Guy Williams starred as Don Diego de la Vega a Spanish nobleman who donned a black mask and cap to become Zorro, the mysterious righter of wrongs in the 1820s Spanish occupied area of old Los Angeles.

By day, Don Diego played a bookish dandy who pretended to be interested in the local gossip and social doings, but, by night, and in other times of need, he mounted his black stallion Tornado and galloped away to help the poor and oppressed.

Zorro's headquarters was located in a cave beneath his family's Monterey hacienda. The cave was believed to have been used by his grandfather to hide from marauding Indians. Diego accessed  the cave through a secret door built in the first floor fireplace.

The name Zorro was inspired by a proverb Diego once heard that stated: "When you cannot clothe yourself in the skin of the lion, put on that of the fox" (Zorro being "fox" in Spanish).

When Zorro arrived on the scene, he attached a message to the door of the local authorities that read: "Beware Commadante. My sword is a flame - to right every wrong - so heed well my name -  ZORRO"

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"To most of us, the early days of California mean the time when this flag (star and bear) flew over of the California Republic before its admission into the United States in 1850. And we think of Sutter's Mill near Sacramento where gold was discovered back in 1849. But a full half century before the exciting days of the gold rush California was the sunny land of the Spanish dons. It was a romantic period of leisurely and gracious living. But it was a lawless period, too A time when California's isolation from the forces of law and order from the rest of the world was an open invitation to violence and banditry. Stories are told of a legendary hero who lived in those outlaw days. A dashing young man who appeared as a gay bon vivant by day and wore this by night (puts a black cloth mask over his eyes) to ride the country as a champion of justice and protector of the oppressed. Hated and feared by those he opposed, honored and respected by those he defended, he was known as Zorro and you are about to see one his exciting adventures now." -- Narrated by Walt Disney

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Don Diego & Bernardo Strategize

The people who interacted with the de la Vega  family included:

Close Friends and Family:

• Gene Sheldon as Don Diego's loyal mute manservant  who also pretended to be deaf so he could spy for Zorro. Bernardo communicates via sign language. On occasion, Bernardo dressed as Zorro, which allowed Diego to be seen in the same place as Zorro, and thus  remove suspicions that Diego might be Zorro.
• Penny Stanton as Cresencia, the family maid.
• George J. Lewis as Diego's Father, Don Alejandro. He had no idea that his son was Zorro all the while he resented Diego's cowardly, persona as a meek scholar and his inability to stand up for justice. When Don Alejandro eventually learns the truth about his son's double life, he is filled with pride.
• Jolene Brand as Anna Maria Verdugo, a lovely local señorita and Diego's romantic interest.
• Eduard Franz as Gregorio Verdugo, Anna's  father
• Jan Arvan as Ignacio Torres, a neighbor whom the Magistrado called a traitor and placed a 500 pesos reward for his capture. Zorro came to his rescue when he hid a local monastery. The Magistrado placed a 1000 pesos reward for Zorro's capture (dead or alive).
• Cesar Romero as Esteban de la Cruz, Diego's maternal playboy uncle.

The Merchants:

• Barbara Luna as Theresa, the Tamale Peddler 
• Nestor Paiva as Innkeeper
• Wolfe Barzell as Innkeeper
• Wendell Holmes as Storekeeper
• Joan Shawlee as Barmaid

The Politicians  & Schemers:

• Vinton Hayworth as Magistrado Carlos Galindo
•  John Litel as The Governor
• Charles Korvin as Jose Sebastian Varga 'The Eagle'

The Military:

• Britt Lomond as Capitan Enrique Monasterio, a ruthless officer
• Peter Adams as Capitan Arturo Toledano, his successor
• Ric Roman as Capitan Briones
• George N. Neise as Capitan Felipe Arrellanos
• Robert J. Wilke as Capitan Mendoza
• Henry Calvin as Sergeant Demetrio Lopez Garcia, the plump, inept second-in-command solider of the Kings lancers who boasts  to catch Zorro, but who'd rather fill his belly.
• Don Diamond as Corporal Reyes, Garcia's friend.

Sgt. Garcia	Corp. Reyes

The Priests:

• Romney Brent as Padre Felipe, from the Mission de la San Gabriel. Although Diego's fried, he is not aware of his secret identity.

