The Cisco Kid and the Lady (1939)

Let me lay it out for you... a western with a Hispanic star, #1. A Western where the star is a criminal, not just mistaken for a criminal, #2. A Western where our hero makes a play for the saloon girl, 'girlfriend' of the bad guy, and rides off into the sunset with her?, #3. A Western where the 'bad guy' (with wanted posters all over the place) is the good guy by default at the end? Cesar Romero steps into the boots of the Cisco Kid (taking over the role from Warner Baxter) in this western that finds the Kid safeguarding the claim of a murdered prospector. Later, with the deceased prospector's orphaned daughter the rightful heir to a profitable mine, the Kid places the child in the care of a pretty schoolteacher, who has eyes for another man.The funny twists and turns of this action oater kept me entertained throughout. Cesar Romero was great and the supporting cast was fine as well, and the film is smartly paced and cleverly plotted. Good fun!

I grew up with Duncan Renaldo as O. Henry's The Cisco Kid and and Leo Carillo as his sidekick Pancho, so watching toothy Caesar Romero in the title role and Chris-Pin Martin as his sidekick "Gordito," came as quite a shock. I have also seen Warner Baxter as the Kid, but for me, Renaldo will always be Cisco. This lighthearted romp, little more than a filler piece, has Cisco rescuing a baby and keeping the bad guys at bay. Very little action. Mostly, we watch Romero grin his way through a series of scenes, including a badly staged dance number that seems to go on forever. I am trying to remember if this Cisco Kid ever took his hat off for anything. This is a historic curiosity rather than a must-see. Future cowboy star and one of Dinah Shore's spouses, George Montgomery, costars.

an earlier comment describes this film as just a reworking of "3 Godfathers" (John Ford, 1948) ... an interesting idea but not logical since this film was produced and released in 1939! Many may like "3 Godfathers" more ... after all that's a real film with a plot and stars and all the trappings of dramatic storytelling. They obviously have similar plot devices but they don't really compare because "Cisco Kid and the Lady" is just a lighthearted B-movie romp made for Saturday afternoon matinees. Still, it did come first, by almost a decade. This is not very deep drama but "Cisco ..." can be a lot of fun.Romero makes a very charming, dapper and debonair Cisco. He flashes a gorgeous smile, a sexy singing voice, a sexier accent and lithe dance style. To quote Warren Zevon "... his hair was perfect." An interesting casting note: the wholesome school teacher is dark haired and the fiery saloon girl is a blonde... not the usual stereotypes.

The film begins with Cisco and Gordito (his sidekick) talking about the fact that practically every crime that occurs is blamed on the Kid and they are seen collecting yet another wanted poster for their collection. Incidentally, NONE of the posters look anything like him and obviously other bandits are running around calling themselves the Cisco Kid. What nerve! Soon, the plot begins to resemble a reworking of the classic THREE GODFATHERS, as the two stumble upon a dying man with a baby. Robert Barrat also arrives and unfortunately, it's all too obvious all too quickly that Barrat is a bad guy. Well, anyway, the dying man asks the three of them to care for the baby and be sure the little tyke gets the gold mine that is rightfully his. Then, he tears the map in three pieces and gives it to the three so they need to work together for the good of the baby. The three agree and the man dies. Only minutes later, through rotten parenting, the child is nearly killed by a stagecoach--and this REALLY looked like a dangerous stunt with a real baby! How they got away with this one, I'll never know.The rest of the film consists of the Kid chasing women, dancing and making love--all the while also trying to keep Barrat from killing him and Gordito. In the end, since it is a B-Western, everything is wrapped up very neatly and the Kid rides away to further adventures.Cesar Romero returns for the second time as The Cisco Kid and it is purely because of Romero's easy-going performance that it rises (slightly) above the ordinary. Otherwise, this film is essentially a B-movie Western with no surprises--like a Gene Autry film and the like. Not a whole lot of depth to the plot or characters, but still fun to watch as a simple time-passer.