The BEST episodes of Zorro (1957)
Every episode of Zorro (1957) ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Zorro (1957)!
Zorro, which is Spanish for "fox", is the story of a masked rider who battles the unjust rulers of the pueblo of Los Angeles during the days of Spanish rule. His real identity is that of Don Diego de la Vega, the son of a wealthy landowner. Diego returns from his studies in Spain and discovers that Los Angeles is under the command of Capitan Monastario, a cruel man who relishes in the misuse of his power for personal gain. Knowing that he cannot hope to single-handedly defeat Monastario and his troops, Diego resorts to subterfuge. He adopts the secret identity of Zorro, a sinister figure dressed in black, and rides to fight Monastario's injustice.
#1 - The Flaming Arrow
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/18/1958
Ricardo asks for Diego's help in winning Anna Maria's heart, for he feels Zorro is too much competition for the two men to overcome. If they can make it seem that Zorro is seeing another woman, Anna Maria will scorn him, thus dropping the field of suitors to a more manageable size. Ricardo plans to accomplish this by dressing as Zorro and serenading Anna Maria's cousin, Milana del Carmen. Diego sees this as a chance to cure Ricardo of his fondness for practical jokes. He arranges for Garcia to arrest his friend, and charge him with all of Zorro's crimes. The sergeant realizes Ricardo cannot really be Zorro, for he saw the outlaw and Ricardo side-by-side when the payroll was robbed. Unfortunately for Ricardo, the commandante chooses not to believe this, for Ricardo has angered him with his jokes. Also, killing the notorious Zorro would be a help to his career, so he orders Ricardo hanged. Aghast at this turn of events, Diego realizes he must save his friend from death. He does this in dramatic fashion by shooting a flaming arrow through the noose, which drops Ricardo to the ground. Before he leaves, Zorro forces Ricardo into a watering trough and warns the shaken man that he will punish anyone who impersonates him. In return for his humiliation, Ricardo swears vengeance on Zorro.
#2 - The Secret of the Sierra
Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/13/1958
Another stranger with an eagle feather spells trouble for Zorro when Perico, a recent arrival, sees a gypsy girl trying to pay for a purchase with several gold nuggets. Diego and Alejandro realize that news of a gold discovery will cause a rush of "gold fever" and their peaceful way of life will be threatened, so they try to suppress the news.
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#3 - Agent of the Eagle
Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/20/1958
Don Alejandro tells Diego he's received a letter from a friend in the capital telling him that the new commandante, Capitan Juan Ortega, has the reputation of being an honest and fair man. When Ortega arrives, he doesn't act that way. He treats Sergeant Garcia with contempt and is openly arrogant toward the civilians. The reason for this is revealed when Ortega meets the magistrado and informs him that the real commandante has been ambushed and murdered, on orders of the Eagle.
#4 - Zorro, Luckiest Swordsman Alive
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/26/1957
Faking Martinez's death, Captain Monastario again tries to use him to impersonate and disgrace Zorro by robbing a church, leaving Zorro confused as to who could be the impostor this time.
#5 - Zorro Lights a Fuse
Season 1 - Episode 30 - Aired 5/1/1958
Raquel's ambitious plans for her husband appear to end when she receives a letter from him. She had been promised by the Eagle that he would be made governor of California, but her husband wants her to join him in San Diego, for he plans to sail back to Spain. Realizing the Eagle will not let her go, she tries to sneak out of the pueblo, only to be caught by Quintana.
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#6 - Adios, Senor Magistrado
Season 1 - Episode 26 - Aired 4/3/1958
Capitan Toledano plans to interrogate two prisoners who were seized when the gunpowder was recovered. The prisoners warn Figueroa, one of the magistrado's men, that they will talk unless someone helps them escape. Instead, they are found dead in their cell the next morning. A doctor examines the bodies and suspects murder, but the magistrado announces that it was suicide.
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#7 - Shadow of Doubt
Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/9/1958
No sooner does the honest new commandante arrive than he is assassinated by a mysterious stranger who frames an elderly beggar for the crime and appears to be part of a larger conspiracy.
#8 - Double Trouble for Zorro
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/19/1957
Captain Monastario's latest plan is to discredit Zorro by having a prisoner who killed a man in a sword fight pose as the masked avenger and rob the local landowners at a dinner party.
#9 - The Cross of the Andes
Season 1 - Episode 32 - Aired 5/15/1958
Expecting another shipment of jewels, Murietta goes to inspect the tannery where they will be stored. There, he spots Pasqual, a peasant who lives there, and whips the old man until he leaves. The shipment arrives accompanied by Dolores Bastinado, recently arrived in the pueblo, who attracts the attention of Sergeant Garcia.
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#10 - Zorro's Ride into Terror
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/28/1957
After Zorro hides his wounded father in the secret cave, as Don Diego he must divert Captain Monastario and his soldiers who are searching for the old man.
