The WORST episodes of Zorro (1957)
Every episode of Zorro (1957) ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst 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 - Long Live the Governor
Season 2 - Episode 36 - Aired 6/11/1959
The recovering governor is beginning to become irritated by his confinement to the de la Vega home. At times it seems as if the only thing that can pacify him is a music box. Almost as soon as it begins to play, the governor falls asleep. Knowing that the Rebatos are still trying to kill the governor, Diego uses the box to lull him to sleep then Bernardo moves him to safety. The capitan and five rebellious dons arrive at the hacienda and openly announce their plan to kill the governor. They tie up his daughter, Leonar, then spring into his bedroom ready for the kill. Finding it empty, they split up to search the house. Zorro attacks them one-by-one, until only the capitan remains free. Unable to surprise the traitor, Zorro engages him in a swordfight and kills him, thus ending the threat to the governor. The music box finally winds down and the governor awakens. He looks out the window and sees his would-be killers tied to a wall, where a huge "Z" has been carved to publicly announce who saved him.
#2 - 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
#3 - 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.
#4 - Zorro Saves a Friend
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/14/1957
When Captain Monastario arrests the fugitive Torres' wife and daughter, hoping to catch Zorro trying to rescue them, he instead catches Don Diego's chief vacquero Benito, who is in love with the daughter Elena.
#5 - 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.
#6 - The Fall of Monastario
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/2/1958
Captain Monastario finally realizes that Don Diego must be Zorro, and arrests him, but a Viceroy from the King of Spain who is visiting the pueblo turns out to be an old friend of Diego's, and this is just enough to allow Zorro to turn the tables and have Monastario discredited.
#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 - Garcia Stands Accused
Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/16/1958
Sergeant Garcia receives a mysterious note from Zorro. The happy soldier reads that Zorro will give himself up. When he returns for his sword, it is gone, so he sadly returns to the cuartel without having captured his foe. A wounded messenger arrives in the pueblo. He claims he was attacked in the dark by someone who then stole the army's payroll, and he offers the rest of Sergeant Garcia's sword as evidence. The magistrado orders the sergeant arrested; and, in a swift trial, Garcia is convicted and sentenced to death. Not believing that his friend is guilty, Diego decides to find who did rob the messenger. Zorro catches the man and forces him to return to the pueblo, hoping to arrive in time to save Garcia. The condemned sergeant, is narrowly saved by Zorro's arrival. Zorro finds a feather in the possesion of the man, like the one held by the murdered Rojas, this feather is cut in a secret code and it convinces Zorro that a conspiracy really does exist.
#9 - Slaves of the Eagle
Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/23/1958
The King's tax collector and his nephew are stopped by conspirators, while on their way to Los Angeles. The conspirators threaten the men unless they cooperate, then they seize Morales' official documents. The outlaws then tell him to return to the capital or they will kill his nephew, Domingo, whom they hold hostage and after he leaves, Domingo is seen to be a member of the criminal conspiracy. Once Azuela has established himself as an agent of the King, he begins to levy a series of high and cruel taxes. A reluctant Sergeant Garcia has no alternative but to follow Azuela's orders, and soon many of the villagers are in jail. Azuela has decided that Diego must suffer for his interference, so a special tax is imposed on the de la Vegas. Only when Diego idly toys with an eagle feather as he discusses the tax is it canceled. Diego now nows the phony tax collector is another member of a conspiracy. The prisoners are lead out of town and escape with the help of Zorro. Determined not to lose
#10 - Zorro Fights His Father
Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/6/1958
A peaceful protest by a group of peons upset with taxes turns violent when one of the Eagle's men throws a rock through the magistrado's window. Galindo uses this as an excuse to order severe measures against the peasants, a move that upsets Don Alejandro. The other landowners want to set up vigilante posses to punish the peons, but Alejandro argues on the side of reason.
#11 - Death Stacks the Deck
Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/13/1958
Ramon Santil has just inherited his father's ranch and holdings, and some bad news. The magistrado tells him there's a high tax that must be paid at once or he will lose the land, and Ramon doesn't have the money to pay it. In desperation, he sells all of his cattle to Carlos Urista, a recent arrival in town whom Diego suspects as another of the Eagle's men.
#12 - 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.
#13 - The New Commandante
Season 1 - Episode 24 - Aired 3/20/1958
The magistrado's plans to aid the Eagle may suffer a setback when a new commandante arrives in the pueblo. Unlike the fake Ortega, Capitan Toledano is loyal to the King and beyond corruption, yet he must be eliminated if the Eagle's plot is to succeed. Toledano's jealousy over his pretty wife Raquel is the key to the magistrado's newest scheme.
