Original subtitles

When daggers are pointed at innocent hearts and buckets are ready to fire.

When tyrants ride high and govern with fear as the forces of evil

conspire. Then from out of the night, a hero must rise.

is that even a mask won't disguise they turn to the man

called Zorro.

Zorro! One who's larger than life and offender of all is this man who the

people acclaim.

He's the one who strikes back for the poor and oppressed.

A hero!

Who's his name?

doesn't want a speck of dust near that office.

Am I understood?

We do a good job with the sprint cleaning. Maybe we won't have to be back

summer cleaning.

Good people of Los Angeles, my friends, my neighbors.

Today we are a step closer to providing a marvelous new irrigation system

serving all of Los Angeles.

Just how close are we now, Alcalde?

Well, closer.

With our new Pueblo lottery, we will be able to provide such marvelous civic

improvements with no new taxes.

Excuse me, Senor Alcalde, a point of information.

Isn't the purchase of every lottery ticket just another form of taxation?

No, no, no, De La Vega, you misunderstand.

The purchase of every ticket is another chance for sudden wealth.

Now... Would the beautiful senorita please help us make someone rich today?

And the winner of 5 ,000 tax -free pesos is... 655.

Number 655.

Don't be shy now. The winner, please step forward. The winner of 5 ,000

please come forward. Don't be shy. Number 655.

Now, I must remind you that if the winner is not present, the prize money

be returned to the general fund.

The general fund you're building to make yourself look good in front of the

governor, I'll tell you. I cannot be held responsible if the winner is not

present. Oh, I think you can.

Victoria, choose another number, please.

No, just a moment, senorita.

Please.

There must be an explanation.

If there are problems, I will attend to this immediately. I will appoint a

commission to investigate.

Don't bother, Alcalde.

Here are your lottery tickets.

I retrieved them last night from the garrison trash dump.

Ladders to arms! Shoot her!

Be very careful with those rifles, amigos.

Honey, I'm afraid things are going to get a bit sticky out there.

One

of those

numbers is the true winner of your lottery.

first thing I'm going to do is buy a new sword.

Then... Sergeant, perhaps you should just leave the money in the civic

until you have a chance to think about what to do with it. Leave it in the

Why?

Sergeant, you're not accustomed to handling such large amounts of money.

afraid you'd be taken advantage of by some unscrupulous swindler.

And besides...

It would be good for everybody here at the Pueblo if we had a lot of cash on

books when the territorial auditor makes his report to the governor next month,

don't you think?

Well, I would still have access to my money, no? Oh, yes, of course, Sergeant,

of course. Good, good, because then I would need some time off.

I have to consider what I'm going to do with my money.

Time off? No, I'm afraid not, Sergeant.

Well, I have been in the Army for almost 20 years. I have never had a paid

vacation.

If my calculations are correct, let's see, the army owes me, oh, I would say,

weeks paid leave.

One full year paid vacation?

Sergeant, the pueblo is operating in a deficit right now. We could not possibly

afford to bring a replacement up to the ranks. No.

Oh, I'm sure you will think of something, Alcalde.

Right now, I have 5 ,000 pesos to think about.

You're very generous, Sergeant.

But you don't want to squander your newfound wealth on buying luncheons.

With all of this found wealth, I think you should travel. Maybe see the world.

Oh, that involves horses, ships.

I know. A fabulous wardrobe.

You could dress like a true caballero.

I prefer to dress for comfort, Don Diego. Sergeant Mendoza, you've got the

to do whatever makes you happy. The question is, what do you want?

A very simple man.

I just want to be loved.

Now, isn't that sweet?

I would like to have a family, a home.

But, Sergeant, what do you truly have to offer a woman?

Before you know it, your money might be spent, loaned, squandered.

Taxed. Eroded by inflation.

And a woman and children. They need a roof over their head. They need

Victoria's right. What you need is a house.

The Munoz family raised seven beautiful children here.

Yes, and their seven beautiful children nearly destroyed it. Well, I'm not

saying it hasn't been lived in, but at the price they're asking.

You'll have enough money left to make some improvements.

Perhaps even enlarge the kitchen.

Maybe build a ballroom?

A ballroom? Yes.

If I'm going to attract the finest women in the territory, my house has to be

the biggest, the fanciest, the most elegant.

Sergeant, I think overbuilding would be a mistake.

Yes, well, I think maybe the advice is worth exactly what I'm paying for it.

The ballroom with the finest tapestries and Italian marble.

Sergeant, you're going to remodel the old Munoz place, hmm? Oh, much more than

remodel, Alcalde.

A restoration, an expansion, a transformation.

Something more in order with the lifestyle of a man of my position.

Well, these sketches are very impressive.

But you're going to need detailed architectural drawings, yes?

Yes, yes.

Unfortunately, the only one that qualifies for such drawings would be Don

And his tastes are just too conventional for me.

Yes, I know what you mean. You know, it's funny. We studied together

architecture at the University of Madrid.

As I recall, his grades never were very good.

He worries too much about the cost of everything.

For 5 ,000 pesos, I should be able to turn this farmhouse into...

You should be able to build an elegant country retreat.

Exactly. To build anything less would be a waste of time.

Of course.

That courtyard, that should be bigger, don't you think? Mm -hmm.

And, uh, what, perhaps a fountain?

No! No, Sergeant. Three fountains.

And have you ever considered real mahogany doors?

Hand -carved, of course.

Yes, sir.

That's exactly what I had in mind.

But, Alcalde, I have a budget and sergeants for 5 ,000 pesos.

I know that I could build you the house of your dreams.

guarding the construction site.

Guarding it from what?

We have our orders.

You will have to leave immediately.

Yes, sir.

Let's go to the garage, let's go!

No wonder the Alcalde has guards posted out here.

Coffee, private. Be quick about it.

Coffee would be splendid.

It's been a long night.

You made a serious mistake this time, my friend.

Well, nobody perfect.

That door is still locked.

The only way out of here is past my entire garrison of Lancers. That case

stay for a while. Well, let me give you a proper welcome.

I appreciate your hospitality, Alcote, but I'm here on a business matter.

Really? How can it be a service?

It's about the shoddy workmanship that's being done out at Sergeant Mendoza's

new house.

You're hardly qualified to offer an opinion on such matters.

house is being built with rusty nails, rotten wood, wet izobi, broken tiles.

No, not that.

You insist.

You're taking all of Sergeant Mendoza's money and destroying his house.

Let's just say the peso doesn't go as far as it once did.

No, let's just say you return all of Mendoza's money, or the governor will

receive a letter detailing your fraud, and you could be sent back to Madrid in

chains.

What do you know? The store isn't locked after all.

Mendoza will get everything that's coming to him.

Oh.

I understand.

I understand.

You're guarding the house, huh? Well, I own it.

You get ten pesos a month salary, no? Huh? 50

pesos each?

Huh? You get to the cantina, it's still open.

Where is everybody?

I can't go back to Madrid.

Not like this.

Not yet, you... You understand that.

I'll give Mendoza his money's worth and destroy all the evidence at the same

time. Thank you.

Thank you.

It is a beautiful view.

You were in for an early lunch, Don Diego.

Actually, I was looking for Sergeant Mendoza.

Well, he was in for an early breakfast before going out to see his new house.

He went out to the house alone?

Yes.

He said that you told him that he should go out and see how his money's being

spent.

So he did.

Carlton's not much of an architect after all, is he?

Let's throw it to Mendoza.

Mendoza? How should I know?

Stay back, Zorro. I'm trying to extinguish a fire.

Is that what you're doing?

Zorro!

He's in the house!

Stay out of there, you'll be... Sergeant!

You'll be killed.

You all right?

Laurel, you saved my life.

The least I could do for a friend.

You know, I don't like losing a good act.

Friend.

He called me his friend.

What a shame, Alcalde.

Do you know how the fire got started?

Preliminary investigations are inconclusive, but my men are looking

By the smell of things, they're not going to have to look too far.

Smell? I don't smell anything unusual.

Kerosene, Alcalde.

The place reeks of it.

Well, that must be it, then. A workman left a lantern burning and the wind blew

it over. There hasn't been the slightest breeze for two weeks.

Are you saying this fire was deliberately set?

No, no. Who would do something like that?

Ah, well, now, this seems to answer all our questions.

I'll count it wasn't Zorro.

He saved my life.

Really? And he just happened to be passing by. How convenient.

Someone had a very good reason for keeping Sartor Mendoza from making the

improvements on his house.

You bring me the proof of that, Diego, and I will personally prosecute the

individual. I put my creative blood into this project. It would have been a

splendid house, Sergeant. I wanted to talk to you about that.

There were so many things wrong with this house.

Sergeant, you know, every new house has some flaws that need to be worked out,

but I assure you this structure was going to be brought up to the highest

possible standards.

Alas, it will not be possible now. Look at it this way, Sergeant.

The house wasn't completely finished, which means you'll have a lot of money

left over to build yourself another place.

Huh? Well, this is true.

Alcalde, how much money do I have left?

How much do you have left? Well, after the cleanup and the debris is removed,

I'm afraid there'll be little, if anything, left, Sergeant.

What do you mean he has nothing left?

The man has 5 ,000 pesos.

Taylor Becker, do you have any idea of how much this kind of work costs?

The labor alone, such civic work, is hardly free.

So Sergeant Mendoza's lottery winnings go straight back into the Pueblo

treasury, is that it? Yes, I'm afraid so.

Now, if you will excuse me.

Corporal?

I'm sorry, Sergeant. I know how much you wanted your dream house.

Thank you, Don Diego.

You know, sometimes it's better to have our dreams than to have our dreams come

true. As a matter of fact, I have something better.

Something money can't buy.

Have a friend.

Such a friend is worth much more than gold.