ZORRO: A BRIEF HISTORY OF A LIVING LEGEND —by Sandra Curtis Zorro, “the fox,” was created in 1919 by the writer Johnston McCulley for his serialized novel The Curse of Capistrano. This story was the first of 65 immensely popular tales in which the romantic hero fought injustice in Spanish California’s Pueblo de Los Angeles. Douglas Fairbanks generated a sensation in 1920 with his silent film The Mark of Zorro, an adaptation of McCulley’s first Zorro story, which remains one of the great classics of that era. Two decades later Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone starred in the successful 1940 sound remake of The Mark of Zorro. Zorro also appeared in 1936 in Republic Pictures’ first color film, The Bold Caballero. “The Fox” was a character born for serial treatment and Republic wasted no time in making a twelve chapter serial, Zorro Rides Again (1937), followed by four more Zorro serials over the next twelve years. In 1957 Walt Disney introduced the Zorro television series starring Guy Williams, the highest budget series of any Western to date. The series was meticulously produced and became one of the most popular shows of the Golden Age of Hollywood, sparking a merchandising mania well known to toy and comic collectors of today. During the 1960s and 1970s numerous Zorro movies were made in Europe. The most notable was Zorro starring Alain Delon as the masked hero in a French-Italian co-production. In 1974 yet another remake of The Mark of Zorro, starring Frank Langella as Zorro, was made for U. S. Television. Zorro continued to create new generations of fans in the 1980s. George Hamilton starred in an uproarious film farce entitled Zorro, the Gay Blade which delighted theater audiences in 1980. An animated series, The New Adventures of Zorro, aired on CBS Saturday mornings from 1981–1983. Disney produced another Zorro television series in 1983, Zorro and Son, for CBS, another spoof on the character. Zorro entered the 1990s with a new live action TV series co-produced by New World Television (U.S.), Ellipse (France) and RAI (Italy). Premiering the very first week of the decade, Zorro aired in over 50 countries around the world. Eighty-nine episodes were produced and shown over four years. Another animated series comprised of fifty-two episodes of Japanese style animation was released through Mondo TV of Italy in 1992. Disney once again hopped on the Zorro bandwagon in 1992 using state-of-the-art computer techniques to colorize all 78 episodes of its classic series. It continues to play in many countries around the world. A comprehensive hour-long history of Zorro was produced for the Arts & Entertainment Biography series, which first aired in June of 1996. A new Zorro animated series from Fred Wolf Films, Warner Bros. International Television, Harvest Entertainment, Carrington Productions International LTD and Zorro Productions, Inc. premiered in the Fall of 1997. Playmates, the master toy license, debuted a unique Zorro toy line in early 1998. A syndicated daily comic strip began a two year run in national papers in the Spring of 1999. The biggest media attraction of the 1990s was the long anticipated release of The Mask of Zorro. TriStar Pictures and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment assembled an impressive production team. Martin Campbell, coming off of the Bond film Golden Eye, directed Antonio Banderas as the new masked hero of Spanish California. Banderas inherited the mantle of Zorro from Oscar winning star Anthony Hopkins. Appearing in her star-making role, future Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones debuted as the film’s knockout female lead. The Mask of Zorro premiered in the U.S. on July 17, 1998, and was a national and international box office success, generating $250 million. In the 2000s, Zorro remained in the limelight with the release of an animated film created by DIC Entertainment. The Amazing Zorro was featured as part of Nickelodean’s Incredible Movie Toons package in Thanksgiving 2002. Smuin Ballet premiered a delightful, original ballet in May of 2003 to enthusiastic reviews. Zorro stage productions thrilled international audiences in Spain and Japan during 2002 and 2003. The eagerly awaited sequel to The Mask of Zorro, entitled The Legend of Zorro premiered October 28, 2005. The film reunited Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones again as Alejandro de la Vega, with his alter ego, Zorro, and his wife, Elena. Their ten year old son, Joaquin, does not know that his own father is his hero, Zorro. Part of the film’s appeal is the star line-up and director, Martin Campbell, who assembled much of the original production team in Mexico for the shoot at a renovated hacienda in San Luis Potosi. The year 2005 dawned brightly with another major Zorro release preceding The Legend of Zorro. Internationally beloved author Isabel Allende (Paula, Daughter of Fortune, Portraits in Sepia, My Invented Country) completed the flagship Zorro novel Harper Collins published in May 2005. Allende created the classic legend of how young Diego de la Vega became Zorro. Her book will become the third film in the Zorro trilogy with Columbia Pictures. A middle reader series follows the release of Allende’s novel, deepening and enriching her classic tale. Celebrated childrens’ writer Jan Adkins (What if you Met a Pirate, A Storm Without Rain, Bridges) authors the adventure novels for 8–12 year olds. Adkins poses as the scribe of stories told to him by Diego Vega, a descendant of the original Zorro. The Young Zorro series embellishes the life of Diego and his “milk brother” Bernardo as they develop the necessary skills for the later escapades of “El Zorro, the fox.” Upcoming in 2006 includes continued development of the Zorro Broadway musical with an original score by the world famous flamenco entertainers, The Gipsy Kings. It will premiere on the West End of London in Spring 2007, from where it will move to Broadway. Publication continues of Zorro graphic novels in the manga style from Papercutz. Why is there still so much interest in Zorro? Zorro stands out as perhaps the most multi-dimensional character in the pantheon of super heroes. Zorro personifies action, romance, humor and heroism. An ethnic hero, he is simultaneously wise, brave, charming, cunning and extremely romantic. Zorro has true cross-generational appeal, an icon to four generations of fans around the world. Zorro has had true staying power because he has been successfully reinterpreted within the spirit of the times. BACK TO TOP