Zorro

Considering my age, I watched the series quite late. Having heard a lot about these series from my older sisters and friends, I decided to watch them all. I bought the whole series on DVD (total of 78 X 30 min and 4 X 60 min) in summer 2006 and watched the whole 83 hours in around a month.

Having watched 3 other Zorro versions, I do agree that Guy Williams version is the best along with the other two pivotal characters of Bernardo and Sgt Garcia being unique. Considering the fact that I am in 2006 and still enjoining these series, I tried to imagine how enjoyable these series were for the peoples of 50's!!!

What if an actor was tall, dark, and handsome? And what if the actor had learned to act in bit parts in movies with actors like Tyrone Power, Victor Mature, and Raymond Massey? And what if the actor could handle a sword???

It all adds up to Walt Disney's ZORRO!!!--STARRING GUY WILLIAMS!!! Guy Williams as both Zorro and alter ego Don Diego De La Vega is better than all the actors who played the role before and after him, taller than Tyrone Power, better looking than Douglas Fairbanks, and taller, better looking, and better with a sword than Antonio Banderas!

Walt Disney controlled every aspect of this 1950s black and white tv show--the black and white photography is the show's greatest weakness, and the new colorized versions on the Disney Channel are much better--and the result is an interesting departure from the standard 1950s westerns, with humor, adventure, and terrific sets and casting. Henry Calvin is sensational as Williams' chief foil, Sargent Garcia, and Gene Sheldon is very good as Williams' mute servant Bernardo. But it's Guy Williams, with his beautiful hair, his handsome face, his height, his well proportioned physique, and something about the way he walks, the way he talks, and some strange quality that he had--see Guy in CAPTAIN SINBAD!!!--some ability to convey to his audience, "Everything's going to be all right!!!"--that made Walt Disney's ZORRO the best ZORRO of all!

THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER GUY WILLIAMS!!!

What a guy he was! An incredible athlete. He was daring, romantic, and well-mannered even under stress. At times witty, and a bit mischievous in dealing with the villains. Women pined for him, and men wished they could be him. He had a clever way of making the criminals pay for their misdeeds. As I remember it was a show an entire family could watch with no apprehension. Good, clean fun for all. And the underlying moral, "Crime does not pay." At least it does not succeed if Zorro is around. There was always an intriguing plot and I remember many good laughs while watching this nimble hero foil the plans of the evil commandante. This was well written, and well acted TV entertainment at its best. I was almost 11 years old when this show first appeared on TV, but I remember the dashing hero as if it were yesterday. This is the Zorro that I will likely compare all others to. I must say that Antonio Banderas put an incredible amount of energy into the latest production of Zorro. I greatly enjoyed it and will watch for the sequel due out in 2005. Perhaps Antonio can get access to some of the original Guy Williams versions and raise the bar on his portrayal of the dashing, cunning hero dressed in black? I rate the Disney Zorro played by Guy Williams as 10/10

This show was a real treat, both on ABC from 1957 to 1959, and on the Disney Channel, with its blend of adventure and comedy. Excellent cast!

I am sorry that the series did not film further episodes, because it was superb. I saw it as a kid in syndication in 1965-66, and then again in 2002 on the Disney Channel.

"Zorro" had to have been the "Batman" of the late 1950s. Indeed, in the comic version of "Batman" it is Zorro whom Bruce Wayne considers his role model. After living in Texas and the Southwest, I can appreciate the series even more. I just wish Disney would bring it back, and that someone would revive the series. It was so interesting!

Thought I'd add my two cents. Along with Johnny Weismuller as Tarzan, Larry Buster Crabbe as Flash Gordon, Guy Williams is Zorro for me. He wasn't the first Zorro I saw in action, but after his, it is hard for me to watch some of the others. I believe he had a lot of potential and in the hands of the two directors he worked with, and the fencing master, they really brought a lot to the scripts and performance. Along with a wonderfully fleshed out supporting cast. I was also surprised to find Albert Whitlock's name in some of the end credits. He's the famous matte painter who has also work on many of Hitchcock's films. Also the stunt work for some of the episodes is quite impressive for a TV show, more of what I would expect to see in a feature film at that time.

I just bought the complete first season on DVD and I am surprised how much in tune my opinions are with the many positive things written about the show here already. If I'm ever blessed with a family, I truly look forward to watching these, along with Johnny's Tarzan, Buster's Flash and Clayton Moore's Lone Ranger with them. I have had the opportunity to watch a couple of the silent Super 8mm black and white films from the Zorro show with some kids I baby sat. If their reaction is any indication as to how my own family will enjoy and respond to watching these colorized versions on DVD, the experience will surely be a real treat for all of us.