The Cisco Kid is a fictional character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

"The Caballero's Way", published in ''

Everybody's Magazine ''Everybody's Magazine'' was an American magazine published from 1899 to 1929. The magazine was headquartered in New York City. History and profile The magazine was founded by Philadelphia merchant John Wanamaker in 1899, though he had little r ...

'', vol. 17 (July 1907), as well as in the collection ''Heart of the West'' (1907). Originally a murderous criminal in O. Henry's story, the Kid was depicted as a heroic Mexican caballero in later film, radio, and television adaptations.

"The Caballero's Way" (short story)

In O. Henry's original story, the character is a 25-year-old desperado in the

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

–

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

border country who bears little resemblance to later interpretations of the character. He kills for sport and is responsible for at least eighteen deaths. His real name is possibly Goodall ("This hombre they call the Kid—Goodall is his name, ain't it?"); no first name is given in the story. The Kid's mixed-ancestry girlfriend, Tonia Perez, both fears and loves him. When Texas Ranger Lieutenant Sandridge arrives at her home, seeking news of the Cisco Kid, they fall in love. Sandridge begins visiting twice a week. Eventually the Kid visits Tonia's house and finds them together:

Ten yards from his hiding-place, in the shade of the jacal, sat his Tonia calmly plaiting a rawhide lariat. So far she might surely escape condemnation; women have been known, from time to time, to engage in more mischievous occupations. But if all must be told, there is to be added that her head reposed against the broad and comfortable chest of a tall red-and-yellow man, and that his arm was about her, guiding her nimble small fingers that required so many lessons at the intricate six-strand plait.

He overhears Tonia tell Sandridge that she heard the Kid was in the area, and that she assumes the Kid will visit her soon. She says she will send Sandridge word of the Kid's whereabouts by Gregorio, "the small son of old Luisa", in time for Sandridge to ride off with a posse, find the Kid and kill him. Sandridge departs and shortly the Kid appears, pretending he has just arrived. The Kid sends a message to Sandridge through Domingo Sales, who claims that Gregorio is "too ill of a fever to ride". The message says that the Kid has arrived and explains that the Kid has exchanged clothes with Tonia to foil pursuers. Sandridge returns to Tonia's home and sees two figures in the moonlight: one in men's clothing and the other in women's. The one in women's clothing rides away. Assuming this to be the Kid, Sandridge ambushes and shoots the figure. The victim is Tonia, the Kid having tricked Sandridge into killing his girlfriend.

Films

Numerous films have featured the character, beginning in the silent film era with ''The Caballero's Way'' (1914). There is a disagreement as to who actually played the part of the Cisco Kid. In the cemetery records of Stanley Herbert Dunn it is stated that he played the part. For his portrayal of the Kid in the early sound film ''

In Old Arizona ''In Old Arizona'' is a 1928 American sound ( All-Talking) pre-Code Western film directed by Raoul Walsh and Irving Cummings, nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film, which was based on the character of the Cisco ...

'' (1928),

Warner Baxter Warner Leroy Baxter (March 29, 1889 – May 7, 1951) was an American film actor from the 1910s to the 1940s. Baxter is known for his role as the Cisco Kid in the 1928 film ''In Old Arizona'', for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor at ...

won the second Best Actor Oscar. This film was a revised version of the original story, in which the Kid is portrayed in a positive light. It was directed by

Irving Cummings Irving Cummings (October 9, 1888 – April 18, 1959) was an American movie actor and director. Career Born in New York City, Cummings started his acting career at age 16 in ''Diplomacy (play), Diplomacy''. His Broadway theatre, Broadway, p ...

and

Raoul Walsh Raoul Walsh (born Albert Edward Walsh; March 11, 1887December 31, 1980) was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), and the brother of silent cinema actor George Walsh. He wa ...

, who was originally slated to play the lead until a jackrabbit jumping through a windshield cost him an eye while on location. In 1930, Fox Film Corporation discovered they only held rights to make one film based on O. Henry's story. To circumvent this, they released ''The Arizona Kid'' - essentially a Cisco Kid knockoff starring Baxter as Chico Cabrillo, the Arizona Kid, The following year, they properly released ''The Cisco Kid'' with Baxter, Conchita Montenegro, and Edmund Lowe.In 1931,

Fox Film Corporation The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American independent company that produced motion pictures and was formed in 1914 by the theater "chain" pioneer William Fox (producer), William Fox. It was the corporate successor to ...

produced a sound version with Baxter, Conchita Montenegro, and

Edmund Lowe Edmund Sherbourne Lowe (March 3, 1890 – April 21, 1971) was an American actor. His formative experience began in vaudeville and silent film. Biography Lowe's childhood home was at 314 North 1st Street, San Jose. He attended Santa Clara Coll ...