#11 - Zorro's Secret Passage
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/17/1957
It is a calm morning in Spanish California, and Sergeant Dimetrio Lopez Garcia is putting up posters, with another soldier, which are asking for reward money for Don Ignacio Torres and the now famous Zorro. After putting up all of the posters, Garcia reports to Captain Monastario, telling him all the posters have been put up. Though the Sergeant suggests that they wait for someone to capture Zorro and claim the reward, the Captain has other ideas. He says that the military will find Zorro themselves, so starting a campaign to search all around the pueblo. Meanwhile, back at the hacienda, Bernardo is shocked to find Diego in his room, when he slept outside of his door all night. Diego explains that, returning from his first ride as Zorro, he remembered a secret passage that he used to explore as a child, and takes the frightened Bernardo inside of it. It leads to a cave, where Tornado is staying, which leads out into the open. Diego tells Bernardo that soon ""You shall know it as well as
#12 - Presenting Senor Zorro
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/10/1957
The story of the masked rider in Old California opens as Don Diego de la Vega is returning to California from Spain, where he has been studying for several years. He passes the time at sea by fencing with the ship's captain, who tells him that the Pueblo de Los Angeles is under the rule of a cruel dictator, Capitan Monastario. This helps Diego understand the meaning behind a vague letter his father sent, urging him to return home. Realizing that open opposition to Monastario and his troops would be fruitless, Diego decides to work in secrecy. He assumes the role of a foppish student more interested in books than in swordplay. To protect his true identity, Diego will become El Zorro - "The Fox". His servant Bernardo, a mute, also takes on a new role when he decides to pretend he is deaf, thus allowing him access to secrets he can share with Diego. Not long after they arrive in Los Angeles, the travelers are provided with proof of the capitan's cruelty. Don Torres, a neighbor of Diego's, is thrown into jail for treason, and others are jailed for taxes they cannot pay. Diego notes the injustices in silence before traveling to his father's hacienda. Diego's arrival first pleases then saddens his father, Don Alejandro. Diego decides not to endanger him with knowledge of his plans, and the older man's hurt at his son's seeming inaction provides even greater incentive for Diego to ride as Zorro. He takes Bernardo to a secret valley where a beautiful horse has been cared for while Diego was away. Tornado will remain hidden until Zorro is ready to appear. Zorro's first act is to save the life of Don Torres, whom Monastario plans to release and then kill, claiming the prisoner had escaped. Sneaking into the fort, Zorro cuts the saddle straps on the soldiers' horses so they can't interfere. He then frees Torres, who escapes while Zorro battles the capitan. With Monastario locked in one of his own cells, Zorro rides off without fear of the lancers while their leader
#13 - Monastario Sets a Trap
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/21/1957
Learning that a group of disgruntled landowners plan to seize the cuartel and free the political prisoners, Captain Monastario sets a trap to capture them, including Zorro's father Don Alejandro.
#14 - The Well of Death
Season 1 - Episode 34 - Aired 5/29/1958
Another shipment of stolen jewels arrives in the pueblo, and Dolores Bastinado unwittingly allows her brother, Pogo, to deliver the cargo to the Murietta brothers. The trunk slips and breaks open, and Pogo spots several of the gems. He realizes the men will try to kill him to protect their secret, but he is seized before he can flee. The Muriettas bind and gag him, then hide him when they hear Sergeant Garcia arriving.
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#15 - Zorro Springs a Trap
Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 2/27/1958
The fake Ortega and the magistrado announce they have captured Zorro, and a cart holding a masked man is dragged into the town square. A public unmasking will be held at noon, and Diego fears that an innocent man will be charged with Zorro's "crimes". He also realizes it may all be a trap, so when he dons his costume and rides into the square to free the prisoner, he watches carefully for soldiers.
#16 - Welcome to Monterey
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/9/1958
The second season of Zorro opens with Don Diego and Bernardo visiting Monterey, California. They have been sent there by a group of Los Angeles investors to look over an import business. The visitors have barely arrived in town when two men burst into their room and demand the investors' money. Diego claims he doesn't have it and the men leave when the innkeeper investigates the disturbance. All they take is Diego's watch, but he suspects something more serious is wrong. Diego sets to work by visiting Señor Verdugo, owner of the business that's for sale. The merchant appears to be legitimate, but Diego tells him that several potential investors have been robbed on their way to Monterey so he must check before recommending the investment. He implies that the men who broke into his room are linked to Verdugo, thus angering the older man. Verdugo refutes his accusations by introducing Diego to Romero Serrano, a courier who has arrived safely from Santa Cruz. Diego also meets Anna Maria, Verdugo's daughter, who openly dislikes him for questioning her father's integrity. Later, Romero and Anna Maria see Bernardo carefully carrying a saddle bag into the inn, which makes them think Diego has brought the money after all. They accuse Diego and demand that he open the bag, but he refuses, for it contains his Zorro costume. Bernardo manages to confuse them, and switches the contents with some of Diego's clothes. Two men in the hotel lobby attract Bernardo's attention and he sees that one of them has Diego's watch. The servant tries to follow them but is taken prisoner, to be held hostage until Diego turns over the money. That night, Diego rides as Zorro and rescues his friend, barely escaping a shot fired by an unknown assailant. He returns the fire and wounds him, but the man escapes.
