The BEST episodes of Zorro (1957) season 1
Every episode of Zorro (1957) season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Zorro (1957) season 1!
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 - 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.
#2 - 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.
#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 - 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.
#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.
#6 - 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.
#7 - 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.
#8 - 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
#9 - 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.
#10 - 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.
#11 - 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.
#12 - 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.
#13 - The Unmasking of Zorro
Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 3/6/1958
The plans of the fake commandante and the magistrado go awry when Ortega spots Diego talking to Rosarita Cortez, a childhood friend who has recently returned from the capital. Ortega fears she will recognize him from her journey, for it was during that trip that he murdered the real Ortega and assumed his identity. Bernardo overhears the two villains planning her death, and notifies Diego.
#14 - The Deadly Bolas
Season 1 - Episode 33 - Aired 5/22/1958
Determined to find the missing jewels, Diego and Bernardo visit a local padre in the hopes he can assist them in their quest, but the trip is to no avail. Later, when Carlos Murietta complains to Sergeant Garcia about the missing trunk he had stored at the tannery, Diego is convinced more than ever that the jewels were hidden by Mordante before his death.
#15 - 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.
#16 - A Fair Trial
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/5/1957
With his father Don Alejandro now charged with treason along with Don Torres, Zorro must see that the judge sent by the governor arrives to assure a fair trial.
#17 - The Tightening Noose
Season 1 - Episode 35 - Aired 6/5/1958
Don Alejandro convinces all of the landowners to sign a document pledging their loyalty to the government, for he has become worried by the growing signs of possible civil unrest. He leaves a copy in the hacienda and takes the original to the capitol, intending to present it to the governor. Alejandro has barely left when Diego receives some unwelcome news. A new administrator has arrived in the pueblo and announced his decision to use the de la Vega hacienda as his headquarters.
#18 - Quintana Makes a Choice
Season 1 - Episode 29 - Aired 4/24/1958
Sergeant Garcia and the other soldiers are amazed one morning when every musket seems to misfire. When they check their gunpowder, they realize it has been replaced with charcoal. A search of the cuartel reveals that all of the gunpowder has been stolen, leaving the post defenseless.
#19 - 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.
#20 - Bernardo Faces Death
Season 1 - Episode 38 - Aired 6/26/1958
Another stranger arrives in the pueblo and travels to the de la Vega hacienda, intending to meet with the Eagle. Diego recognizes the visitor as Count Kolinko, an ambassador from an Eastern European country that has long been interested in controlling California. Since the Eagle has left for the pueblo, Diego manages to convince Kolinko that he is also part of the conspiracy. He almost succeeds in gaining necessary details of the plot.
#21 - The Eagle Leaves the Nest
Season 1 - Episode 37 - Aired 6/19/1958
Diego overhears Varga telling his aide that the de la Vega hacienda is so comfortable he intends to make it his permanent headquarters. Knowing his father will soon return and would fight to the death to protect his home, Diego decides to try a risky plan to drive the Eagle out.
#22 - The Sergeant Regrets
Season 1 - Episode 36 - Aired 6/12/1958
An emissary from a foreign power has arrived in the pueblo to discuss plans to help the Eagle in his rebellion. George Brighton, the agent, warns Varga that there must not be any open resistance. His government wants an obedient colony, not one torn apart by internal battles. Varga promises to deliver control as planned, but he continues to worry about Don Alejandro and the other landowners who have pledged their allegiance to the King.
#23 - The Man with the Whip
Season 1 - Episode 31 - Aired 5/8/1958
Another agent sent by the Eagle arrives in the pueblo, this time smuggling jewelry to finance the conspiracy. Carlos Murietta, an Argentine who is contemptuous of the locals, particularly Sergeant Garcia, visits a tannery run by Jose Mordante. The two men discuss the disposition of the gems, including a famous piece known as "The Cross of the Andes", which were stolen from churches in Argentina.
#24 - Zorro by Proxy
Season 1 - Episode 28 - Aired 4/17/1958
The evil work of the Eagle takes a new turn when the commandante's wife, Raquel, visits Quintana and Fuentes and shows them an eagle feather, proving that she belongs to the conspiracy. She informs them the Eagle is furious over the loss of the gunpowder and that they must recover it if they hope to stay alive.
#25 - The Eagle's Brood
Season 1 - Episode 27 - Aired 4/10/1958
With the death of the magistrado, the Eagle takes a more active role in his conspiracy to rule southern California. He sends two of his men, Quintana and Fuentes, to Los Angeles with a load of gunpowder for the weapons previously smuggled into the pueblo. The two men earn the wrath of the Eagle for suggesting that Zorro may upset the plan, and they fearfully head off on their mission.