Zorro (1957)

In 1919, a novelist named Johnston McCulley wrote a book entitled The Curse of Capistrano, which starred a fantastic swordsman named Zorro. McCulley had no idea what a phenomenon he had created. Zorro, a.k.a. Don Diego de le Vega (Originally known as Don Diego Vega) was a masked hero, fighting tyranny in Spanish California. In "The Mark of Zorro" starring Douglas Fairbanks (1920), and later a remake starring Tyrone Power, Zorro proved that he was not limited to novels. Actually, he and the screen were made for each other. Yet Zorro had yet to reach his peak. The character became a true classic when Walt Disney created a television series, starring Guy Williams as Don Diego/Zorro. This version was quite different from the novels. For starters, he was de le Vega instead of Vega. And more importantly, in the book Diego was a great swordsman and everyone knew it! Instead, Diego was cruel and hateful towards the lower classes, making so no one would ever suspect he was Zorro. Walt Disney changed that, and made several other changes as well, creating the Zorro we all know and love. But, after disputes between Disney and ABC, Zorro was cancelled forever, with the exception of a few hour long episodes of "Disneyland" which later became known as "The Wonderful World of Disney." With reruns, and of course The Disney Channel, Zorro was able to ignite another spark of adventure in the hearts of viewers everywhere, young and old. But, with "Vault Disney" having been taken off the air, it seems that again networks have done what Garcia could not, and that is cause Zorro to end his mascarade. But who knows, maybe someday Zorro will get his chance again to ride against tyranny, fighting soldiers and evil-doers for yet another generation.