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Png Zorro - Death Stacks the Deck (1958)  
The famous outlaw Zorro joins gamblers playing for Spanish American dollars
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Zorro was an American action-adventure Western half-hour television series produced by Walt Disney Productions and which ran on the ABC Television Network from 1957 to 1959.
 
The series was set in the Spanish California pueblo of Los Angeles in 1820.
 
Don Diego de la Vega (Guy Williams) was a Spanish "Don" or gentleman who had the alternate identity of the wanted outlaw Zorro (meaning "Fox") a swordsman and righter of wrongs. Zorro sometimes uses his sword to carve the initial 'Z' on a wall or on someone's clothes.
 
Sergeant Demetrio Lopez Garcia (Henry Calvin) was a Spanish official who is friends with Don Diego. Bernardo is a local man and the only person who knows that Don Diego is Zorro.
 
The series was based on the Zorro character created by Johnston McCulley in his 1919 short novel "The Curse of Capistrano".
 
This episode is titled "Death Stacks the Deck" and was first broadcast on February 13, 1958.
 
Don Ramon Santil loses his money and his ranch in a Spanish Poker game to professional gambler Carlos Urista. Urista is an agent for the wicked Magistrado Carlos Galindo who wants to use Santil's ranch to control the water supply. Zorro appears to restage the card game in Don Ramon's favor.
 
There are scenes with stacks of silver dollar coins and one scene with a pile of silver coins. The coins are imitation Spanish American eight reales coins.
 
Zorro - Death Stacks the Deck
1. Title
Zorro is officially an outlaw wanted by the Spanish authorities.
 
Zorro - Death Stacks the Deck
2. Note from Zorro
The note reads:
 
Beware Commandante!
My sword is a flame to right every wrong
So heed well my name
Zorro
 
Zorro - Death Stacks the Deck
3. Sergeant Garcia, Don Diego, Carlos Urista, Don Ramon, Bernardo
Sergeant Garcia is frequently the butt of jokes about his size and weight. Don Diego is a Spanish gentleman, Carlos Urista has arrived to lure Don Ramon into a card game, and Bernardo is also a local gentleman. At first Carlos plays cards with Bernardo who then leaves.
 
Zorro - Death Stacks the Deck
4. Money on the table
Stacks of coins appear on the table while Don Diego gives unwanted advice while Carlos is winning Don Ramon's money.
 
Zorro - Death Stacks the Deck
5. Spanish coins
A close-up of the coins shows that they are imitations of Spanish American eight reales coins, sometimes known as Spanish "bust" dollars.
 
An example of a Spanish American eight reales coin:
 
Spanish America eight reales 1806
6.  Spanish America silver eight reales 1806
Silver, 38 mm, 26.86 gm, struck at the Mexico City mint
Obverse: Head facing right, CAROLUS IIII DEI GRATIA 1806
Reverse: Crowned shield of Spain, HISPAN ET IND REX Mo 8R T H
(Mo = Mexico City Mint, TH = Assayer initials)
 
These Spanish coins circulated in the American Colonies and the United States until the 1850's.
 
Back to the program:
 
The two men continue to play cards and Don Ramon continues to loose. Don Ramon gets what he believes is a good hand.
 
Zorro - Death Stacks the Deck
7. Four kings
Don Ramon loses all of his money and then bets the ranch and loses that too.
 
Urista and the Magistrado now own Don Ramon's ranch and begin blocking off the water from other ranches.
 
Zorro - Death Stacks the Deck
8. Discussing the ranch
The local men discuss the situation and one suggests enlisting Zorro.
 
Zorro - Death Stacks the Deck
9. Zorro appears
Zorro forces the two gamblers to repeat their game with a different result.
 
Some soldiers are sent after Zorro.
 
Zorro - Death Stacks the Deck
10. One against three
Zorro escapes and changes into his Don Diego clothes. He joins Sergeant Garcia for a drink as Don Ramon leaves for his ranch and Carlos Urista simply leaves.
 
Zorro - Death Stacks the Deck
11. Sergeant Garcia and Don Diego
Cast, Directors, Writers:
 
Guy Williams as Don Diego de la Vega
Henry Calvin as Sergeant Demetrio Lopez Garcia
 
Miguel Landa as Don Ramon Santil
Jim Bannon as Carlos Urista
Gene Sheldon as Bernardo
Vinton Hayworth as Magistrado Carlos Galindo
 
Director: John Meredyth Lucas
Writers: Johnston McCulley, John Meredyth Lucas
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