. The film series began with ''The Return of the Cisco Kid'' (1939), featuring Baxter in the title role with

Cesar Romero César Julio Romero Jr. (February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994) was an American actor. He was active in film, radio, and television for almost 60 years. His wide range of screen roles included Latin lover (stereotype), Latin lovers, historical ...

as his sidekick, Lopez, Chris-Pin Martin as the other sidekick, Gordito ("Fatty"),

Lynn Bari Lynn Bari (born Marjorie Schuyler Fisher, December 18, 1919 – November 20, 1989) was an American film actress who specialized in playing sultry, statuesque man-killers in roughly 150 films for 20th Century Fox, from the early 1930s through t ...

as his mistaken love interest, Ann Carver,

Henry Hull Henry Watterson Hull (October 3, 1890 – March 8, 1977) was an American character actor who played the lead in Universal Pictures's ''Werewolf of London'' (1935). For most of his career, he was a lead actor on stage and a character actor on scr ...

as her wayward grandfather, and

Ward Bond Wardell Edwin Bond (April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960) was an American character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and starred in the NBC television series ''Wagon Train'' from 1957 to 1960. Among his best-remembered roles are Bert th ...

in the lowest-billed role as "Tough", whose one scene shows him beaten into unconsciousness by the unscrupulous Sheriff McNally (

Robert Barrat Robert Harriot Barrat (July 10, 1891 – January 7, 1970) was an American stage, motion picture, and television character actor. Early years Barratt was born on July 10, 1891 in New York City, and educated in the public schools there. He left ...

). Romero took over the lead role of Cisco and Martin continued to play Gordito in six further films before the series was suspended with America's entry into

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in 1941. Duncan Renaldo took over the reins as the Kid when

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

revived the series in 1945 with ''The Cisco Kid Returns'', which also introduced the Kid's best-known sidekick, Pancho, played by

Martin Garralaga Martín Garralaga (10 November 1894 – 12 June 1981) was a Spanish actor who worked in Hollywood from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was married to opera singer and actress Rosa Rey. Biography Garralaga first came to the United States wh ...

. Pancho also became established as his sidekick in other media. Neither Gordito nor Pancho is in the original story. After three Renaldo/Cisco films,

Gilbert Roland Luis Antonio Dámaso de Alonso (December 11, 1905 – May 15, 1994), known professionally as Gilbert Roland, was a Mexican-born American film and television actor whose career spanned seven decades from the 1920s until the 1980s. He was twice no ...

played the character in a half-dozen 1946–1947 films beginning with '' The Gay Cavalier'' (1946). Renaldo then returned to the role with Leo Carrillo as Pancho. They made five films, with Renaldo assuming the flowery "Charro" suit in the final film. He would wear that throughout the TV series that followed.

List of films

*''The Caballero's Way'' (1914) – William R. Dunn. *''The Border Terror'' (1919) –

Vester Pegg Vester Pegg (May 23, 1889 – February 19, 1951) was an American actor of the silent film era. He appeared in 140 films between 1912 and 1941, mainly Westerns. He was born in Appleton City, Missouri and died in Los Angeles, California. Pe ...

*''

'' (1928) – Warner Baxter *''

The Cisco Kid The Cisco Kid is a fictional character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in ''Everybody's Maga ...

'' (1931) – Warner Baxter *'' The Stolen Jools'' (1931) – Warner Baxter *'' The Return of the Cisco Kid'' (1939) – Warner Baxter *'' The Cisco Kid and the Lady'' (1939) – Cesar Romero *'' Viva Cisco Kid'' (1940) – Cesar Romero *'' Lucky Cisco Kid'' (1940) – Cesar Romero *'' The Gay Caballero'' (1940) – Cesar Romero *'' Romance of the Rio Grande'' (1941) – Cesar Romero *'' Ride on Vaquero'' (1941) – Cesar Romero *'' The Cisco Kid Returns'' (1945) – Duncan Renaldo *''

In Old New Mexico ''In Old New Mexico'' is a 1945 American western drama film. Released on May 15, 1945, it was the second of three Cisco Kid films made that year with Duncan Renaldo as Cisco and Martin Garralaga as Pancho. In this release, Cisco's real name is ...

'' (1945) – Duncan Renaldo *'' South of the Rio Grande'' (1945) – Duncan Renaldo *'' The Gay Cavalier'' (1946) – Gilbert Roland *'' South of Monterey'' (1946) – Gilbert Roland *'' Beauty and the Bandit'' (1946) – Gilbert Roland *'' Riding the California Trail'' (1947) – Gilbert Roland *'' Robin Hood of Monterey'' (1947) – Gilbert Roland *'' King of the Bandits'' (1947) – Gilbert Roland *''

The Valiant Hombre ''The Valiant Hombre'' is a 1948 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Wallace Fox, written by Adele Buffington, and starring Duncan Renaldo, Leo Carrillo, John Litel, Barbara Billingsley, John James and Stanley Andrews. It was rel ...

