The Cisco Kid was a film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his short story "The Caballero's Way," published in 1907 in the collection Heart of the West. Films and television depicted the Cisco Kid as a heroic Mexican caballero, although in O. Henry's original story, he was a non-Hispanic character and a cruel outlaw.
Numerous movies featured the character, beginning in the silent film era with William R. Dunn portraying the Cisco Kid in The Caballero's Way (1914), followed by The Border Terror (1919). Warner Baxter won an Oscar for his portrayal of the Cisco Kid in the early sound film In Old Arizona (1928), directed by Irving Cummings and Raoul Walsh, who was originally slated to play the lead until a jackrabbit jumping through a windshield cost him an eye while on location.
The movie series with Cesar Romero in the title role began with The Cisco Kid and the Lady (1939), and Duncan Renaldo took over the reins in 1945 with The Cisco Kid Returns. Beginning with The Gay Cavalier (1946), Gilbert Roland played the character in a half-dozen 1946-1947 movies.
Television
Renaldo returned to the role for the popular 156-episode Ziv Television series (1950-1956), notable as one of the first TV series filmed in color. His sidekick, Pancho was played by Leo Carillo. The last few seasons of Adventures of Superman, starring George Reeves as the Man of Steel, were also filmed in color in anticipation of future color broadcasts.
After a long absence, the character galloped back onto TV screens with The Cisco Kid, a 1994 TV movie starring Jimmy Smits.
The Cisco Kid's cinematic sidekick, Gordito ("Fatty"), was portrayed by Chris-Pin Martin, followed by Pancho, played by Martin Garralaga and later by Leo Carrillo. For the 1994 TV film, Pancho was played by Cheech Marin. The TV episodes and the 1994 movie ended with one or the other of them making a corny...
