Thank You Mask Man
Tags: cult, comedy, satire

Plot synopsis:
After years of saving a small town, its population is angered that The Lone Ranger never stays long enough to receive gratitude for his deeds. After being pressed on the issue, the Lone Ranger explains why with a hypothetical situation: a little boy tells the Ranger “Thank you, mask man.” The simple phrase resonates with the Ranger, who soon demands to hear the phrase every time he performs a deed. One day in the far future, no more “thank you, mask man” greetings come; prophets explain that the Messiah has arrived and that the Lone Ranger is no longer needed. Now addicted to “thank you, mask man,” the Lone Ranger turns evil, vowing to make trouble so that he can fix it and receive his “thank you, mask man” again. Back in reality, the Ranger explains that he does not want to fall into such a trap and that is why he rides away before accepting anything in return.
The townspeople are still annoyed at this and insist on giving the Lone Ranger some sort of gift. The Lone Ranger points to an Indian, Tonto, and says that he wants him. Asked why The Lone Ranger wants Tonto, he replies "To perform an unnatural act.", explaining that he is not a homosexual, but that he had "heard a lot about it and read exposés" and would like to "try now to see how bad it is. Just once." The Lone Ranger also requests a horse. When asked why he wanted the horse, he replied "The act." 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.

Review: Unnatural acts with Tonto.
Easily the best thing about the Lenny Bruce: Performance Film video.
While the performance portion is one of Bruce's worst, this short shows him at his satirical best.
The riff on homophobia isn't even the best part...the commentary on accepting thank-yous and the resultant egotism and self-aggrandizement are priceless, especially when the Mask Man goes to his mailbox only to discover that the Messiah has returned, and society has no need for him once evil has been eliminated..
Pity he didn't do more of these.
This eight-minute cartoon is essentially some crude animation over a recording of Lenny Bruce's live comic bit about the Lone Ranger, with a few very basic sound effects & music.What's surprising is how well it works.
The animation is timed perfectly with the live recording, & actually enhances the comedy.
It's a very simple cartoon, but the characters look just right.
Although you can hear the audience laughing their heads off at the show, now I can't imagine it being funny without the pictures.It's not Lenny's most savagely satirical or scandalous bit by a long shot, but it was pretty out there for its day, & the cartoon is definitely not for children.Today, we're becoming used to seeing swearing, sex, extreme violence & clever social commentary in animation.
It's a pity that Lenny isn't around - I can see him producing a show called 'The Sick Cartoons Of Lenny Bruce' & becoming a millionaire.Or he'd just become a writer for The Simpsons..
Hysterical!.
Classic Lenny!
I found this on a 'Cartoon Scandals' video that I picked up in Philly in 1989.
Since I can't find this anywhere else, I kept this video even though I've been changing to DVD's.The way the story unfolds is actually pretty good.
And pay attention because he fills it with non sequitors.
("How many times did he take out the garbage?
Sweep the yard?") The best line?
"I like what they do with fags, they put them in jail with other men.
Very clever." Despite the limited animation, this is well worth owning.
I've never seen animation like this anywhere else either come to think of it.I only wish it were easier to find..
ingenious little short, like a newspaper comic strip with sharp wit.
Thank You Mask Man is featured as a bonus on the DVD of the Lenny Bruce performance film, and I was very glad I watched it.
It reminded me of what I saw once in a Carlin special from the 80s where he put in little animated bits that all visualized his bits.
That this comes more than a few years before that is impressive, but more so that it actually works to fit the riff-style comedy that Bruce excelled at.
This is basically drawn like, well, basics- the comic-strip characters could've been taken out of any newspaper or other, and it's all crude to the point of not having to focus as much on it.
Perhaps most of the strengths, aside from the curious, off-kilter nature of the drawings, do spring out of the material, as a story of a bunch of people having to deal with a 'masked man' on a horse.
