"Zorro" (1957) TV series 1957-1959

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Directors:

Charles Barton
Harmon Jones

Writers:

Robert Bloomfield (writer)
Roy Edward Disney (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

10 October 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Western

Plot:

Don Diego de la Vega opposes the corrupt tyrants of Spanish California as the masked swordsman, Zorro.

Plot Keywords:

Swashbuckler | Zorro | Mask | Based On Pulp Magazine | Old California

Cast

Guy Williams	...	Don Diego de la Vega / ... (77 episodes, 1957-1959)
Henry Calvin	...	Sgt. Demetrio Lopez Garcia (60 episodes, 1957-1959)
Gene Sheldon	...	Bernardo (52 episodes, 1957-1959)

Runtime:

30 min | 30 min (82 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-7 (DVD rating) (2005) | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Bell Ranch, Santa Susana, California, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

Although "Zorro" was the most popular show in its Friday evening slot, the series was pulled in 1959 due to legal wrangling between the Disney Studios and the ABC network. Disney tried to keep the character before the audience by shooting four one-hour episodes for another anthology series, but by the time the lawsuit was settled, the studio had decided the public had lost interest in the character and the series was cancelled.

Quotes:

Theme Song Singers: [theme Song] Out of the night/When the full moon is bright/Comes the horseman known as Zorro!/This bold renegade/Carves a "Z" with his blade/The "Z" that stands for "Zorro!"/Zorro!/The fox so cunning and free!/Zorro!/Who makes the sign of the "Z!"/Zorro! Zorro! Zorro! Zorro!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pulp Fiction (1994)

Soundtrack:

Theme from Zorro

The Best Zorro!

Guy Williams was the best Zorro in my opinion. Playing Don Diego as both foppish and intellectual allowed his character to be warm and sympathetic both in and out of the mask. And if you have ever watched any 60's TV show you'll notice that old set staple, Bryce Canyon, used for, I think, one of the first times on a television show. But just think, on Zorro it's not supposed to be yet another alien planet, but exactly what it is! A canyon outside of LA! That to me was always the cleverest thing about the show. The fact that it was filmed (sorta) near where it would have taken place if Don Diego had been real. I have to say though, I prefer the episodes in black and white. I think it looks weird when you see a bright blue sky in a "night" scene.