George Hamilton as Bunny Wigglesworth in 'Zorro, The Gay Blade' Designed by Gloria Gresham

Zorro ensemble consisting of [C085-1/11] floor length gold brocade cape, extremely wide matching collar, lined in gold lamé, trimmed at opening and at collar with gold bullion ribbon and gold tie cord (blank Western Costume Company label); [C085-2/11] gold lamé swash-buckling shirt trimmed at collar, bib and cuff with gold bullion lace (Western Costume Company label typed "2988-2, George Hemilton (sic). Collar 15 1/2. Sleeve 34" and inscribed "SET") ; [C085-3/11] gold spandex pants embroidered with gold thread at waist and legs (Western Costume Company label typed "2989-3 Dbl., Waist 31" and Western Costume Company stamp and inscribed "SET"); [C085-4/11] wide gold waist sash trimmed with gold fringe (Western Costume Company. label inscribed "26- 27"); [C085-5/11 & 6/11] gold leather thigh high boots with cuff (Both inscribed GH#2); [C085-7/11] gold hat with flat brim and trimmed with gold ostrich feathers and bullion fringe; [C085-8/11 & 9/11] pair of gold lamé gloves with bullion cord trim at gauntlets; [C08-10/11] a molded eye mask covered with gold lame and with self tie and [C085-11/11] a gold painted leather whip; extra left gold lame glove with bullion cord trim at gauntlet, second pair of gold lame gloves with white rubber trim at gauntlets.

Zorro has been one of the most enduring characters in cinema. This film was a campy irreverent version of this franchise. George Hamilton, who was always a little over-the-top with his debonair style and perfect/ perpetual suntan, portrays Don Diego Vegas, a dashing, womanizing, 19th-century Spanish-Californian aristocrat, who becomes the black masked and caped crusader of the peasants. He also plays his gay and foppish identical twin brother, Bunny Wigglesworth who must carry on the guise of the masked crusader when don Diego is injured. But, of course, he does it with his own sense of style and taste, preferring the whip to the sword. It is a tour de force of swashbuckling, gender-bending fun.

Gloria Gresham, who worked on numerous feature films of the 1980’s and 1990’s specialized in contemporary apparel. But, in this film, she created the costumes for a 1840’s Mexican village. She stayed fairly close to the established look for the Zorro character that had been around since 1919. Her comedic departure from that look was creating a flashier look for the Zorro costumes worn by the character of Bunny Wigglesworth, creating the costumes in lemon, plum, scarlet and this costume in gold lame.