It happens to be a good Bruce bit on its own, but then the curious thing does happen that towards the end of the film- when the townspeople then all taunt Masked Man to be gay- the comedy and the look of the film do totally gel somehow.
That Bruce is also behind a good part of the style of the picture himself probably explains how some of the same inspired dementia in this story in particular (one with an absurdity to it but also some truth sprinkled around) merges with simplistically weird animation.
It's probably not one of my favorites ever, to be sure, but I had a lot of fun watching it, as a crazy little anecdote given life and still kicking more than forty years later..
Insanely Funny!.
I first saw this Lenny Bruce skit on video when I was in college(20 years ago)....Actually never thought I'd see it again, but I was fortunate to get my hands on a VHS copy!
Lenny was a pure genius and the Lone Ranger skit is so damn funny...Just thinking about the idea of the Lone Ranger being gay is enough to make you laugh..LOL.Too bad that people in the 60's were so uptight....They had the "Leave it to Beaver" family mentality....So of course, they couldn't accept outlandish humor like this!
If Lenny were around doing comedy TODAY, he'd be a big hit!You can find this gem at the END of the Lenny Bruce Performance Film, which is hard, but not impossible to find....
Amazon.com has several sellers offering it as well.I think I better transfer this to DVD...just in case the VHS tape breaks!!.
Hilarious.
This short comic is outright hilarious.
My brothers and I saw it once about 15 years ago and recorded it on a cassette and passed it out to everyone we knew.
We haven't stopped laughing about it or watching it since.
We just ordered it on disc and can't wait until it arrives.
My best friend is gay and could not stop laughing through the entire show.We have gotten dozens and dozens of people hooked on this short cartoon.
We are trying to find other short cartoons like this one.
I can't seem to find any more by this particular comedian.If anyone knows of any, please let me know.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone..
Political satire about homosexuality from the Lone Ranger (Spoof).
This short video must be viewed with a grain of salt.
You must also view it with the understanding of the times.
The Lone Ranger (spoof) makes a huge issue about why he never sticks around after helping the town.
He doesn't want to stick around for his "Thank you, Masked Man".
Then he finally does, and we see an immediate change in attitude.
Then the truth comes out!
You must watch this over and over again, to understand everything the people say, as with Lenny Bruce...he's a fast talker.
Quite ingenious.
A classic of it's own.
I would say, most people that rented the "Performance Film" never saw this cartoon, because it was after the credits..
A (controversial) cartoon classic!.
Usually most (controversial) cartoons are done in Hollywood and they are made by such as Disney, Warner Brothers, MGM, Universal and Paramount and the make fun of Japanese and black people.
This one is an independent film and it makes fun of homosexuals.
This short subject is the earliest form of "Stanimation" (basically it is a cartoon, in which the soundtrack is nothing but a stand-up comedy act) before Comedy Central's "Shorties watching Shorties".
If I am making a Top 11 list of controversial cartoons, this would be number one.
The rest will be all Hollywood-made.
Be surprised who made this cartoon.
Could you guess?
Jeff Hale.
Now what's he known for, apart from playing Auggie Ben Doggie in "Hardware Wars" (1977)?
He is known for doing the Ringmaster segments, the Typewriter guy skits and the Pinball Machine sequences from "Sesame Street".
I bet you are all surprised now by the time you are done reading this comment.Bottom line: Not suitable for children.Not rated: but a PG-13 would do fine due to all the language and sexual references going on..
Exquisite social commentary.
Contrary to the review above, Lenny did not co-write and co-direct this film, unless he somehow managed to do so five years after his death.
If anyone could do that, it would be Lenny.Bruce's stream-of-consciousness comedic riffing, his ridiculing of homophobia and the denigration of Native Americans, his doing all the voices of the various characters, epitomize his genius, accomplished while he encountered endless formidable adversaries, the direct descendants of fanatical Comstockery.
