Zorro (1957 TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Zorro |
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Series title card
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| Genre |
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| Created by | Johnston McCulley (original stories) |
| Starring |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 78 (+4 specials) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Walt Disney Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | October 10, 1957 – July 2, 1959 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Zorro and Son |
Zorro (also known as Disney's Zorro) is an exciting American action-adventure TV show. It's a Western series produced by Walt Disney Productions and stars Guy Williams. The show is based on the famous Zorro character, who was first created by Johnston McCulley in a story from 1919.
The series first aired on October 10, 1957, on ABC. The last regular episode was shown on July 2, 1959. In total, 78 episodes were made. There were also four special hour-long episodes shown later on the Walt Disney anthology series between 1960 and 1961.
The story takes place in Los Angeles around 1820. At that time, Los Angeles was part of Spanish California, before Mexico became independent. Zorro helps the local people and native groups who are being treated unfairly by the rulers. In 1992, the series was updated with color added to the original black-and-white footage.
Contents
The Adventures of Zorro
For most of its run, Zorro's episodes told a continuous story. Each main story lasted about thirteen episodes, like a long movie broken into parts.
Zorro's First Foe
The first big story shows how Zorro came to be. Don Diego de la Vega returns to California in 1820 after studying in Spain. His father, Don Alejandro, called him home to help fight the greedy and cruel local military leader, Captain Enrique Sánchez Monastario. Diego secretly becomes Zorro, a masked hero who fights injustice. After Zorro finally defeats Monastario, a new challenge appears.
The Eagle's Conspiracy
In the second storyline, Zorro must uncover and stop Magistrado Carlos Galindo. He is part of a secret plan to take over California. The third story arc focuses on the leader of this conspiracy, José Sebastián de Varga, who is known as "The Eagle." It turns out that Varga wants to make a lot of money by giving California to another country.
Adventures in Monterey
Season two begins with Diego in Monterey, which was the capital of California back then. The authorities are worried because money collected to bring a supply ship to California keeps getting stolen by bandits. Diego stays to investigate, both as himself and as the masked Zorro. He meets Ana Maria Verdugo, whose father is organizing the supply effort.
After Zorro defeats the thieves, Diego has a friendly rivalry with his old friend Ricardo del Amo, who also likes Ana Maria. Ana Maria, however, is in love with Zorro. While in Monterey, Zorro and Sergeant García also get involved in a fight between the people and a strict Lieutenant Governor.
Zorro's Return to Los Angeles
At the end of the Monterey adventures, Diego is almost ready to stop being Zorro to marry Ana Maria. But his father, Don Alejandro, talks him out of it. Don Alejandro reveals he knew Diego was Zorro all along and convinces him that the people still need their hero. Zorro says goodbye to Ana Maria and returns to Los Angeles for more adventures.
Later in the series, Zorro faces new challenges. In one story, he helps Annette Funicello's character, Anita Cabrillo, solve the mystery of her father, who seems to have disappeared. Other stories involve Diego's mischievous uncle, played by Cesar Romero, a plot against the governor, and an encounter with a "mountain man" played by Jeff York. Zorro also outsmarts a greedy official from Spain.
Main Characters of Zorro
Don Diego de la Vega / Zorro
- Don Diego de la Vega (played by Guy Williams) is a smart young man who returns home from studying in Spain. He finds his town, Los Angeles, suffering under the cruel Captain Monastario. Diego realizes he needs to fight this injustice. Even though he's a skilled swordsman, he pretends to be a mild-mannered intellectual. This way, no one suspects him of being Zorro. His secret identity, Zorro, acts mostly at night, taking direct action. Diego is very clever, whether he's wearing the mask or not. Later, Diego becomes a respected figure on his own, known for his sharp mind and loyalty.
Don Alejandro de la Vega
- Don Alejandro de la Vega (played by George J. Lewis) is Don Diego's father. He's a rich cattle rancher with a strong sense of right and wrong. His wealth and land make him an important leader in the community. He can be hot-tempered and sometimes gets into trouble trying to fight injustice himself. Don Alejandro eventually learns his son's secret and fully supports Zorro's work.
Bernardo
- Bernardo (played by Gene Sheldon) is Diego's loyal servant and the only person who knows Diego's secret at first. Bernardo cannot speak, so he uses sign language and charades to communicate. He also pretends to be deaf, which allows him to overhear the plans of Zorro's enemies without them knowing. Bernardo often acts silly to seem harmless. Even though he sometimes seems a bit goofy, he is a very capable and important helper for Zorro. Sometimes, he even wears the Zorro mask himself when needed!