#17 - Garcia's Secret Mission
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/12/1957
Captain Monastario orders Sergeant Garcia to pretend to have been dishonorably discharged, so that the people of the village will take him into their confidence and reveal Zorro's whereabouts.
#18 - Zorro Rides to the Mission
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/24/1957
Finding that Don Torres is in hiding at the Mission, Monastario forces the local Indians into hard labor until the Padre agrees to surrender the fugitive.
#19 - Zorro's Romance
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/7/1957
In order to help the escaped fugitive Torres elude Captain Monastario's surveillance of his home, Don Diego decides that he must propose marriage to Torres' daughter.
#20 - Zorro Takes a Dare
Season 2 - Episode 30 - Aired 4/30/1959
Humiliated by Zorro, Basilio gets his revenge by arresting Sergeant Garcia and hoisting him in the air in the public square outside the cuartel. A large sign dares Zorro to rescue Garcia, but Diego knows Basilio will have hidden lancers throughout the area. When night arrives, so does Zorro, using Bernardo to help create a diversion that draws the soldiers out of town. Bernardo lures Basilio out of his office by offering to take him to Zorro, but the waiting outlaw instead uses his rope to hang the politician upside down in the square. The lancers return to free Basilio and he rides to the de la Vega hacienda to arrest Bernardo. Basilio accidentally discovers one of the house's secret passages. As he begins to explore, he surprises Diego and knocks him unconscious. Having finally solved the mystery of Zorro, Basilio celebrates by donning the black costume and mask, then steps outside on the balcony to savor the moment. Capitan Mendoza, who is waiting outside on guard duty, sees the figure of the infamous outlaw and shoots Zorro dead. Much to his surprise, he discovers he has killed Basilio, thus unwittingly protecting Zorro's secret identity.
#21 - The New Order
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/13/1958
Before he returns home, Sergeant Garcia angers Theresa, a tamale vendor, when he tries to carry out the orders of the acting governor. Luis Rico has decided that all of the vendors must be removed from the plaza despite their objections, and Diego promises Theresa he will try to help. She shows her appreciation with hugs and kisses, thereby angering her boyfriend, Joaquin Castenada, who was watching. Joaquin starts to say something to her but is knocked aside by Capitan Briones, leader of a band of soldiers named "Especials". The Especials have come to carry out Rico's orders and do not report to Garcia, who objects to their brutality. Joaquin tries to attack the soldiers but is stopped by Diego and Garcia, who know he would be killed. Briones arrests Theresa, and Bernardo must hit Joaquin with a mallet to keep him from sharing her fate. Diego tries to reason with Rico but he remains firm, for this is his first command and he wants an orderly city. He allows Diego to pay Theresa's fine and they head back to her stand. Joaquin has recovered and berates Diego for stopping him, but the Especials arrive again and the impetuous youth is arrested. Briones plans to beat him to death to teach the other peons a lesson and Zorro must free him. When darkness falls, Zorro sneaks into the fortress and tells Joaquin to insult the guards until they open his cell to discipline him. When they do, Zorro drops down on them and locks them inside, taking Joaquin into the hills to hide. The boy vows to return, and Zorro knows the matter is far from over.
#22 - The Man from Spain
Season 2 - Episode 27 - Aired 4/9/1959
Another problem looms for Zorro when an arrogant stranger arrives in the pueblo and demands the help of Don Alejandro. Felipe Basilio has been sent by the Spanish government to sell bonds to the local citizens in order to help finance the Spanish war effort, but he gets off to a bad start by interrupting Sergeant Garcia's birthday party and throwing his pinata into the trash. Basilio also angers the townspeople by telling them they must buy the bonds, and a Capitan Mendoza arrives to enforce his order. The newcomers try to force Alejandro to persuade the peons, but they must resort to force when sales lag due to the unreasonable levies they have placed on their victims. One such person is the innkeeper, of whom they demand 250 pesos. Basilio is attracted to Moneta, the daughter of a wealthy landowner, and the two visitors temporarily delay their demands. Garcia draws Basilio's wrath by sneaking into the tavern to recover his pinata, and the visitor decides to make his strength known by placing the sergeant in the town stocks. Zorro avenges this humiliation by forcing Basilio to free Garcia, and then places him in the stocks instead.
#23 - Sweet Face of Danger
Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/30/1958
A quiet day in the pueblo is abruptly changed when a stranger is killed by an arrow, apparently the victim of an Indian attack. Diego helps Sergeant Garcia inspect the body for clues and finds another mysterious eagle feather, this time on the fake Indian arrow. Other than that, there is no hint as to who the stranger was or why he was killed.
#24 - The Ghost of the Mission
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/31/1957
After failing in his attempt to sneak food to the fugitive in the Mission where Captain Monastario has laid siege, Zorro tries to scare the soldiers away by spreading a rumor about the mad monk who supposedly haunts the place.
#25 - The Eagle's Flight
Season 1 - Episode 39 - Aired 7/3/1958
Bernardo, who is keeping watch over Varga, is disturbed to see Garcia leading a patrol of lancers out of the cuartel. Even more disturbing is the sight of several strangers who drift into the Eagle's headquarters. When he tries to look inside, the gates are locked, so he rushes to warn Diego of the threat.
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