Thank You Mask Man
Encyclopedia
Thank You Mask Man is an animated short film based upon a comedy routine by Lenny Bruce
involving The Lone Ranger
and Tonto
. The film was produced by John Magnuson, and directed by Jeff Hale.
never stays long enough to receive gratitude for his deeds. He stays, and finds that he likes hearing the phrase "Thank you, Mask Man". When asked what the community could give him in return for his services, The Lone Ranger points to an Indian
, Tonto
, and says that he wants him. Asked why The Lone Ranger wants Tonto, he replies that he wants to have sex with him, explaining that he is not a homosexual, but that he had "heard a lot about it and read exposes" and would like to "try now to see how bad it is. Just once." The Lone Ranger also requests a horse, suggesting that he wants to perform bestiality
. The townspeople react in disgust as The Lone Ranger and Tonto ride off into the sunset. Bruce intended to deconstruct homophobia
and other issues explored within the routine.
, as a supplement preceding the main feature, but was not shown. According to a former staff member of the festival, Magnuson ran up the aisle and shouted "They crucified Lenny when he was alive and now that he is dead they are screwing him again!" The festival's director told Magnuson that the producer of Z did not want any short shown that night. Rumors suggested that the wife of one of the festival's financiers hated Bruce, and threatened to withdraw her husband's money if the short was screened.
Magnuson requested that Bill Meléndez
, a chairman for the Academy Award animation nominations, nominate the film. Meléndez told Magnuson that he loved the film, and agreed to nominate it. Magnuson filled out the forms required for the film to qualify, but it was not nominated. When Meléndez asked Magnuson why it was not submitted for consideration, he learned that it was never shown for the screening committee. Magnuson believed that a member of the Academy hated Bruce, and hid the entry form so it would not qualify. Hale suggested that "the projectionist took it upon himself to act as a censor."
Screenings did not perform well enough financially for Magnuson to profit from the film, although he states that he never expected to turn a profit. Magnuson recalls that multiple theaters booked the short, and later canceled for unexplained reasons. George Evelyn, a former animator for Colossal Pictures, was working as a programmer at a theater in Texas, and booked the short without viewing it first, because the rental catalog "made it sound interesting". After several audience members complained about the film, Evelyn was fired by the theater. Initially, the gay community
disliked the film, perceiving it as homophobic, but it was later shown at gay film festivals. 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.
Lenny Bruce
Leonard Alfred Schneider , better known by the stage name Lenny Bruce, was a Jewish-American comedian, social critic and satirist...
involving 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....
and Tonto
Tonto
Tonto may mean:* Tonto, a band of Apache native Americans.* Tonto, the fictional sidekick to the Lone Ranger.* "Tonto", a song by the American math rock band Battles, from their album Mirrored.** "Tonto+", the EP centered around said song....
. The film was produced by John Magnuson, and directed by Jeff Hale.
Plot
After years of saving a small town, its population is angered that The Lone RangerThe 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....
never stays long enough to receive gratitude for his deeds. He stays, and finds that he likes hearing the phrase "Thank you, Mask Man". When asked what the community could give him in return for his services, The Lone Ranger points to an Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, Tonto
Tonto
Tonto may mean:* Tonto, a band of Apache native Americans.* Tonto, the fictional sidekick to the Lone Ranger.* "Tonto", a song by the American math rock band Battles, from their album Mirrored.** "Tonto+", the EP centered around said song....
, and says that he wants him. Asked why The Lone Ranger wants Tonto, he replies that he wants to have sex with him, explaining that he is not a homosexual, but that he had "heard a lot about it and read exposes" and would like to "try now to see how bad it is. Just once." The Lone Ranger also requests a horse, suggesting that he wants to perform bestiality
Zoophilia
Zoophilia, from the Greek ζῷον and φιλία is the practice of sex between humans and non-human animals , or a preference or fixation on such practice...
. The townspeople react in disgust as The Lone Ranger and Tonto ride off into the sunset. Bruce intended to deconstruct homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
and other issues explored within the routine.
Production
The film was completed in 1968. Its audio is derived from a recording of Bruce's routine. The short was made by San Francisco-based company Imagination, Inc. and directed by Jeff Hale, a former member of the National Film Board of Canada.Reception
The film was scheduled to premiere on the opening night of ZZ (film)
Z is a 1969 French language political thriller directed by Costa Gavras, with a screenplay by Gavras and Jorge Semprún, based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Vassilis Vassilikos. The film presents a thinly fictionalized account of the events surrounding the assassination of democratic Greek...
, as a supplement preceding the main feature, but was not shown. According to a former staff member of the festival, Magnuson ran up the aisle and shouted "They crucified Lenny when he was alive and now that he is dead they are screwing him again!" The festival's director told Magnuson that the producer of Z did not want any short shown that night. Rumors suggested that the wife of one of the festival's financiers hated Bruce, and threatened to withdraw her husband's money if the short was screened.
Magnuson requested that Bill Meléndez
Bill Melendez
José Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Meléndez was a Mexican-American character animator, film director, voice artist and producer, known for his cartoons for Warner Brothers, UPA and the Peanuts series...
, a chairman for the Academy Award animation nominations, nominate the film. Meléndez told Magnuson that he loved the film, and agreed to nominate it. Magnuson filled out the forms required for the film to qualify, but it was not nominated. When Meléndez asked Magnuson why it was not submitted for consideration, he learned that it was never shown for the screening committee. Magnuson believed that a member of the Academy hated Bruce, and hid the entry form so it would not qualify. Hale suggested that "the projectionist took it upon himself to act as a censor."
Screenings did not perform well enough financially for Magnuson to profit from the film, although he states that he never expected to turn a profit. Magnuson recalls that multiple theaters booked the short, and later canceled for unexplained reasons. George Evelyn, a former animator for Colossal Pictures, was working as a programmer at a theater in Texas, and booked the short without viewing it first, because the rental catalog "made it sound interesting". After several audience members complained about the film, Evelyn was fired by the theater. Initially, the gay community
Gay community
The gay community, or LGBT community, is a loosely defined grouping of LGBT and LGBT-supportive people, organizations and subcultures, united by a common culture and civil rights movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality...
disliked the film, perceiving it as homophobic, but it was later shown at gay film festivals. Along with Marv Newland
Marv Newland
Marv Newland is a filmmaker who specializes in animation.Newland began a career making animated motion pictures in Los Angeles with the creation of the short Bambi Meets Godzilla...
's Bambi Meets Godzilla
Bambi Meets Godzilla
Bambi Meets Godzilla is the title of the cartoon created entirely by Marv Newland. Less than two minutes long, the film is a classic of animation—#38 in the book The 50 Greatest Cartoons ....
, Thank You Mask Man was screened at a in-person showing of Blazing Saddles
Blazing Saddles
Blazing Saddles is a 1974 satirical Western comedy film directed by Mel Brooks. Starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder, the film was written by Brooks, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, and Al Uger, and was based on Bergman's story and draft. The movie was nominated for three...
. Magnuson and Newland appeared to answer questions about their films.