Sergeant Demetrio López García
- Sergeant Demetrio López García (played by Henry Calvin) is a big, superstitious, and fun-loving soldier who enjoys a drink. He is kind-hearted, brave, and loyal. Sergeant García believes he must follow orders, even if they are cruel. He tries to make unpleasant orders easier by being friendly. Although he always does his duty, he grows to respect Zorro. Later in the series, he is secretly happy when Zorro escapes capture. García dreams of catching Zorro to get the reward, a dream Diego sometimes encourages. He is strong and quick-thinking in a fight, and he has a great singing voice!
Behind the Scenes of Zorro
Filming Locations
The main outdoor sets for Zorro, like the town plaza, the military headquarters (cuartel), and the tavern, were built at the Disney studio in Burbank, California. Don Diego's hacienda (his large home) was built on a soundstage. Some scenes were also filmed at the Disney Ranch and at Mission San Luis Rey near Oceanside.
Popularity and Broadcast
The Zorro show was very popular, especially with children. Its catchy theme song, written by Norman Foster and George Bruns, became a hit song for The Chordettes. Kids who watched the show were so inspired that they started drawing "Z" graffiti on school desks and walls all over the United States!
Even though the show had good ratings, it ended after two seasons. This was due to a money disagreement between Disney and the ABC network over who owned the rights to Zorro and other Disney shows. During this legal fight, Disney made four new hour-long Zorro adventures, which aired as specials. Guy Williams continued to be paid during this time. By the time Disney and ABC settled their differences, Walt Disney felt that people were no longer as interested in Zorro.
Reruns of the series began airing on The Disney Channel when it launched on April 18, 1983. They continued until September 9, 2002. The original black-and-white episodes were colorized in 1992. For a while, both the colorized and original black-and-white versions were shown. The series aired for ten years.
More recently, Cozi TV aired reruns from 2015 to 2016. Reruns of this series also started airing on Grit (TV network) on September 1, 2024.
Zorro on Home Video and Streaming
VHS Releases
Several collections of Zorro episodes were released on VHS tapes over the years. These included:
- Volume 1 – The Secret of El Zorro (four episodes)
- Volume 2 – Zorro and the Mountain Man (three episodes)
- Volume 3 – The Mystery of Don Cabrillo (three episodes)
- Volume 4 – Invitation to Death (four episodes)
- Volume 5 – The Gay Caballero (four episodes)
- Volume 6 – The Man from Spain (four episodes)
DVD Releases
The first season of Zorro was released on DVD in the United States in 2006. These DVDs included the colorized versions of the episodes. The entire first season was later released as a boxed set. The second season was also released in a boxed set, also in color.
| DVD name | Episodes | Release date |
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| Season 1 | 39 | November 3, 2009 |
| Season 2 | 39 | November 3, 2009 |
In 2009, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the entire series on DVD as part of their Walt Disney Treasures collection. This special set included bonus features. It was only available for a limited time before being put back into the "Disney Vault."
Streaming on Disney+
Good news for fans! Disney+ released the entire Zorro series for streaming on October 5, 2022. You can also find The Sign of Zorro movie, which was made from some of the TV episodes, on Disney+ since November 12.
Other Zorro Appearances
Disneyland and Guest Roles
Guy Williams was first introduced as Zorro to the Disney audience on a special TV show called The Fourth Anniversary Show. During this episode, a character named Moochie kept asking Walt Disney, "What about Zorro?" Zorro then appeared, explaining who he was.
Williams and other main actors from the show also made live appearances at Disneyland in 1958. Some of their shows featured Zorro and Monastario fighting on the rooftops of Frontierland!
Several actors who appeared in Zorro later became famous for other roles. For example, Jonathan Harris, who played Carlos Fernandez in Zorro, later co-starred with Guy Williams again in the TV series Lost in Space. Cesar Romero, who played Diego's uncle, later became famous as the Joker in the Batman TV series from the 1960s. Annette Funicello, a popular Mouseketeer, also guest-starred in Zorro.
Comics and Movies
Comics based on the Zorro character existed before the Disney TV series. When the Disney show became popular, new comics were published under the name Walt Disney Presents: Zorro. The artwork in these comics looked just like the characters from the TV show.
Two movies were also made by combining episodes from the TV series:
- The Sign of Zorro (released overseas in 1958, and in the U.S. in 1960): This film used eight episodes from the first season's Monastario storyline. It shows Don Diego returning home to find his town controlled by the cruel Captain Monastario. Diego becomes Zorro to fight the tyranny and free the people.
- Zorro the Avenger (released overseas in 1959): This movie was made from six episodes from the end of the "Eagle" storyline. In this film, Zorro battles Jose Sebastian Varga, "The Eagle," who is a corrupt leader trying to take control of all of Spanish California.
