The Cisco Kid *** (1931, Warner Baxter, Edmund Lowe, Conchita Montenegro) – Classic Movie Review 8282

Director Irving Cummings’s 1931 Western The Cisco Kid is the third Cisco Kid feature movie, in which Baxter re-creates his Oscar-winning role from In Old Arizona (1928) and its sequel The Arizona Kid (1930) as O Henry’s famous Robin Hood of the Old West, who this time gives himself up so the woman he loves, Carmencita (Conchita Montenegro), can have the reward money.

The Cisco Kid has a good production and performances, and has just a little touch of class, though it is only a little better than a multitude of 1930s and 1940s support Westerns. However, Baxter’s charisma as the infamous outlaw is a major asset, with series regular Chris-Pin Martin along for the ride as Gordito, and Edmund Lowe again making a good villain as Army Sergeant Mickey Dunn, also returning from In Old Arizona, who sets out in pursuit of the Cisco Kid and gets together with Carmencita to claim the reward for the Kid’s capture.

The Cisco Kid is short at just 60 minutes, fast paced and still entertaining.

Also in the cast are Nora Lane, Charles Stevens, Frederick Burt, Edward Dillon, Douglas Haig, George Irving, Marilyn Knowlden and Willard Robertson.

The Cisco Kid is directed by Irving Cummings, runs 60 minutes, is made and released by Fox Film Corporation, is written by Alfred A Cohn, based on the character created by O Henry in the 1907 short story The Caballero’s Way, is shot in black and white by Barney McGill and produced by Irving Cumming.

The Cisco film series began with The Return of the Cisco Kid (1939), again featuring Baxter.

The first issue of The Cisco Kid comic.

The first screen appearance of The Cisco Kid was Stanley Herbert Dunn in the three-reel silent short production The Caballero’s Way (1914), though the IMDb states that William Robert Dunn played the part. It was followed by Vester Pegg in a further silent short film The Border Terror (1919).

In O Henry’s 1907 story, Cisco is a 25-year-old desperado in the Texas-Mexico border country, killing at least 18 people for sport, totally different from film interpretations of the character when he became a heroic Mexican caballero.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8282

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com