Walt Disney's Zorro - 1957 to 1959

Don Diego de la Vega returns home from Madrid to find the pueblo ruled by a ruthless man, Capitan Monastario.  Don Diego creates the Zorro persona to fight Monastario's unjust accusation of treason against Don Nacho Torres.  Later, Zorro must fight to keep his own name from being discredited by Monastario.  Zorro's efforts bring suspicion against Don Diego who is accused of being Zorro.

#14-26  "Birds of a Feather"

A series of mysterious deaths occur in which an eagle's feather is found upon the dead person's body.  Don Diego notices that the feathers are cut in different ways and that it must be a means of communicating for some sinister purpose.  Diego discovers that the plot includes people who are supposed to work on the side of the law and has no choice but to work as Zorro towards uncovering the plot.

#27-39  "The Eagle's Brood"

The Eagle's plot deepens as more people who work for him arrive in the pueblo.  The agents steal gunpowder from the military and smuggle in stolen jewels which will be used to finance the plot.  As Zorro works to recover the stolen gunpowder and jewels, the Eagle himself arrives in Los Angeles to oversee the final stages of his plan.  Zorro must find a way to prevent the Eagle from seizing control of the pueblo.

#40-52  "Diego's Visit to Monterey"

Diego travels to Monterey where he discovers a plot to steal supply money being brought in from other pueblos.  Later, Diego is forced to match wits with an acting governor who is determined to rule with an iron hand and with a peasant who is determined to teach the acting governor a lesson.  Meanwhile, Diego falls in love with a beautiful woman named Anna Maria and finds himself competing with an old friend and with Zorro for the lady's affection.

#53-65  "The Gay Caballero, the Missing Father, and the Mountain Man"

Diego's uncle Estevan arrives in Los Angeles for an extended visit and his constant scheming for easy money becomes quite a nuisance to the de la Vegas.  After Estevan finally leaves, the de la Vegas are confronted with the problem of a young girl who insists that her missing father is living in Los Angeles.  Later, a mountain man becomes the prey of a prejudiced landowner who hates foreigners.

#66-78  "The Man from Spain and an Invitation to Death"

The people of Los Angeles find themselves at the mercy of a Spanish emissary who believes that the people of California are unconcerned about the welfare of Spain.  The emissary tries to force the people into obedience while gaining personal wealth at their expense.  Once Zorro frees California from the man from Spain, he must prevent a group of rebels from killing the governor of California.

#79-82  Walt Disney Presents

The Walt Disney Zorro series is the first version of Zorro to have Don Diego pose as an inept swordsman as part of his cover.  The series builds upon the premise created for the 1940 film in which Diego is called home from school in Spain due to problems in California.  Don Diego's servant, Bernardo, is present like in the original movie and stories but is now only mute and not deaf.

The Walt Disney Zorro series has several important ties to past versions of Zorro.  The outstanding music for Zorro's Fighting Legion was composed by William Lava, who also did the excellent music for the Disney series.  During some episodes of the Disney series, the music sounds very similar to what was heard in Zorro's Fighting Legion.  George J. Lewis starred in Zorro's Black Whip and had a minor role in Ghost of Zorro before starring as Don Alejandro in the Disney series.  William Witney had previously directed Zorro Rides Again and Zorro's Fighting Legion before directing several episodes of the Disney series.

This series also has two links to the 1974 film, The Mark of Zorro.  Two actors who starred in the 1974 film, Gilbert Roland and Ricardo Montalban, were guest stars during the final four episodes of the series.