'' (1948) – Duncan Renaldo *'' The Gay Amigo'' (1949) – Duncan Renaldo *'' The Daring Caballero'' (1949) – Duncan Renaldo *'' Satan's Cradle'' (1949) – Duncan Renaldo *'' The Girl from San Lorenzo'' (1950) – Duncan Renaldo *''

'' (1994) (TV film) – Jimmy Smits

Radio

''The Cisco Kid'' came to radio October 2, 1942, with Jackson Beck in the title role and

Louis Sorin Louis Sorin was an American actor of stage, screen, radio, and television. He is probably best known to modern audiences for his performance as art patron Roscoe W. Chandler in the 1930 Marx Brothers feature film '' Animal Crackers'', a role he ...

as Pancho. With

Vicki Vola Victoria Vola (August 27, 1916 – July 21, 1985) was an American actress. She was best known for her portrayal of Edith Miller on both the radio and television runs of '' Mr. District Attorney''. Early years Vola was born in Denver, Colorado. ...

Bryna Raeburn Bryna Raeburn (born Bertha Sinai;"Death Notices: Bertha Smi ...

, and Mark Smith in supporting roles and Michael Rye announcing, this weekly series continued on Mutual until February 14, 1945. It was followed by a thrice weekly series on a Mutual-Don Lee regional network in 1946, starring Jack Mather in the title role, who continued to head the cast in the syndicated radio series of more than 600 episodes from 1947 to 1956. For this version, Pancho was originally played by Harry E. Lang. Following Lang's death in 1953,

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for come ...

played the role until the series ended. Aimed at youngsters, the radio series depicted the Cisco Kid as a virtuous wanderer and quasi-

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

figure, often erroneously believed to be on the wrong side of law due to his habit of tangling with "the rich and greedy" who are victimizing the poor. Episodes ended with one or the other of them making a corny joke about the adventure they had just completed. They would laugh, saying, "'Oh, Pancho!" "'Oh, Cisco!", before galloping off, while laughing.

Episode guide

Television series and movies

Renaldo returned to the role for the popular 156-episode Ziv Television series ''

'' (1950–1956), notable as the first TV series filmed in color. For the 1950s TV series, the Cisco Kid's sidekick Pancho was portrayed by Leo Carrillo, riding a

Palomino Palomino is a equine coat color, genetic color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane (horse), mane and tail; the degree of whiteness can vary from bright white to yellow. The palomino color derived from the breeding of Spanish hor ...

named Loco. The Cisco Kid's horse was named Diablo. After a long absence, the character galloped back onto TV screens in the 1994 made-for-TV movie ''

'', starring

Jimmy Smits Jimmy L. Smits (born July 9, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for playing attorney Victor Sifuentes on the legal drama ''L.A. Law'', NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the police drama ''NYPD Blue'', and Matt Santos on the political dr ...

with

Cheech Marin Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin (born July 13, 1946) is an American comedian and actor. He gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s with Tommy Chong, and as Don Johnson's partner, Insp. Joe Dom ...

as Pancho. The TV episodes and the 1994 movie, like the radio series, ended with one or the other of them making a corny joke about the adventure they had just completed. They would laugh, saying, "Oh, Pancho!" "Oh, Cisco!", before galloping off, while laughing, into the sunset, and Spanish-styled Western theme music was heard as the credits rolled. Throughout the TV series, Carrillo addressed Renaldo as "Cisco", and others (mostly Anglo characters) refer to him as "the Kid" (Renaldo was 46 years old when the TV series began). Although both Pancho and Cisco are clearly identifiable as Mexicans, throughout the entire series they spoke to each other in English, with Pancho speaking a thickly accented and very tortured English, as if the two of them were not both fluent and comfortable in English: however Carrillo had been using this characterization in movies already for many years. While the character's real name is never mentioned on the TV series, most fans and followers from the movie series in the 1940s and the books know that he is Juan Carlos Francisco Antonio Hernandez. In Series 1, Ep. 2, 20:59 "Counterfeit Money" Pancho identifies himself as "Pancho ranciscoFernando Miguel de Cornejo".

Comics

*''Cisco Kid Comics'', a one-shot comic book by Baily Publishing, appeared on newsstands in 1944. *

Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...

published 41 issues of ''The Cisco Kid'' from 1950 to 1958. * José Luis Salinas and Rod Reed drew the ''Cisco Kid'' comic strip, syndicated by King Features from 1951 to 1967. *

Moonstone Books Moonstone Books is an American comic book, graphic novel, and prose fiction publisher based in Chicago focused on pulp fiction comic books and prose anthologies as well as horror and western tales. The company began publishing creator-owned com ...

has, as of 2009, published six

graphic novels A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics scholars and ...

about the Kid. In ''Wyatt Earp: Justice Riders'', Cisco joins

Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman in the American West, including Dodge City, Kansas, Dodge City, Wichita, Kansas, Wichita, and Tombstone, Arizona, Tombstone. Earp was involved in the gunfight ...