What torment he endured was a product in no small part of religious fanaticism, the same sort of social control that required the Supreme Court to decide against the forces of theocracy in Griswold v.
Connecticut, Roe v.
Wade, and Lawrence v.
Texas.
Commentators here have complained about the quality of the film, but in 1971, lacking both the budget of a Disney studio and the current state of technology that allows for instance, for South Park, it captured the essence of the man and the quality of his work.
Without Lenny, we couldn't have had Richard Pryor..
What was once controversial and edgy is now banal.
It seems everyone that has so far reviewed this short film absolutely loved it and so my review is the odd-ball.
It isn't that I found THANK YOU MASK MAN offensive that I only gave it a score of 2.
Sure, the Lone Ranger in this short is into homosexuality and bestiality--and I am sure this will turn a few heads.
My reasons for giving it a 2 are because I just didn't enjoy the cartoon--it wasn't that funny and the animation quality was poor.
I think the reason I didn't find the cartoon funny or subversive is that times have changed.
What was controversial in 1971 is passé today--or at least well on its way.
With "South Park" and "Robot Chicken" on television (and not even pay cable), talking about these topics is a common thing.
Since it no longer has shock value, I must look at the humor itself--is there anything about the film that is remotely funny other than shocking and dirty words?
Well, in my opinion, no.
Lenny Bruce's stream of consciousness rapid rambling just seemed deadly flat and uninteresting.Perhaps some might enjoy this because it's a stroll down memory lane.
In other words, it either reminds them of Lenny Bruce or it reminds them of watching this "bad film" with friends.
Well, that's fine.
But if you simply look at it for what it is today, it just doesn't hold up over time..
Lacks Any Laughs.
Thank You Mask Man (1971)* 1/2 (out of 4)Lenny Bruce co-wrote, co-directed and does all the vocal work for this seven minute animation movie that is a spoof of The Lone Ranger.
When this was first released it was highly controversial because this is basically a spoof of homosexuality and there are a lot of jokes aimed at them.
Well, watching this film today you can't help but think that the only reason this was controversial is because of Bruce.
I mean, if you know anything about the comedian then you know about his legal troubles dealing with his act so I'm going to guess that this short was attacked simply because of his name being on it more than anything else.
As far as the film goes, I really didn't like it because it simply wasn't funny.
I'm not sure what the point of this thing was but without a single laugh the film is pretty much dead in the water.
At just seven minutes it moves along pretty quick and the animation is nice but that's about it..
One of the weakest Lone Ranger installments out there.
"Thank You Mask Man" is an American English-language short film from 1971, so this one will soon have its 50th anniversary.
It was written and directed by Lenny Bruce and while he was not the only one working in these fields, he was the only voice actor apparently voicing every single character in here and it wasn't just one or two.
nd this was certainly among the better components of this film I would say.
There are weaknesses in other fields that eventually have me give this one a thumbs-down.
One would be the looks.
The 1970s sure aren't known for its beautiful or progressive animation style and visual sides, but honestly it could have gotten less ugly than this one we have here.
By the way, this is an early Lone Ranger movie featuring Tonto too, the characters brought to life by Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp a few years ago, so everybody who enjoyed that one, could maybe also watch this film here.
Oh well or maybe not I must admit hadn't read it, I probably would not even have made the connection.
While the story or characters never feel really interesting due to the looks, this film feels in terms of comedy and also surprisingly graphic language in terms of swearing fresher and newer than early 1970s.
Really would not have expected this one to be almost half a century old.
So I think actually a new filmmaker or a talented one active in the 21st century could turn this film into a quality piece.
But the way it turned out here, it is no such thing, rather on the contrary, even if I would not call it a failure either.
It is mostly known for the characters I think and that's the reason it isn't forgotten now or so despite not gaining an Oscar nomination.
But that would have really surprised me to be honest.
Doesn't seem up the Academy's alley at all.
Okay that's all folks.
watch something else instead.