Following up his comic triumph in Love At First Bite, George Hamilton took on the dual role of Zorro in Zorro The Gay Blade. Although the man handles a sword well, Douglas Fairbanks, Tyrone Power, and Guy Williams would not recognize both the Hamiltons who take their turn at championing the peasants of Spanish California.
George Hamilton returns to California from Spain and discovers his father is no longer the Alcalde of Los Angeles and in fact is now dead. His friend Ron Leibman, captain of His Majesty's guards is now the Alcalde combining both civil and military authority and he is having a great old time taxing the peasants to pay for the expensive lifestyle that Leibman and wife Brenda Vaccaro now enjoy. Of course Leibman isn't taking care of some of Vaccaro's other needs and she's giving Hamilton the same eye she gave John Voight in Midnight Cowboy.
When Don Diego Hamilton injures himself doing his Zorro thing, by chance he's visited by his twin brother Ramon who is now going by the name of Bunny Wigglesworth. Dad sent him off to the British Navy to get the gay out of him, but as Bunny puts it he was reared in the British Navy, I'm betting he was a most popular cabin boy on long voyages.
Anyway when Bunny takes over the Zorro role he brings a sense of style to the part, having a rainbow flavor of costumes instead of the basic black Zorro was known for. And stereotypical gay that Bunny is, that is precisely what is driving Leibman crazy, Bunny's a better swordsman in every conceivable way.
Lauren Hutton is also in the cast playing a part that her contemporary during the era, Abigail Adams would envy. She is making sure that the ladies are indeed remembered when as a suffragette some fifty years ahead of her time Lauren is spreading the gospel of the American Revolution being fought at that time on the other side of the continent.
George Hamilton plays both Diego and Bunny with a flair and twinkle, the best one in the cast, the one who seems to be having the most fun in his role is Ron Leibman. Leibman is having one whale of a good time overacting outrageously as his part calls for, getting a chance to do what he could normally do only in slasher flicks. He has a great flair himself for comedy, I'm not sure why Ron Leibman doesn't do more of it.
I think Fairbanks and Power who had been long gone by the time Zorro, The Gay Blade was released would have really enjoyed this terrific satire on a part that was special to both of them.
George Hamilton returns to California from Spain and discovers his father is no longer the Alcalde of Los Angeles and in fact is now dead. His friend Ron Leibman, captain of His Majesty's guards is now the Alcalde combining both civil and military authority and he is having a great old time taxing the peasants to pay for the expensive lifestyle that Leibman and wife Brenda Vaccaro now enjoy. Of course Leibman isn't taking care of some of Vaccaro's other needs and she's giving Hamilton the same eye she gave John Voight in Midnight Cowboy.
When Don Diego Hamilton injures himself doing his Zorro thing, by chance he's visited by his twin brother Ramon who is now going by the name of Bunny Wigglesworth. Dad sent him off to the British Navy to get the gay out of him, but as Bunny puts it he was reared in the British Navy, I'm betting he was a most popular cabin boy on long voyages.
Anyway when Bunny takes over the Zorro role he brings a sense of style to the part, having a rainbow flavor of costumes instead of the basic black Zorro was known for. And stereotypical gay that Bunny is, that is precisely what is driving Leibman crazy, Bunny's a better swordsman in every conceivable way.
Lauren Hutton is also in the cast playing a part that her contemporary during the era, Abigail Adams would envy. She is making sure that the ladies are indeed remembered when as a suffragette some fifty years ahead of her time Lauren is spreading the gospel of the American Revolution being fought at that time on the other side of the continent.
George Hamilton plays both Diego and Bunny with a flair and twinkle, the best one in the cast, the one who seems to be having the most fun in his role is Ron Leibman. Leibman is having one whale of a good time overacting outrageously as his part calls for, getting a chance to do what he could normally do only in slasher flicks. He has a great flair himself for comedy, I'm not sure why Ron Leibman doesn't do more of it.
I think Fairbanks and Power who had been long gone by the time Zorro, The Gay Blade was released would have really enjoyed this terrific satire on a part that was special to both of them.