Synopsis for
Zorro: The Gay Blade (1981) More at IMDbPro »

In the 1840s, the charming and womanizing Don Diego Vega (George Hamilton) is summoned by his father to return home from Spain. When he arrives at his father's estate outside Los Angeles (then a part of Mexico), however, he learns the sad news that his father has been killed in a riding accident and that his childhood friend Esteban (Ron Leibman) has taken his father's place as Alcalde. Before long, Esteban shows his true, greedy nature, taxing the poor peasants for his own gain. Also newly arrived in Los Angeles is the lovely Charlotte Taylor Wilson (Lauren Hutton), a crusading New Englander who has come to encourage the peasants to rebel against the landowners. Although Diego is fascinated by her, she finds him arrogant.

Finding his father's costume and will, Don Diego learns that his father was the legendary hero of the people, Zorro. Diego decides to dress in the costume for the Alcalde's inaugural masquerade ball. On the way, he and his servant Paco (Donovan Scott) happen upon a peasant being victimized by the tax collector, Velazquez (James Booth). Diego fights Velazquez, returns the money to the peasants and heads to the party.

Velazquez, meanwhile, rides to the party to report to the Alcalde that a bandit has stolen the people's taxes. When he identifies the masked Diego as the thief, Esteban challenges Zorro to a duel. Zorro makes a fool of the Alcalde and escapes but breaks his foot in the process.

Out of commission due to his injury, Diego can do nothing to help the people as Esteban becomes more and more ruthless in his pursuit of gold. But luck stays with Diego when a few days later, his long-lost twin brother, Ramon (also played by George Hamilton in a dual role) arrives at the family estate to pay respect to their late father. Ramon, who now calls himself Bunny Wigglesworth, has just returned from the British Royal Navy. Apparently over 20 years ago, Diego and Ramon's father sent Ramon away to the Royal Navy to make more of a "man" out of him. Bunny, flamboyantly homosexual, reluctantly accepts the role of Zorro, but he insists on making changes to the costume; he adds fringe and tassels to the hat, makes multi-colored variations to the fabrics and exchanges the sword for a whip.

As Diego recovers, his gay brother becomes champion of the peasants and tries to manage Charlotte Taylor Wilson who loves Zorro, but sees Diego as an adversary because of his position as a landowner. The Alcalde and landowners are infuriated and bewildered by Zorro's interference in their business and by his new clothes and different behavior.

Meanwhile, the Alcalde's nagging and neglected wife, Florinda (Brenda Vaccaro), convinces her husband to throw another masquerade ball to show off her extravagant new necklace. Finally healed, Diego decides to go. To throw Esteban off his trail, Diego sends fake notes to all the landowners, telling them that the Alcalde wishes everyone to dress like Zorro. Dressed in the traditional black costume, Diego attends the masquerade ball with Bunny dressed in drag as Diego's female cousin 'Margarita Wigglesworth from Santa Barbara'. Together, the brothers steal the necklace from Florinda. When Diego 'accidently' spills some red wine on Florinda's dress, Bunny takes her to her bedroom where he swipes the necklace as she takes it off. It is Bunny who leaves behind the traditional 'Z' written on red lipstick on Florina's mirror. Afterwards, Bunny then leaves Los Angeles to return to the Royal Navy.

Still dressed as Zorro, Diego rushes off to Charlotte Taylor Wilson to give her the necklace and to reveal his true identity, but she beats him to it. She tells him that she loves him, and that she had already figured out that he was Zorro. Their conversation, however, is overheard by a spy who tells the Alcalde that Charlotte can be used as bait to trap Zorro.

Esteban arrests Charlotte and sentences her to a public execution. Disguised as a monk, Zorro sneaks into the palace and offers his own life in exchange for hers. Just as Diego is about to executed by the firing squad, his brother swings into the courtyard, dressed in a gold-yellow Zorro costume. Bunny frees Diego and Charlotte, and they rally the peasant crowd to fight the soldiers who eventually turn against the Alcalde as well. In the end, even Florinda abandons Esteban who is overthrown.

At last, Bunny rides off into the sunset to return to the Royal Navy, leaving his brother and Charlotte to discuss their impending wedding and plans for the future.