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Everyone has their favourite films. A recent poll of the most loved hundred films included classics like The Grapes of Wrath, Meet Me in St. Louis, Brief Encounter, Citizen Kane, The Godfather, On the Waterfront, Lord of the Rings and Dr Zhivago, I loved all of those and many more, but my all-time feel-good films have to be Love Actually and Shirley Valentine which I never get tired of watching.

Do you remember Saturday mornings at the cinema when you were growing up? It seemed, especially in the 1950s, that there was a cinema within walking distance of every house. The Essoldo, Forum, Plaza, Star and Ritz would have queues of children snaking round the block waiting for the doors to open.

Eyes like saucers would follow the escapades of the Lone Ranger with his trusted friend Tonto, Hopalong Cassidy with Topper, Roy Rogers and Trigger, Gene Autry with Champion or the Durango Kid with Raider.

To all children it was real life and the moment when the Lone Ranger shouted, ‘Hi Ho Silver’ and rode off into the sunset to the strains of the William Tell overture has been indelibly stamped into our minds for ever. No one cared that he was really called Clayton Moore. The Lone Ranger was a real person as far as we were concerned.

378791 04: A picture of the late actor Clayton Moore in his Lone Ranger costume which is up for an online auction from October 20-31, 2000 at sothebys.amazon.com. Moore starred as the Lone Ranger on TV from 1949 to 1952, when he was temporarily replaced by John Hart. He returned two years later and continued in the role until 1957. (Photo by Online USA)

Unfortunately with Westerns came the stereotyping of the Native American Indian. The cowboy would always be the good guy with the Indian being chased and shot. Many early Westerns portray them as savages and murderers whose sole aim was to kill or kidnap women and children. Possibly the only good Indian in the early Western films was Tonto, the Lone Rangers side kick, but, even though he was a good Native American, he was always depicted as less intelligent than his boss.

In those days we didn’t think about racism, injustice, or gun crime. All that mattered was getting hold of the money for the Saturday morning film show.

Although John Waynes private beliefs were questionable, he was always the Duke as far as Westerns were concerned. Over the years there were many re-makes of classic films and many different kinds of Westerns. But I wonder what John Wayne would have thought about Brokeback Mountain!!

Looking Back: The Lone Ranger was a real person when we were growing up!