The Civilians:

The Señoritas

• Suzanne Lloyd as Raquel Toledano
• Myrna Fahey as Maria Crespo
• Joan Evans as Leonar
• Patricia Medina as Margarita Cortazar
• Gloria Talbott as Moneta
• Madeleine Holmes as Dona Luisa Torres
• Mary Wickes as Dolores Maldonado
• Annette Funicello as Anita Cecilia Isabella Cabrillo, a beautiful houseguest who had a wonderful singing voice. She sang  the songs "Como Esta Usted?" and "Amo Que Paso?" She came to Los Angeles to find her father Don Miguel Cabrillo who turns out to be Gonzalez, the stable master. He was ashamed to admit he was just a humble "servant of horses."
• Jean Willes as Carlotta
• Elvera Corona as Pilar Fuentes

The Senors

• Than Wyenn as Licenciado Piña
• Jay Novello as Juan Greco
• Carlos Romero as Romero Serrano
• Richard Anderson as Ricardo del Amo, Diego's rival for the hand of Anna Marie Verdugo.
• Perry Lopez as Joaquin Castenada
• Ken Lynch as Pablo
• Michael Pate as Salvador Quintana
• Kent Taylor as Carlos Murrietta
• Frank Wilcox as Luis Rico
• Edgar Barrier as Don Cornelio Esperon
• Douglas Kennedy as Manuel
• Everett Sloane as Andres Felipe Basilio
• Tony Russel as Carlos Martinez
• Pat Hogan as Benito
• Anthony Caruso as Don Juan Ortega
• Robert Crawford Jr. as Paco Maldonado
• Jack Elam as Gomez
• Peter Mamakos as Enrique Fuentes
• Lloyd Corrigan as Sancho
• Jonathan Harris as Don Carlos Fernandez
• Paul Richards as Hernando
• Carlos Rivas as Ruiz
• Arthur Space as Gonzales, the stable master and father of señorita Anita Cecilia Isabella Cabrillo.
• Howard Wendell as Don Marcos Cortazar
• Jeff York as Joe Crane
• Rodolfo Hoyos Jr. as Cuevas
• Armand Alzamora as Figueroa
• Joseph Conway as Francisco Palomares
• Anthony George as Eusebio Crespo
• George Keymas as Roberto
• Jack Kruschen as Jose Mordante
• Sandy Livingston as Rosarito Cortez
• Paul Picerni as Pedro Murrietta
   

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Listen to Theme Song

Theme Song Lyrics
(words by Norman Foster
music by George Bruns).

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,
A "Z" that stands for Zorro.

Zorro, Zorro, the fox so cunning and free,
Zorro, Zorro, who makes the sign of the Z.

Zorro, Zorro, Zorro, Zorro, Zorro.

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Memorabilia

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TRIVIA NOTE:  Guy Williams' real name was Armando Catalano.

In addition to the TV series, four hour-long episodes of ZORRO were aired on the weekly anthology series THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY. They included "El Bandito (10/30/1960); "Adios El Cuchillo" (11/06/1960); "The Postponed Wedding" (01/01/1961); and "Auld Acquaintance" (04/02/1961).

In the original story "The Curse of Capistrano" written by Johnston McCulley, Zorro slashed the letter "Z" onto the cheeks or flesh of his opponents. However, the Walt Disney TV version had Zorro cut the letter "Z" into an enemy's clothing, stopping short of their skin.

Movie adaptations of the Zorro character included The Mark of Zorro (1920) starring Douglas Fairbanks; The Mark of Zorro (1940) starring Tyrone Power; The Sign of Zorro (1960) starring Guy Williams; Zorro and the Three Musketeers (1962) starring Gordon Scott; The Gay Blade (1981) starring George Hamilton (in a dual role) as Zorro's gay brother, Bunny Wigglesworth; and The Mask of Zorro (1998) and The Legend of Zorro (2005) starring Antonio Banderas.

Obituaries: Guy Williams: 04/30/1989; Henry Calvin: 10/06/1975: Gene Sheldon: 05/01/1982; George J. Lewis: 12/08/1995; Vinton Hayworth: 05/21/1970; Britt Lomond: 03/22/2006; Charles Korvin: 06/18/1998;

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External Links

• Zorro (IMDb)

 

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