Few characters have been more influential on the comics’ superhero genre than Johnston McCulley’s pulp hero Zorro, a protagonist who established the genre of the costumed, masked do-gooder.
The Scarlet Pimpernel had preceded Zorro, but Sir Percy Blakeney acted as a master of disguise rather than in a costumed persona.
In a telling wink, Batman comics have noted that the movie young Bruce Wayne went to see with his parents on the night they were murdered was The Mark of Zorro (the original was released in 1920, and an equally stylish remake appeared in 1940).
“The mask is recognized as bestower of power as well as disguiser of identity,” wrote Danny Fingeroth in Superman on the Couch. “A mask is intimidating. So why should it be confined to use by criminals? Why not use that intimidation factor against those who would do individuals or society harm on whatever scale? In real life, this led to the … Ku Klux Klan and other vigilante and terrorist organizations. In the world of heroic fiction, though, such an affectation can be used to turn the tables on those who would do harm.”
Disney’s Zorro TV series — which aired on ABC from 1957 to 1959 and starred Guy Williams — spawned a merchandising blitz for the character, including this “Zorro color TV set,” sold in comics for a mere dollar. It’s actually a bit of plastic junk through which one rolled paper pictures.
“A half a century later in this wonderful Jetsons-future that we live in, kids can watch television shows on devices every bit as small as those original Lido plastic boxes,” observed toy historian Jeffrey Pepper.
Mitchell Brown wrote: My honey and I had our first date at the movie theatre watching Antonio Banderas in The Mask of Zorro in 1998. And we almost didn't make it to a second date because she thought I made up the word "swashbuckling." Lucky for me she had a roommate who set her straight and convinced her of my charms hidden deep (deep) inside my geeky exterior.
ReplyDeleteBob Doncaster wrote:
ReplyDeleteAny Zorro fan should read the book by Isabel Allende.
Bill Cross wrote:
ReplyDeleteThe Pimpernel's influence on Zorro can not be overstated. Sir Percy developed the whole "hero masquerading as a weakling" persona that was adopted by Don Diego, Clark Kent and so many others.
Also, the concept of having an exciting name for his heroic persona.
Bruce Kanin wrote:
ReplyDeleteI may not have seen all of the incarnations of Zorro, by my favorite is Guy Williams'. He seemed perfect for the part, plus the B&W was ideal.
Bob O'Neil wrote:
ReplyDeleteLoved Zorro as a kid and still do! Introduced my sons to Zorro many years ago and they share my passion!
Marko Worden:
ReplyDeleteI have this! Great fun for easily amused little me...
Vincent Mariani:
ReplyDeleteGuy Williams was as iconic as Zorro as George Reeves as Superman and Fess Parker as Davy Crockett were.
I was surprised how well the TV series held up when I watched it this year after a very long time. The only storyline that faltered was the one with Annette Funicello, whose acting was not very good. It was fun to watch various familiar character actors faking Spanish accents or dispensing with them.
Justin Campbell:
ReplyDeleteAnd, as comics creator and historian Alonso Washington has pointed out in the past, Zorro is the most high profile minority hero created by a white creator in Johnston McCauley. Or at least was for a very long time. With Marvel's recent rise to global prominence, a case could possibly be made for The Black Panther or Sam Wilson, but that's really about it. Storm maybe, but she's yet to be well-written in live-action. Though in some ways she's more interesting in animation than she is in any other medium, because animation has been the only medium to show the drawbacks to the emotional reserve she keeps at all times.
Bruce Kanin:
ReplyDeleteIt is an honor to be mentioned among other noted comic book historians such as Paul Zorroman.
I watched all but the final episode of Disney's Zorro series a couple of years ago. I binged, and perhaps that wasn't a good idea, because repetitiveness set in quickly. Still, Guy Williams made it all grand, and the secret identity trope made his Don Diego / Zorro seem like our other favorite superheroes.
I replied:
He DID do a lot of climbing on those same roofs, but it showed off his streaming black cape to such good advantage!
Bob Doncaster:
ReplyDeleteJust recently watched the Disney series. Have to agree Guy Williams was a perfect choice.
Paul Zukcerman:
ReplyDeleteI taped the two seasons when it was on the Disney channel some decades ago and watched the first season, I think with one or both of my sons. Have not had a chance to return to the second season and I now have the limited edition DVDs that Disney released in metal boxes. Of course, it's all available now on Disney+. Now that we are finishing up 77 Sunset Strip, maybe I can convince my wife to watch it.
What i found interesting that I had no memory of was that each season was basically three continuing stories of 13 episodes each. This was not common in those days but was perhaps influenced by the serials on the Mickey Mouse show--the Hardy Boys and Spin and Marty, though each episode was longer. The continued arc with each episode being stand-alone is more or less the way many modern shows are done now.
I always suspected that Walt Disney was impressed by the ratings for The Adventures of Superman, and thought let's do the same thing, but reach further back.
ReplyDeleteTheodore Relic:
ReplyDeleteJust looked on eBay and saw a complete set of that “TV”…cheap plastic with 8 scrolling comic strips. Don’t know if I would say it was worth a dollar in 1959, but it looked pretty cool. The listing had the “tv” and the 8 scrolls for $49.99.
Noah Henson:
ReplyDeleteIn the 70s they had a Zorro revival in the cinema in Houston, Texas. Mom would take my sister and me on weekends to see the 50s TV episodes played on the big screen like movies! We kids didn't know the difference. So at the same time that I was loving the syndicated 60s Batman show on TV, I was also becoming a fan of Zorro.