Zorro (1957 TV series)


Zorro is an American Spanish action-adventure western series produced by Walt Disney Productions. Based on the Zorro character created by Johnston McCulley, the series premiered on October 10, 1957 on ABC. The final network broadcast was July 2, 1959. Seventy-eight episodes were produced, and four hour-long specials were aired on the Walt Disney anthology series between October 30, 1960, and April 2, 1961.

Plot summary

For most of its brief run, Zorro's episodes were part of continuing story arcs, each about thirteen episodes long, which made it almost like a serial. The first of these chronicles the arrival of Zorro / Diego to California in 1820 and his battle with the greedy and cruel local Commandante, Captain Enrique Sánchez Monasterio. After Monasterio's final defeat, in the second storyline, Zorro must uncover and counter the machinations of the evil Magistrado Carlos Galindo, who is part of a plot to rule California. The third story arc concerns the leader of that conspiracy, the shadowy figure of "The Eagle", revealed as vain and insecure José Sebastián de Vargas. It is revealed that the plot to gain control of California is so that he can turn it over to another country, implied to be Russia, for a huge profit. Season one concludes with Vargas' death.
Season two opens with Diego in Monterey, the colonial capital, where privately collected money to bring a supply ship to California is consistently diverted to a gang of bandits. Diego stays to investigate, both as himself and as Zorro, and becomes interested in Ana Maria Verdugo, the daughter of the man organizing the effort. Once Zorro defeats the thieves, he enters into a rivalry with his old friend Ricardo del Amo, a practical joker who is also interested in Ana Maria. Ana Maria, in turn, is in love with Zorro. While in Monterey, Zorro and Sergeant Demetrio López García also get involved in a dispute between the people and a repressive Lieutenant Governor. Diego is on the verge of giving up his mask to marry Ana Maria, but Don Alejandro talks him out of it. Zorro says goodbye to Ana Maria and returns to Los Angeles, where he gets involved in a series of shorter adventures.
In one three-episode story arc, guest-starring Annette Funicello, Zorro must solve the mystery of Anita Cabrillo's father, a man who does not seem to exist. Other storylines late in the series involve Diego's never-do-well uncle, a plot against the governor of California, an encounter with an American "mountain man", and outwitting a greedy emissary from Spain.

Main characters

Other recurring cast

Other appearances

Guy Williams was introduced to the Disney audience as Zorro in a segment of the Disney anthology television series, The Fourth Anniversary Show. During this episode, which starred the Mouseketeers and featured upcoming shows, Moochie repeatedly asks Walt Disney, "What about Zorro?" Finally, Zorro appears, but not in the same shot with the Mouseketeers. Zorro explains who he is, and coyly answers the question of whether he is "real".
Williams and other key cast members also made a number of live appearances at Disneyland in 1958. Some of their shows involved Zorro and Monastario battling each other on the rooftops of Frontierland.
Another Mouseketeer, Robert L. Crawford, Jr., prior to being cast on NBC's Laramie in the role of Andy Sherman, appeared on Zorro in the role of Pogo Bastinado in the episodes "The Well of Death" and "The Cross of the Andes" in May 1958.
George J. Lewis, who portrayed Diego's father Don Alejandro, had previously appeared in the 1944 serial Zorro's Black Whip as Vic Gordon, an ally of the Black Whip.

Broadcast history

The show was very popular, especially with children, and its theme song was a hit recording for The Chordettes, peaking at #17 on the Hit Parade. It also created a problem with "Z" graffitiing on school desks and walls across the United States.
Despite good ratings, the series ended after two seasons due to a financial dispute between Disney and the network over ownership of Zorro, Mickey Mouse Club, and the Disney anthology television series. During the legal battle, however, Disney kept the franchise going for a few years in the form of four new hour-long Zorro adventures aired on the anthology series: ; ; ; and . Guy Williams was kept on full salary during this period, but by the time Disney and ABC resolved their differences, Walt Disney decided that public interest in the character had flagged. Nevertheless, Disney continued to pay $3,500 per year for the television rights until 1967.
Reruns of the series aired on The Disney Channel starting on the day the channel launched on April 18, 1983, and continued until September 9, 2002.
The 1957–1959 episodes were colorized in 1992, and appeared in that format for a time on The Disney Channel and elsewhere, often alternating with the original black-and-white versions. It aired for ten years.
Cozi TV aired reruns of the series from January 5, 2015, to December 31, 2016.

Revivals

In 1983 a comedy follow-up, Zorro and Son, aired on CBS. The series was shot in color on many of the same studio lots where the original was filmed. Featuring none of the original cast, the show performed poorly in the ratings.

Media

Comics

Comics based on the Zorro character had already appeared before the Disney TV series. But when the Disney TV show became popular new comics were published under the banner Walt Disney Presents: Zorro and the artwork reflected the way the characters looked in the TV version. The Disney: Zorro comics were drawn by Alex Toth. In the Netherlands Hans G. Kresse also drew a comic strip version based on this particular TV series.

Theatrical

Two film compilations from the series were released theatrically:
In this film, edited from eight episodes of Disney's hit TV series, Don Diego returns home to find his town under the heel of a cruel dictator, Capitan Monastario. Diego dons the mask of Zorro to fight the evil commandant's tyranny, and, with the help of his mute servant Bernardo, free the pueblo from his oppression.
Compiled from six episodes of the original Disney Zorro series, this film has El Zorro, "The Fox", battling Jose Sebastian Varga, "The Eagle", a corrupt dictator set on taking control of all of Spanish California.

VHS

Several compilations from the series were issued on VHS over the years, but are now out of print. It released on video in 1985, and 1993. They are as follows:
VHS television episodes
Two volumes from season one of Zorro were released on DVD in the United States in 2006, representing the entire Monastario storyline and the beginning of Magistrado Galindo storyline. Three more volumes soon followed, completing the season, which was then reissued as a boxed set entitled Zorro, the Complete First Season. All of the DVDs were only available from the Disney Movie Club. Each volume contains the 1992 colorized version of about eight episodes. No special features are included.
The Disney Movie Club released the second season in a boxed set, also consisting of five volumes and also colorized.
DVD NameEp #Release date
Season 139November 3, 2009
Season 239November 3, 2009

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 on November 3, 2009 under their banner featuring several bonus features. however like many other Disney releases it was available for a limited time, before entering moratorium and put back in the Disney Vault along with the other Walt Disney Treasures DVD sets.

International releases

The following international regions are available: