McCulley’s Pulp Fiction

AUTHOR JOHNSTON MCCULLEY CREATED THE MASKED FOX

Zorro creator Johnston McCulley reviews his original work with Disney’s Zorro star, Guy Williams.

…never anticipating that his hero would become an enduring legend. A former newspaperman, McCulley became a prolific author of stories ranging from crime thrillers to westerns. He introduced Zorro in the pulp magazine All-Story Weekly on Aug. 9, 1919. The Curse of Capistrano concluded after the fifth weekly installment with McCulley unmasking his hero. The entire pueblo of Los Angeles knew that Don Diego was Zorro. The fox was so popular, however, the public demanded more Zorro stories after seeing Douglas Fairbanks silent screen adaptation of McCulley’s creation. The Further Adventures of Zorro was published in 1922 and McCulley continued writing Zorro stories until his death in 1958.

The Curse of the Capistrano

The legend of Zorro came to life in Johnston McCulley’s original story, The Curse of Capistrano, Aug. 9, 1919 in All-Story Weekly and ran in five weekly installments. The artist’s rendition of the character was different than our image today, though some of the main characteristics are present – his mask, sword and cape.

The Mark of Zorro

After the success of Douglas Fairbanks 1920 film based on McCulley’s The Curse of Capistrano, Grosset and Dunlap released the five part story as a novel in 1924 using the film title, The Mark of Zorro.

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