Don Canney

Admittedly, the title sounds like it comes from a potential Halloween themed movie. Well, sort of.

In my last column, I talked about some of the cartoons we watched as kids. But how many remember their childhood television heroes of yesteryear?

We all had at least one as a kid. If we go way back, there was Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd). Then of course, in the 50’s and 60’s there was the infamous masked man with the silver bullet, The Lone Ranger (Clayton Moore) and his trusted sidekick Tonto (Jay Silverheels). Daniel Boone (Fess Parker), with his coonskin cap, was admired by many a kid. Who would guess he would go on to make a great bottle of wine? Then there was Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, whose rides are now preserved in taxidermy, and the singing cowboy, Gene Autry, who later became the owner of the California Angels. Also included were Wyatt Earp (Hugh O’Brien) the sheriff who upheld law and order in the old west right up to the OK Corral, Annie Oakley (Gail Davis) who could shoot a fly off a tree at 50 yards facing backward with a mirror and of course, the Rifleman, Chuck Connors, who carried his trusty 1892 Winchester and once played for the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. All just some of the many television heroes of our childhood in the era of TV Westerns.

But admittedly, my all-time favorite was a guy whose theme song contained the subject line of this column and who was also quite the charmer, expert swordsman, learned Spaniard and cunning as a fox. I guess that’s why they called him Zorro (Spanish for fox). Don Diego de la Vega, as Zorro, opposed corrupt and tyrannical Spanish rule in 19th century California, using his alter ego to assist those who were less fortunate than he, often acting like a Robin Hood of his time.

Zorro was a popular Disney series which began in 1957, starring Guy Williams, later the patriarch of Lost in Space. The masked crusader partnered with his “deaf” mute friend Bernado, who often rescued him from many a danger. Bernado was not actually deaf, but only played so to give him an advantage and to help him and Zorro trick the bad guys.

Zorro would only have to whistle, and his black stallion Tornado would come swiftly to carry Zorro to safety, often after Zorro jumped from a rooftop, or some other bizarre spot, right into the saddle. Zorro always pronounced his horse’s name the Spanish way, “tor-NAH-do.” I can still vividly remember the opening theme song playing in the background, with Zorro atop Tornado galloping onto the screen and Tornado up on his hind quarters in the silhouette of a full moon with a bolt of lightning filling the air. “Out of the night, when the full moon is bright… comes a horseman known as Zorro!” A beautiful sight indeed!

Walt Disney himself interviewed Mr. Williams, suggesting he grow a moustache, one that was not too big or too full, much like Walt’s. The series made a star out of Williams and spawned personal appearances with a lot of Zorro merchandise, which found its way into many a downtown Nashua store at the time.

I can remember wearing a Zorro Halloween costume that my Mom probably purchased at the local WT Grant’s or FW Woolworth’s on Main Street. My sister bought me a plastic sword, complete with a small piece of chalk on the tip, so I could practice my carving of the swift “Z” which was Zorro’s trademark and calling card. Any time the bad guys saw that Z, often carved on the uniform of a Spanish soldier, or on the door of their headquarters, they feared Zorro was there.

However, I am not too sure my Mom appreciated the chalked Z’s that were prevalent on the walls of many a room in the house. On the bright side, this was long before Sharpies.

Just a friendly warning: If a goblin comes to your door this year dressed as any of these characters, you’ve either fallen into a time machine or are sleepwalking in a childhood dream. Happy Halloween and stay safe!

Don Canney is a freelance writer and professional voice artist. He was born and raised in downtown Nashua with great interest in Nashua history circa 1950-1970. He now resides in Litchfield.