The Cisco Kid facts for kids
The Cisco Kid is a famous character from Western stories. He has appeared in many movies, radio shows, TV series, and comic books! The character was first created by a writer named O. Henry in his 1907 short story called "The Caballero's Way."
Interestingly, in O. Henry's original story, the Cisco Kid was a bad guy. But later, in movies, radio, and TV, he became a hero. He was shown as a brave Mexican caballero (which means a gentleman or knight).
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The Cisco Kid's First Story
In O. Henry's original short story, the Cisco Kid was a 25-year-old outlaw. He lived near the Texas–Mexico border. This early version was very different from the hero we know today. His real name might have been Goodall, but the story doesn't give a first name.
Cisco Kid in Movies
Many movies have featured the Cisco Kid. The first one was a silent film called The Caballero's Way in 1914. There's a bit of a mystery about who played the Cisco Kid in that very first movie.
A famous actor named Warner Baxter won an Oscar for playing the Kid. This was for the early sound film In Old Arizona (1928). This movie changed the story, showing the Kid as a good guy.
The main film series started with The Return of the Cisco Kid in 1939. Warner Baxter played the lead again. Cesar Romero then took over the role of Cisco. He starred in six more films before World War II paused the series.
After the war, Duncan Renaldo became the Cisco Kid in 1945. This is when his most famous sidekick, Pancho, was introduced. Pancho was played by Martin Garralaga. Later, Gilbert Roland played the character in a few films. Then, Duncan Renaldo returned to the role with Leo Carrillo as Pancho. Renaldo wore a special "Charro" suit, which he also wore in the TV series.
List of Cisco Kid Films
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Cisco Kid on the Radio
The Cisco Kid radio show started on October 2, 1942. Jackson Beck played the Cisco Kid, and Louis Sorin was Pancho. This weekly show was on the Mutual network.
Later, Jack Mather took over as the Cisco Kid. He starred in a popular radio series with over 600 episodes from 1947 to 1956. For most of this series, Pancho was played by Harry E. Lang. After Lang passed away, Mel Blanc (who voiced many famous cartoon characters) played Pancho.
The radio show was made for young people. It showed the Cisco Kid as a good person who traveled around helping others. He was like a Robin Hood figure, often helping the poor against greedy people. Each episode ended with Cisco and Pancho making a funny joke. They would laugh and say, "Oh, Pancho!" "Oh, Cisco!" before riding off.
Cisco Kid on TV
Duncan Renaldo returned as the Cisco Kid for a popular TV series. The Cisco Kid ran for 156 episodes from 1950 to 1956. It was special because it was the first TV series ever filmed in color!
In the 1950s TV show, Leo Carrillo played Pancho, the Cisco Kid's sidekick. Pancho rode a horse named Loco, and the Cisco Kid's horse was named Diablo.
The character returned to TV in 1994 with a TV movie called The Cisco Kid. Jimmy Smits played the Kid, and Cheech Marin played Pancho.
Just like the radio series, the TV episodes and the 1994 movie ended with a funny joke between Cisco and Pancho. They would laugh and say, "Oh, Pancho!" "Oh, Cisco!" before riding off into the sunset. Even though both characters were Mexican, they always spoke English to each other in the show. Pancho often spoke with a strong accent.
While the TV show never said the Cisco Kid's real name, fans from the movies and books know it as Juan Carlos Francisco Antonio Hernandez. In one TV episode, Pancho said his full name was Pancho (Francisco) Fernando Miguel de Gonzalez.
Cisco Kid in Comics
- Cisco Kid Comics was a special comic book that came out in 1944.
- Dell Comics published 41 issues of The Cisco Kid comic books from 1950 to 1958.
- José Luis Salinas and Rod Reed drew The Cisco Kid comic strip. It appeared in newspapers from 1951 to 1967.
- Moonstone Books has published several graphic novels about the Kid since 2009. In one story, Wyatt Earp: Justice Riders, Cisco teams up with other famous Western figures like Wyatt Earp and Annie Oakley.
Cisco Kid in Books
- Nash Candelaria wrote a collection of short stories in 1988 called The Day the Cisco Kid Shot John Wayne.
- In Stephen King's short story "The Raft" and the movie Creepshow 2, two friends stuck on a raft are nicknamed Pancho and Cisco.
- In some mystery novels by Michael Connelly, a private investigator named Dennis Wojciechowski is nicknamed "Cisco." This is in honor of the Cisco Kid.
- Moonstone Books also published a crossover story where the Cisco Kid meets The Lone Ranger.
Cisco Kid in Music
The Cisco Kid has also inspired many songs!
- In Mark Lindsay's 1970 song "Arizona", the main character has a poster of Pancho and Cisco.
- Elvis Presley wore a special jumpsuit he called "The Cisco Kid" during his concerts in 1971. This suit is on the cover of his 1972 album He Touched Me.
- The band War had a very popular song called "The Cisco Kid" in 1972. It reached number two on the US pop charts!
- Deep Purple's 1996 song "Hey Cisco" is loosely based on the radio show characters.
- In Don Williams's 1998 song "Pancho", the Kid sings sadly about his friendship ending.
- The ska punk band Sublime released a song called "Cisco Kid" in 1994. It even includes voice clips from the TV series!
The Names Pancho and Cisco
"Cisco" and "Pancho" are both nicknames for the Spanish name Francisco. In English, Francisco is "Francis".
It's possible that Pancho or Cisco were named after the famous Mexican revolutionary general whose nickname was Francisco "Pancho" Villa.