#14 - The Fox and the Coyote
Season 1 - Episode 25 - Aired 3/27/1958
Magistrado Galindo has smuggled a supply of weapons into the pueblo, intending to use them when the Eagle orders the overthrow of the government, but he has been unable to get a supply of gunpowder. The army has a large stockpile at the cuartel, and the magistrado decides to steal it for his use
#15 - 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.
#16 - 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.
#17 - 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.
#18 - Invitation to Death
Season 2 - Episode 33 - Aired 5/21/1959
The governor of California is attacked during a visit to Los Angeles with his daughter and aide, and barely escapes with his life. Taken to the de la Vega house to recover, he is much too weak to travel for several days. The aide, Capitan Arrellanos, tells Diego he suspects the attack to be the work of the Rebatos, a group that wants to sever ties with the government in Spain. Arrellanos declares himself acting governor until the wounded man recovers and orders an armed guard placed around the house. Several days later a mysterious stranger tells the capitan that if the governor were to die, he would become the true ruler of all California. Arrellanos succumbs to the temptation and orders the guards removed. This makes Diego and Bernardo suspicious, so while Diego dresses as Zorro, Bernardo uses a secret passageway to keep watch over the ailing governor. This precaution proves wise when a stranger sneaks into the room and tries to kill the governor. Bernardo steps out and knocks the attacker unconscious. Zorro takes the governor to another room and puts the would-be killer in the sick man's bed in his place. Two more men try to kill the governor and Zorro fights them both, but one succeeds in plunging a knife into the covered figure on the bed. Not until the next day do the killers learn they have failed to assassinate the governor, and instead killed one of their own.
#19 - Exposing the Tyrant
Season 2 - Episode 29 - Aired 4/23/1959
Even with his stolen gold gone, Basilio plans to remain in Los Angeles as a wealthy man. He decides to do so in a way that will let him exert a hold over Moneta Esperon, the attractive daughter of a wealthy landowner. Basilio tells Garcia that Spanish law forbids citizens to possess items made in countries that are at war with Spain. Those that do will forfeit their entire households to those who inform on the lawbreakers. Garcia is soon convinced that this would allow him to become a don himself, and thus leave the harsh life of the army behind. He is tricked into taking Basilio to Don Esperon's home, where he identifies several items as being from England, France and Italy. The sergeant begins to regret his actions, but Basilio tells him he will be hanged for treason unless he cooperates. Zorro makes life miserable for Garcia by promising to carve a "Z" in his hide if he goes along with the plan. During the trial Garcia decides to speak up for Don Esperon, much to the viceroy's dismay. Zorro provides another surprise when he bursts into the courtroom and takes Basilio prisoner. He then uses his sword to cut away parts of his prisoner's clothing, proving that the items came from enemy countries. Zorro then demands that Basilio pronounce sentence on Esperon and the cornered criminal has no choice but to declare him innocent.
#20 - Treasure for the King
Season 2 - Episode 28 - Aired 4/16/1959
Basilio has begun to enjoy his stay in Los Angeles despite Zorro's interference. He is surprised at how well his war bonds are selling, for the landowners have decided to help support the Spanish government as much as possible. In fact, he and Capitan Mendoza have been able to collect three large chests full of gold. Mendoza suggests that they steal some for themselves before shipping it to Spain, but Basilio has a better idea. He wants it all. The two men construct a delayed action detonator designed to explode when the gold shipment is at sea so that the evidence of their crime will be destroyed. The next day the thieves pack the cases with rocks and load them on a cart that will take them to the ship bound for Spain. Zorro follows the shipment and narrowly saves the driver when the deadly cargo explodes ahead of schedule. Back in the pueblo, Basilio and Mendoza gleefully open the chests expecting to see their stolen gold. Instead, the boxes are full of sand and rocks, with a large "Z" inscribed in each of the lids.
#21 - The Brooch
Season 2 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/12/1959
Don Alejandro remains firm in his wish to send Anita back to Spain and tells the girl to pack her bags. Gonzales arrives to take her to the ship and Anita gives Alejandro a goodbye kiss. She turns to climb aboard the carriage but Alejandro stops her, for Anita is wearing a brooch that he once gave to the mission to be sold at a charity auction. When she tells him her father sent it her in Spain, Alejandro finally believes her story about the missing man. He changes his mind and allows her to stay, then plans to research the sales records to learn who bought the brooch. Meanwhile, Ruiz and his partner, Guerrero, try once again to steal Anita's gold. They tell her to bring it to Castle Rock if she ever wants to see her father again. Anita takes the gold as instructed and is surprised to find Gonzales there, bound and gagged. Gonzales admits to Anita that he is her father and that he sent her to Spain for a good education. He was ashamed to admit his identity to her, for he had lied for years about being prosperous in order to encourage her to succeed. Now it appears they will die together, as Ruiz and Guerrero pull out knives and approach the reunited twosome. Zorro, who has been hiding nearby, steps out of the shadows and stops the killers. The next day, Gonzales and Anita head back to Spain together, happy to be together again at last.
