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| Articles & Clippings |
| These articles came out some Belgian Magazines called 'TV Express' and 'Dag Allemaal'. A very special thanks to Ann Wauters for the translations. Nogmaals hartelijk dank Ann! (Click on the article to enlarge.) |
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| This site is entirely made by Paula Peters Created in 2001, Belgium. |
| Founder of Knights of Justice |
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| Zorro began as…comicbook hero. Zorro became an immortal legend in Hollywood. But stil the beginning of Zorro is modest: he started as a comicbook hero! In 1919 Zorro was born, with the help of Johnston McCully. The name zorro is spanish for fox, it isn’t amazing that he chose for that. Because in California they speak a lot of Spanish. The comic appeared in a few local newspapers. Hollywood thought zorro was a good idea and a few years later Douglas Fairbanks was the first real Zorro. There would be a lot more for ex.: Tyrone Power. Walt Disney made a show out of it, that scored good all around the world. Guy Williams played the main part, and probably he will stay the best known zorro. In the serie broadcasted by VTM, his successor Duncan Regehr (photo), plays the main part. But also the famous George Hamilton and Alain Delon played zorro. But they did it on the big screen. |
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| Zorro didn’t want to play Elvis Presley. Duncan Regehr, who you can see every week as zorro on VTM, has had an offer of Priscilla Presley herself to play the rol of Elvis in “Elvis and me”, the mini-serie that starting this week is aired on BRT, and that is based on the book of the ex-wife of the King. “I often hear that I look like Elvis”, he says. “Indead there is a likeness, but still I refused. Because I myself am a big fan of the King. Just like so many other fans allover the world, I find that there is only 1 Elvis, and he can’t be copied. I even hate all singers who want to imitate him. I wouldn’t feel right if I would copie Elvis on a stage. I wouldn’t want to do that to the King...” |
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| Duncan Regehr misses Zorro-times. “I consider that role as the high-light of my carreer.” After Douglas Fairbanks, Tyrone Power and Guy Williams, Duncan Regehr also plays the mysterious, masked hero zorro, whose name means as much as fox. When Duncan got the part years ago, he was very happy. Meanwhile the 41-year old actor looks back to the tv show with only positive feelings. Is it really such an honor for an actor to play Zorro? I can’t describe how big the honor really was. At that point it was for me a dream I had as a child that became reality. Zorro is a great character. He has two sides. He’s real, but he isn’t. It’s hard to explain. How many children don’t ask at there parents if they can have a zorro-costume? As a child I liked zorro very much. He was a fantasy that stayed in your head. A mysterious hero. I don’t think you can describe him better. Like you are talking about zorro, I can understand that you miss the part. Yes, they were great times. I have played a lot of fun roles, but zorro was something special. Even the roles that I will play in the future can’t be that special as zorro. Sometimes I regret that we can’t turn back time. I would like to start all over again. The legend wants that Zorro isn’t just an handsome hero, but also an atletic one. If you keep that in mind the makers could not choose a better actor. I don’t give any comment about being handsome (smiles). But on the atletic part of your question I can say yes. I am good at sports and that is a very good advantage. So I could do a lot of the stunts myself. That was convinient. And of course, fun for me. That way I felt more and more Zorro, if you know what I mean. Isn’t it an understatement that you're sportive ? Because you had several plans with professional sport. That’s true. When I was five, I started with figure scating. I trained very hard and I wanted to become a professional. But also the world of acting attracted me. When I was fourteen I presented a show for teens. And I started acting. It was very difficult for me to chose between sport or acting. Especially when I gain name as a boxer, and a place with the Canadees Olypmic Boxing Team didn’t seem far away. But then my carreer really went good. Because of the many offers I got, I left the ring. I wonder what my life would look like if I had chosen for sports. But that doesn’t matter, of course. I am a happy man and a happy actor. My name maybe not that famous with everybody, but that’s not important. I always had enough work, and I always had strong parts to play. Are your ambitions through the years tempered ? No. But I have had a few highlights, and I don’t know if I have the right to have more. We’ll see. I wait and see, and meanwhile I make time for my favourite hobby: painting. In my paintings I find myself as much as I do before the camera. |
