Brace Beemer
Encyclopedia
Brace Beemer was an American
radio
actor and announcer
at radio station WXYZ, Detroit, Michigan
.
Born in Mount Carmel, Illinois
, Beemer was six foot, three inches tall and was an expert horse rider. He served as the deep-voiced announcer for The Lone Ranger
soon after its first broadcast in 1933. Beemer also appeared as the Ranger in public appearances because station owner George Trendle felt that Earle Graser
, the actor who played the part on the radio, did not look right for the part.
The son of WXYZ staffer Erskine Campbell recalled:
In 1941, Graser was killed in a car accident, and Beemer took over as the voice of The Lone Ranger from 1941 to the last new episode on September 3, 1954. During the 13 years that Beemer played the title character, he was required by contract to restrict his radio acting to that one role until the program left the air.
The experienced and popular Western film actor, Clayton Moore
, was chosen to take over the role for the television series. Although Beemer had the right voice and had made many public appearances as the Ranger, he had no experience as a film actor, as he preferred live action to television. However, Beemer's voice as the character was so familiar that Moore imitated his sound in the earliest TV episodes.
Beemer also portrayed "Sergeant William Preston
" of the Yukon on Challenge of the Yukon
, for a brief time after the Lone Ranger series ended. He died in 1965 and was buried in Troy, Michigan
.
Going by the name of Justice "Cowboy" Colt, Beemer's son hosted cowboy films for children on local television in Detroit in the 1950s.
Beemer later resided in Lake Orion and Oxford, Michigan
.
One of Beemer's last TV appearances, was an interview with former film actor, Bill Kennedy on his "At the Movies" show on CKLW TV 9 from Windsor, Ont., Canada
He died in 1965 and was buried in Troy, Michigan
. At the time of his death, he was using his famous "Lone Ranger" voice on automobile commercials running on radio stations.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
actor and announcer
Announcer
An announcer is a presenter who makes "announcements" in an audio medium or a physical location.-Television and other media:Some announcers work in television production , radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in...
at radio station WXYZ, Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
.
Born in Mount Carmel, Illinois
Mount Carmel, Illinois
Mount Carmel is a city in and the county seat of Wabash County, Illinois, United States. At the time of the 2000 census, the population was 7,982, while the next largest town in Wabash County is Allendale, population 528. Located at the confluence of the Wabash, Patoka, and White Rivers, Mount...
, Beemer was six foot, three inches tall and was an expert horse rider. He served as the deep-voiced announcer for The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked Texas Ranger who, with his Native American companion Tonto, fights injustice in the American Old West. The character has become an enduring icon of American culture....
soon after its first broadcast in 1933. Beemer also appeared as the Ranger in public appearances because station owner George Trendle felt that Earle Graser
Earle Graser
Earle Graser was an American radio actor at radio station WXYZ, Detroit, Michigan.-Early life:Graser was born in Kitchener, Ontario. He was a child when his family moved to Detroit, Michigan. Graser graduated from a Detroit high school and attended Wayne University in Michigan, where he earned an...
, the actor who played the part on the radio, did not look right for the part.
The son of WXYZ staffer Erskine Campbell recalled:
- Brace Beemer was voice of Lone Ranger as early as 1938 because my father, Erskine Campbell, worked for him at WXYZ in Detroit that year, as a continuity writer and a sound-effects man, also ran a farm Beemer owned outside nearby Pontiac, Michigan. My sister and I, pupils in a one-room elementary schoolhouse outside Pontiac, often visited our father and "Uncle" Brace while they did the show.
In 1941, Graser was killed in a car accident, and Beemer took over as the voice of The Lone Ranger from 1941 to the last new episode on September 3, 1954. During the 13 years that Beemer played the title character, he was required by contract to restrict his radio acting to that one role until the program left the air.
The experienced and popular Western film actor, Clayton Moore
Clayton Moore
Clayton Moore was an American actor best known for playing the fictional western character The Lone Ranger from 1949–1951 and 1954-1957 on the television series of the same name.-Early years:...
, was chosen to take over the role for the television series. Although Beemer had the right voice and had made many public appearances as the Ranger, he had no experience as a film actor, as he preferred live action to television. However, Beemer's voice as the character was so familiar that Moore imitated his sound in the earliest TV episodes.
Beemer also portrayed "Sergeant William Preston
Sergeant William Preston
Sergeant William Preston is a fictional Canadian Mountie created by Fran Striker and George W. Trendle for the long-running radio serial Challenge of the Yukon....
" of the Yukon on Challenge of the Yukon
Challenge of the Yukon
Challenge of the Yukon was a radio series that began on Detroit's station WXYZ , and an example of a Northern genre story. The series was first heard on February 3, 1938...
, for a brief time after the Lone Ranger series ended. He died in 1965 and was buried in Troy, Michigan
Troy, Michigan
Troy is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is a suburb of Detroit. The population was 80,980 at the 2010 census, making it the 11th-largest city in Michigan by population, and the largest city in Oakland County...
.
Going by the name of Justice "Cowboy" Colt, Beemer's son hosted cowboy films for children on local television in Detroit in the 1950s.
Beemer later resided in Lake Orion and Oxford, Michigan
Oxford, Michigan
Oxford is a village in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,436 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Oxford Charter Township. The village occupies one square mile and is both politically and geographically a part of the township. The village calls itself...
.
One of Beemer's last TV appearances, was an interview with former film actor, Bill Kennedy on his "At the Movies" show on CKLW TV 9 from Windsor, Ont., Canada
He died in 1965 and was buried in Troy, Michigan
Troy, Michigan
Troy is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is a suburb of Detroit. The population was 80,980 at the 2010 census, making it the 11th-largest city in Michigan by population, and the largest city in Oakland County...
. At the time of his death, he was using his famous "Lone Ranger" voice on automobile commercials running on radio stations.