Zorro TV Series (1 Viewer)

[phil*]

Any word on whether Zorro, the 1950's TV Series starring Guy Williams,will be made available in region 1? I believe it was released in region 2 several years ago..

 

[Arild]

The colorized version of the first season was, yes.

 

[phil*]

Finally, Zorro is about to be released...any word as to when?

 

[Bob Gu]

The first 16 episodes are up now for ordering on two discs from the Disney Movie Club over at ultimatedisney.com. But the regular price on DVDs over there is $21.95. Pretty steep for eight half-hour episodes. The folks over at the Disney Movie Club Forum can't even find out if it's the colorized version or black and white.

By the way, the last four episodes of ZORRO were hour-long shows shown on WALT DISNEY Presents. Does anybody know if they were filmed in color as was Swamp Fox etc.

 

[Nick Zbu]

Sweet! I just hope Disney releases this well. I remember a certain fondness for that show when it was on the Disney Channel long ago.

 

[Bob Hug]

Looks like this is the Disney equivalent of Columbia House.

 

[michael_ks]

I would strongly welcome a season by season release for "Zorro" as Guy Williams is one of the key reasons I enjoy "Lost in Space" so much. I'm not really up on "Zorro", sad to say, but as Mr. Williams seems to have a strong presence when he's on camera, I'm sure the show makes for very enjoyable viewing. It's '50s era swashbuckling adventure in glorious B&W--works for me. I'm just not amenable to the "Disney House" concept of selling DVDs, though and am still very disappointed with how they handled the "Elfego Baca"/"Swamp Fox" set.

 

[Bob Gu]

I had that price wrong: $24.90 postpaid for a single DVD at the Disney Movie Club.

If you wait until all five First Season Volumns (39 episodes) are out, to join the Disney Movie Club: The current join package would give you the five volumns for $30.85 postpaid. That's $.79 per episode. Regular pricing on the Second Season (39 episodes) and the four hour-long episodes, if they become availiable would be six volumns at $19.95 each plus about $8.95 for postage= $128.65.

Guy Williams was a wonderful Zorro, and the show was most entertaining. Action, stunts and humor. The use of music in the show was interesting. Each character, even Tornado, Zorro's horse, had their own theme song, which played when they entered the scene.

 

[michael_ks]

I can handle getting the entire first season for around $31.00, provided that the membership offer remains the same when the remaining 3 volumes for season come out and that I can dissolve my membership easily enough. But I certainly don't see myself purchasing season 2 anytime soon once the initial offer runs dry--$128.65 for a season's worth of episodes, that would be a dubious record indeed! First off, though, I need to determine if the S1 episodes are colorized--if so, they can keep it.

 

[Bob Gu]

A poster at the Disney Movie Club Forum, says a Disney customer service rep., today, has confirmed that this release of ZORRO is the colorized version.

 

[Kevin Martinez]

It was alleged on the Ultimate Disney Forums that Disney's Zorro works were in limbo because of rights issue between Disney and the Zorro author's estate. Does this mean that this was resolved?

Also, that bit about the colorized version sucks! Can't Disney do anything right?

 

[Michael Alden]

Well, I recorded them from Disney Channel when they actually used to run good shows about 20 years ago. So I guess that means I'll be transferring them if it's that or colorized.

 

[michael_ks]

Apparantly not. Just how many brain cells are required to come to the conclusion that overwhelmingly, fans of the show would want this set as it appeared in its original format and that the individuals that are 'frightened' by B&W wouldn't be especially interested in a 50 year old series anyway? But I guess if you put only 3 episodes of a series total of 8 on a DVD ("Swamp Fox"), anything is possible.

 

[ChrisRose]

I agree with all of you... the incomplete release of Swamp Fox sucks... the colorization (and exclusivity/expense) of Zorro sucks. Disney will probably never release the rest of the original Mickey Mouse Club.

I'm dying to collect everything from Walt's era (I don't give a damn about the crap they're producing these days)... things I vaguely remember from my childhood, and things I've never seen. But current Disney management is so damn greedy.

The Disney Movie Club offers some episodes of the Wonderful World of Disney...tv movies, etc. Something supposedly aimed at hardcore Disney collectors, since they're not in general release (or reasonably priced). And those are half-assed, barebones DVDs that don't even contain everything the old VHS version did! Complete rip-off. This isn't a matter of, "oh we didn't have time/energy to dig through the vaults to include everything we could have"... they're actively going out of their way to split up/omit things that were already easily available!

I feel like Disney's just taking advantage of their fans/customers, putting as little effort/money into releases as possible, spreeeeeeeading out their classic TV stuff onto as many releases as possible, all for the purpose of over-charging and making more money. They know that rabid Disney fans will pay insane prices for inferior, incomplete releases if that's the only way we can get these things we feel huge nostalgia for. Bastards.

 

[Bob Gu]

Excellent post, ChrisRose!

Today,UltimateDisney.com reports that (colorized) ZORRO Season One: Vols. 3,4, & 5, are now available to current members of the Disney Movie Club. These volumes complete Season One. ZORRO volumes are among the biggest sellers at the Disney Movie Club. At this time, these three latest Zorro volumes cannot be ordered as part of the join up package.

 

[Randy Korstick]

Colorized = Poor Contrast + Poor Picture Quality which = No Sale.

 

[Bob Gu]

The strange Disney ZORRO sales strategy continues. Just five months after they first started offering ZORRO in five volumes at about $24.90 each postpaid, the Disney Movie Club is now offering club members, the five first season ZORRO discs boxed for $59.95 plus postage. No word yet if members who bought the five discs separately will be able to get the box.

 

[gmacosko]

I'm new to the Forum.
I'm looking for clips from the 1950s Zorro TV series that i can combine with some home movies of the 1950s, in which my father filmed my birthday when all my friends dressed up as Zorro. We had sword fights on the lawn. I'd like to combine this old 8mm film, with clips from the TV Series. Will I have to buy the entire series to get a few clips of Guy Williams and Sargeant Garcia?
Since I'm a neophyte, will I have copy protection problems using a few scenes in a home video?
Thank you for any advice on this matter.
gmacosko

 

[Bob Gu]

Greg, Bill Cotter,the author of "The Wonderful World Of Disney Telivision" , has a Zorro site that has a couple of legal downloadable Zorro clips at his site: billcotter.com/zorro/video-clips.htm

 

[gmacosko]

thanks for your help. If i bought zorro disks, would I be able to copy scenes into home videos?