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| Zorro: “Here I am again!” You have idols who never die. They can be forgotten for a while, but on one day someone is dusting the past, the old hero becomes washed, and there he is again. Ready to kick some ass. Such an example is Zorro, the fox who helps the people of Spanish California. Zorro really excisted, but in the form of a group of young rebels who in Spanish California around 1820 made the life of people who had something to say miserable. There actions were defendable, because the people with power were injustable to the population, and very corrupt. Johnston McCully was the one, with the historic background in mind, that in 1919 created Zorro and let him go from one adventure to another. The stories came in the magazine “All story”. Hunderd years after the facts, the people of America could read how the old, rich Don Alejandro called his son Don Diego back from Europe because the representatives of Spain in California made it bad. Don Diego must do something to end the terror. But father Alejandro scared the hell out of himself when he saw that his son had become a spoiled rat. But what father didn’t know - and butler Bernardo did know - was that Don Diego did fight a battle against the mafia and the authorities. Not as the son of the Don, but dressed and masked. Zorro fought mainly against the Spanish garrison, against Captain Monastario and his stupid helper, sergeant Garcia. The beginning movie industrie saw a lot of money in Zorro, and Douglas Fairbanks thought that Zorro had to become a movie. Also Bob Kane used Zorro as example for his creation ‘Batman’. In 1920 Fairbanks bought the movie rights and that same year the movie ‘The mark of Zorro’ appeared. It was the first movie where the hero putted a ‘Z’ in the clothes of his opponents. Success everywhere, aswell in the United States as in Europe. The kids enjoyed the fox, and on the streets everyone played Zorro. Five years later “Don Q son of zorro” found his way to the big screen and again it was a hugh success for Douglas Fairbanks Sr. After Fairbanks, Tyrone Power, Bob Livingston and John Carrol became the hero. And in 1947 there appeared even two Zorro movies. One with George Turner and the other one with Clayton Moore. Ten years later according to Walt Disney it was time that zorro appeared on television, so they made a serie. That ran for two years, not very long, but very popular. And Guy Williams played a very convincing zorro. The kids bought black hats, masks and fake swords. And wrote ‘Z’ at posters and walls. The Zorro fans had to wait until 1975 for a new movie with their hero, this time zorro was played by Alain Delon. Of course there had to be a gay-zorro and an erotic one. But that last one flopped. Because Zorro excists with a black hat, black mask and black cape. In The erotic adventures of Zorro nobody wore any clothes, that way it was very difficult to recognise zorro. And then in 1990-1991 the English-Russian Canadian Duncan Regher came as the new Zorro on television. Apparently he did very well because at that serie there was a new chapter. So good news for every Zorro fan, who can see how the fox saves suppressed widows and virgins, how he fights the injustice and how he embarreses the Alcalde and his sergeant. Until Z. |
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| Duncan Regehr (photo) is the character of ZORRO grateful for a beautiful career. That’s not the problem. What he likes less, are the bad consequences of the part. With other celebrities the problem is that they don’t have much privacy. But Duncan sometimes comes across a “Z” from Zorro (by fans???) carved on his car or front door. And he doesn’t like this kind of popularity. |
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| Invincible Zorro You have idols who never die. Such an example is Zorro, the masked Robin Hood who helps the people of Spanish California. Zorro really excisted, but in the form of a group of young rebels who in Spanish California around 1820 made the life of people who had something to say miserable. Their actions were defendable, because the people with power were injustable to the population, and very corrupt. Johnston McCully was the one, with the historic background in mind, that in 1919 created zorro and let him go from one adventure to another. The stories came in the magazine “All story”. In the name of ‘Z’. The beginning movie industrie saw a lot of money in Zorro, and Douglas Fairbanks thought that Zorro had to become a movie. Also Bob Kane used zorro as example for his creation ‘Batman’. In 1920 Fairbanks bought the movie rights and that same year the movie ‘The mark of Zorro’ appeared. It was the first movie where the hero putted a ‘Z’ in the clothes of his opponents. Success everywhere, aswell in the United States as in Europe. The kids enjoyed the fox, and on the streets everyone played Zorro. After Fairbanks, Tyrone Power, Bob Livingston and John Carrol became the hero. And in 1947 there appeared even two Zorro movies. Ten years later according to Walt Disney it was time that Zorro appeared on television, so they made a serie. That ran for two years, not very long, but very popular. And Guy Williams played a very convincing zorro. The kids bought black hats, masks and fake swords. The new generation now may do it again. |
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| ~~~ Translations by Ann Wauters ~~~ |