Z is for — Zorro, from Johnston McCulley’s classic adventure, The Mark of Zorro
Swish, swish, swish. Three flicks of the blade carve the infamous Z as Zorro leaves his mark on another adversary. Dressed all in black, his face hidden behind a black mask, the legendary hero of 1820s Spanish California rides to the rescue of the poor and oppressed, fighting injustice like a Robin Hood of the old west. Don Diego de la Vega, nobleman and wealthy landowner, plays the vapid fop in public while hiding his secret identity as the masked highwayman.
Zorro (Spanish for fox) was originally created by McCulley in 1919 as a five-part serialized story entitled The Curse of Capistrano — the nickname given Zorro by the corrupt politicians and soldiers for his constant bedeviling. The 1920 silent film with Douglas Fairbanks further popularized the tale. McCulley penned over 60 stories of the adventures of Zorro, and the character has since been immortalized in many other film and novel and television adaptations.
I always liked the Disney TV series with Guy Williams that originally ran from 1957 to 1959. I remember watching the reruns as I was growing up. I’ve also seen the 1920 Fairbanks movie and both movies with Antonio Banderas, from 1998 and 2005. On my to-be-watched list are the 1940 film with Tyrone Power, the 1990s series with Duncan Regehr, and some of the animated versions.
Best of all, though, I liked the Queen of Swords — Zorro with a twist: a female swordswoman in a black mask, fighting injustice in early 19th century Spanish California. The TV series with Tessie Santiago ran for one season from 2000 to 2001. Given the scarcity of female sword-wielding action heroes, I so wish it had run longer.
Tessie Santiago as Tessa Alvarado in
The Queen of Swords
Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams 
Woohoo – finishing with a flourish and the swish of a sword! Congratulations on making it to the end. We survived!
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Thanks, and the same to you! Yes, we did. It was fun!
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A very dramatic ending to the challenge! The first time I was introduced to Zorro was when my stepdad went as him for Halloween…it would have been around 1978 or 1979. My mom was Wonder Woman! I didn’t realize at the time that Zorro had been a popular character on a TV show in the 50s.
Stephanie
http://stephie5741.blogspot.com
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What great costumes! That must have been fun. Thanks for stopping by!
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Zorro was another childhood favorite. Great theme. I enjoyed it. 🙂
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Thank you!
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I may have watched a few shows with him!
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That’s great! I enjoyed the shows very much.
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I thought Antonia Banderas made a great Zorro. Congrats on completing A to Z Lori. Enjoyed it!
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Thank you, and to you, as well! I agree — I liked him as Zorro.
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What a perfect ending with Zorro. Congratulations on making it to Z, Lori! I have really loved your posts, and look forward to your future ones. 🙂
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Thanks so much! It was a fun challenge.
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Congratulations for completing the challenge! I love Zorro films, I wish to have seen a woman with a sword. That must be awesome.
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Thank you! And thanks for visiting! I think Queen of Swords episodes can be found on YouTube. I found them there once not too long ago. 🙂
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Searched for it in Youtube. She rides a horse with no effort! I tried riding for an hour, it just walked along the foot of the mountain and I was nervous of falling the whole ride.
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Glad you found it! I used to ride some when I was a lot younger, but certainly not with the skill she has. I always admired people who could ride that well.
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