#22 - Tornado Is Missing
Season 2 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/29/1959
Estevan again becomes a problem for Diego when he decides to earn some easy money. Los Angeles is preparing for its annual horse race and Estevan would like to win the prize money, but his horse seems unlikely to win. His luck changes when he comes across Zorro's horse, Tornado, grazing in a hidden field, and he captures the animal. Diego and Bernardo are unable to find the horse despite an extensive search, so when Estevan mentions his plans to enter a mystery horse, they suspect he has stolen Tornado. Estevan shows his new acquisition to Sergeant Garcia, who immediately recognizes it as Zorro's horse. The sergeant informs Estevan of this fact, but the greedy visitor simply sees it as another chance to make money, by capturing Zorro if the outlaw attempts to save Tornado. Garcia, Reyes and Estevan set up a guard on the only door into the deserted winery where Tornado is being stabled, planning to surprise Zorro when he walks in. Suspecting a trap, the bandit instead enters through a loft, swings down to mount his prized horse and escapes into the night.
#23 - The Practical Joker
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/11/1958
Anna Maria Verdugo returns to Monterey from San Francisco and becomes the object of Ricardo del Amo's affection. This friend of Diego's is an incurable practical joker. Ricardo realizes that Diego is also attracted to Anna Maria and hopes to lessen the competition by having some fun at his friend's expense. Diego is shocked when a sorrowful Sergeant Garcia places him under arrest for being a horse thief, but when he asks the name of his accuser, he's even more surprised. Garcia's answer is "Julius Caesar", and Diego realizes Ricardo is behind the incident. He tells the sergeant and Garcia confronts Ricardo, who claims it was only a harmless prank. This and several other pranks make Garcia think Ricardo is pulling another joke when he claims to have overheard two men plotting to steal an army payroll. Bernardo has also overheard the men and tells Diego, who realizes Zorro must ride again. When he sees Garcia and Reyes tied up and the money gone, Zorro sets out after the robbers. He finds them and receives some unexpected help from Ricardo, who is riding nearby with Anna Maria. The two men defeat the robbers, but Ricardo discovers he has another rival when Anna Maria asks Zorro to escort her back to town.
#24 - Ambush
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/4/1958
The broken truce has convinced Joaquin that Diego cannot be trusted and, that if not for Zorro, he would have been killed. When Diego and Bernardo ride to his camp to explain, the rebel leader orders his men to lock the visitors in leg irons until he can decide upon a suitable fate for them. Joaquin announces his plans to kill the governor the next day while he visits a local shrine. When he tries to ride there, however, Joaquin is accidentally captured by Sergeant Garcia. The sergeant takes Joaquin and Theresa to Rico and the corrupt official decides to use the rebel to help him gain control. He tells Briones to escort Joaquin to the shrine, where the murder will be carried out. If Joaquin refuses, Theresa will die. Zorro, having freed himself and Bernardo, stops Joaquin just as he is about to kill the governor. Hoping to make the two men settle their differences, Zorro puts them in leg irons and gives each of them the other man's key. He then rides to the jail to free Theresa, but Briones draws his sword and prepares for a fight. The governor and Joaquin arrive and order the battle stopped, for the truth has been told. Rico is shot while trying to escape and Briones is taken prisoner. The governor orders all charges against the rebels dropped and declares a fiesta to be held to celebrate the end of Rico's reign.
#25 - Rendezvous at Sundown
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/6/1958
The kidnappers send word that Anna Maria must meet them if she wants proof her father is still alive, but Diego warns her it is a trick. Romero argues that she must go, so she agrees to go with him, Garcia and Reyes. Don Alejandro arrives from Los Angeles and wants to ask the army to surround the area until the others convince him of the danger. That night Anna Maria meets with the kidnappers and tearfully greets her father. The masked men tell him to ride into town for the money while they hold his daughter hostage, then order Garcia and Reyes to stay behind. Verdugo leaves with Romero, whom Alejandro recognizes as a criminal thrown out of Los Angeles. Romero pulls out a knife and orders Verdugo to give him the money. Later, one of the kidnappers announces that Romero and a monk have returned with the money. To the thieves' surprise, they see that the monk is really Zorro, who uses Romero as a shield. Pablo kills his cohort in cold blood, forcing Zorro to engage the kidnappers with his sword. Aided by Garcia, he defeats them and sets Anna Maria free. With the robbers safely behind bars, the travelers prepare to head back to Los Angeles, where Diego has promised to deliver a love letter from Anna Maria to Zorro.