranger, cared for by Tonto, decides to make a mask, of his dead brother's black vest, to disguise the Ranger as he searches for the outlaws who killed the other 5 Rangers, is still sad, and wonderful.

And while I also had a Lone Ranger mask, and a play chrome plated 6 gun, and "silver" bullets, I never had a friend like Tonto, or a brother whose vest I would have used to make a mask to track his murderer...
posted by paulsc at 8:47 PM on December 22, 2010

Oh, I remember that voice so very well. RIP.

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posted by dbiedny at 10:06 PM on December 22, 2010

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posted by Smart Dalek at 4:00 AM on December 23, 2010

Wow. I never had a name to go with that iconic voice. Here's to you Fred!

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posted by Thorzdad at 5:52 AM on December 23, 2010

William Dozier (also the announcer for the Batman tv series) did the voiceovers for the Green Hornet tv show. I think Foy was the announcer for the Green Hornet radio show.
posted by Billiken at 6:59 AM on December 23, 2010

thrilling days of yesteryear

duh
duh duh duh
duh duh duh
duh duh duh
duh duh DUH duh duh duh DUH duh duh duh
DUH duh duh duh DUH duh duh duh
DUH
duh duh DUH duh duh DUH duh duh DUH
duh duh DUH duh duh duh duh
DUH duh duh duh duh DUH duh duh duh duh
DUH duh duh duh duh DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH

with a CLOUD OF DUST
and a HARDY HI-O-SILLLLLLLVER!!!!
posted by Twang at 11:32 AM on December 23, 2010

I miss the time when the L.R. reruns were on TV constantly and everybody immediately recognized the TA, TA-DA-DA theme music, because that made the William Tell overture itself great party music when played whole. It's pretty short (just an overture, after all) and the TA, TA-DA-DA segment is last but before it gets there it has a surprising number of other bits that are semi-familiar due to Hollywood recycling and these bits make people go "I know this but I can't quite call the name, what is it?" and your party host/music manager gets to smile serenely and say "Just be patient, you'll know in a minute."
posted by jfuller at 11:54 AM on December 23, 2010