Geronimo Gerónimo (, ; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a military leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache bands the Tchihen ...

Belle Starr Myra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr (February 5, 1848 – February 3, 1889), better known as Belle Starr, was an American outlaw who gained national notoriety after her violent death. She associated with the James–Younger Gang and other outlaws. ...

and

Annie Oakley Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey; August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) was an American marksman, sharpshooter and folk heroine who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West. Oakley developed hunting skills as a child to provide for her impoveris ...

.Wyatt Earp: Justice Riders
/ref>

Literature

Nash Candelaria Nash Candelaria (May 7, 1928 – January 5, 2016) was an American novelist. He was known for a tetralogy of novels about the Rafa family. He has been called the "historical novelist of the Hispanic people of New Mexico."John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

''. *In

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

's short story " The Raft" and the 1987 horror film '' Creepshow 2'', Pancho and Cisco are the nicknames used by the two ill-fated friends stranded on the raft. *Dennis "Cisco" Wojciechowski, Mickey Haller's private investigator in '' The Brass Verdict'' and '' The Fifth Witness'' was nicknamed Cisco in honor of the Cisco Kid while he was affiliated with the Road Saints motorcycle gang. *

published one crossover with

Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in a ...

in ''The Lone Ranger Chronicles'' (2012).

Music

*In

Mark Lindsay Mark Lindsay (born March 9, 1942) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer of the rock band Paul Revere & the Raiders. Early life Lindsay was born in Eugene, Oregon, and was the second of eight children of George and Esther Ell ...

's song "

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

" (from the 1970 album ''Arizona''), the title character of the song hangs up a poster of Pancho and Cisco. *

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

, during his early 1971 concerts, used to wear a jumpsuit he referred to as "The Cisco Kid". The suit is featured on the cover of his 1972 Grammy-winning gospel album '' He Touched Me''. *

War War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

's song "The Cisco Kid" (from '' The World Is a Ghetto'', 1972) reached number two on the US pop charts; the song also appeared on their 2008 '' Greatest Hits Live''. A version was recorded by jazz organist Reuben Wilson on his album ''

'' (Groove Merchant, 1973). *

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...

's "Hey Cisco" (from '' Purpendicular'', 1996) is loosely based on the radio show's characters. *In

Don Williams Donald Ray Williams (May 27, 1939 – September 8, 2017) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and 2010 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame. He began his solo career in 1971, singing p ...

's 1998 song "Pancho" (from ''I Turn the Page''), the Kid mournfully reflects on their friendship that has ended. *The ska punk group Sublime released a song entitled "Cisco Kid" on their 1994 album '' Robbin' the Hood'', including audio clips from the series. *

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), known professionally as Method Man, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. He is a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, and is half of the hip hop duo Method Man & R ...

, Redman, and

Cypress Hill Cypress Hill is an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in South Gate, California in 1988. One of the first Latin groups to gain mainstream recognition in hip hop, they have sold over 20 million albums worldwide, and have obtained multi ...

recorded "Cisco Kid" which was featured on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

for the 2001 film ''

How High ''How High'' is a 2001 American stoner comedy film directed by Jesse Dylan in his feature film directorial debut and written by Dustin Lee Abraham. In the film, Method Man and Redman portray two cannabis users who are visited by the ghost ...

.'' The song samples the War song "The Cisco Kid." *In 2009, Mama's Pride band member Pat Liston released the song "My Daddy Knew the Cisco Kid."

The names Pancho and Cisco

"Cisco" and "Pancho" are both nicknames given to men whose Spanish name is Francisco, which in English is "

Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...

References

External links

Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs: ''The Cisco Kid''Radio Archive Free Stream: ''The Cisco Kid''
*

* ttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042093/ ''The Cisco Kid'' TV series (1950–1956)at

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

Zoot Radio, free old time radio show downloads of ''The Cisco Kid''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cisco Kid, The 1940s American radio programs 1942 radio programme debuts 1944 comics debuts 1944 comics endings 1950 comics debuts 1950s American radio programs 1951 comics debuts 1956 radio programme endings 1958 comics endings 1967 comics endings Works based on The Caballero's Way American children's radio programs Argentine comic strips Comics based on radio series Comics characters introduced in 1944 Comics characters introduced in 1951 Dell Comics titles Don Lee Network programs Film series introduced in 1914 Literary characters introduced in 1907 Mutual Broadcasting System programs Novels adapted into comics Western (genre) gunfighters Western (genre) heroes and heroines Western (genre) outlaws