The pure white Thoroughbred quarter horse that plays Silver is also named Silver
His trainer for the movie%2C Bobby Lovgren%2C also worked on %27War Horse%27 and %27Seabiscuit%27
Silver was fed a special grain diet for energy%2C and required sunscreen to protect his pink skin
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Even in the animal world, Hollywood stardom is all about timing. Take the 10-year-old Thoroughbred quarter horse called Silver who happened to be born with a pure white coat.
The horse was a natural for animal scouts looking for the right horse to play the famous steed called Silver in the The Lone Ranger reboot.You might say he was born for the part.
"It's all right place and right time," says head animal trainer Bobby Lovgren. "But the biggest thing about Silver is he is such a good, quiet horse with a such a great attitude. He has real personality."
That personality is very much on display in The Lone Ranger, which opened July 3, with the horse as the ultimate "scene stealer" in the words of director Gore Verbinski.
While there were up to five extra horses brought in for stunts or to stand in, it was Silver doing 60 percent of the horse work in the film. In one memorable scene, the horse even improvised with Johnny Depp's Tonto, who was trying to move the creature in one direction, while Silver playfully kept heading in the other.
"The scene was really amazing. It's the interaction they had and how Johnny and the horse communicated," says Lovgren. " They had chemistry together."
Armie Hammer, who plays the Lone Ranger, was impressed.
"Silver was certainly the most professional actor on the set," says Hammer. "And he hit his mark every time."
"It's a remarkable horse in the hands of one of the most remarkable horse trainers I have ever seen," he adds. "Bobby can train a horse to walk up to a six pack of beer and drink it. What do you say to a horse to start that process?"
The South African-born Lovgren, who worked on Steven Spielberg's War Horse and Seabiscuit, says it takes considerable patience preparing for each horse moment. He started training three months before filming.
The hardest parts are the slower scenes, like picking up a bottle or a hat. The showy stuff, such as Silver's famous rear-back are "impressive, but not difficult."
Silver did have his demands, being fed a special grain diet for energy on the 150-day shoot and requiring copious sunscreen application in the desert sun. "The pink skin around the nose and eyes is high maintenance and requires a lot of sunscreen," says Lovgren.
But the filmmakers were floored by the final product. And Hollywood beckons for Silver, despite the danger in being typecast in the role.
"White horses do get used quite a bit in films, though not as much as the other types," says Lovgren. "But as long as we get other opportunities to play Silver, I'm fine with it. Let's hope there's a sequel."
He was retired after a brief stand-in appearance in the 1956 movie, "The Lone Ranger", and was only used for close-ups and head shots thereafter. In 1957, Silver won the Award for Excellence (Patsy). He lived out his days at the Ace Hudkin's stables in Southern California. Equine Actor.
Appears with The Lone Ranger (Clayton Moore) on a 44¢ USA commemorative postage stamp in the Early TV Memories issue honoring The Lone Ranger (1949), issued 11 August 2009. Equine performer. There were two horses that portrayed Silver on The Lone Ranger (1949) show. The first ones real name was White Cloud.
At the beginning of each episode, the magnificent white stallion, Silver, would rear up with the Lone Ranger on his back, then they would dash off, the Ranger encouragingly shouting, "Hi-Yo, Silver!" Tonto could occasionally be heard to urge on his mount by calling out, "Get-um up, Scout!" At the end of each episode, ...
A number of fictional Wild West heroes used silver bullets as weapons, to symbolize their purity of heart. The best known of these was the Lone Ranger in all his incarnations: after solving the problem of the week, he would leave a silver bullet behind as his mark.
Lone Ranger was an American Western TV show that aired on the ABC network from 1949 to 1957. He was married twice, once to Bobbi Smith, whom he divorced in 1943. He then married Mary Diroma in 1945 and stayed married until he died in 1980 at the age of 67.
Tonto is a fictional character; he is the Native American (either Tonto Apache, Comanche, or Potawatomi) companion of the Lone Ranger, a popular American Western character created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker.
Tonto, American fictional character, companion of the Lone Ranger. Primarily through his presence on radio and television, Tonto was one of the best-known Native American characters in 20th-century popular culture.
Equine Actor. He starred as Silver in The Lone Ranger Television Series from 1949 to 1954, and was thought to be one of the most popular horses of all the western heroes. The first horse to portray Silver, his true name was White Cloud. An impressive 17+ hands tall, he was known to be very gentle and well trained.
White Feller was Tonto's first horse, before he rode Scout. White Feller was supposed to be an all-white horse, similar in appearance to the Lone Ranger's horse, Silver.
Once more, a narrator intoned those spine-tingling words, "A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty 'Hi-Yo, Silver! '. . . The Lone Ranger!" The new program needed a new Lone Ranger to suit the new medium.
The Cavalry Model of the Single Action Army is also seen being used by Tonto, Butch Cavendish, and Captain Jay Fuller. And John Reid briefly uses one when he confronts Latham Cole on the train. Colt Single Action Army w/ 7.5" barrel known as the "Cavalry" model. Tonto (Johnny Depp) holds the SAA.
Veteran horse trainer Bobby Lovgren (“War Horse,” “Cowboys and Aliens,” “Seabiscuit”) spent three months training Silver and the three other main horses who played the role. Other horses were brought on for certain stunts including the scene of Silver running next to the train.
Away!" But then I got a letter from a reader who insisted that the Lone Ranger shouted, "Hi-yo, Silver! Away!" So I checked with top language experts, including William Safire and Stephen King, and they agreed that it was, in fact, "Hi-yo" and not "Hi-ho."
Equine Actor. He starred as Silver in The Lone Ranger Television Series from 1949 to 1954, and was thought to be one of the most popular horses of all the western heroes. The first horse to portray Silver, his true name was White Cloud. An impressive 17+ hands tall, he was known to be very gentle and well trained.
For example, few people thought about where the Lone Ranger got his silver bullets. He and his brother (the one killed by Cavendish) owned a silver mine. Silver lured people of his day to the southwest who were looking for quick riches. It was highly valued, and the Lone Ranger had plenty of it.
Introduction: My name is Arielle Torp, I am a comfortable, kind, zealous, lovely, jolly, colorful, adventurous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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