The Cisco Kid: The Will

The Cisco Kid: The Will

Originally Broadcast: Tuesday, October 31, 1950 on first-run syndication.

Plot: Cisco and Pancho attempt to help prove a man is innocent of a gold heist, a situation complicated when the man’s wife appears with some surprising news.

Analysis: This episode has a really complex plot that take a big left turn in the last ten minutes. It all makes sense in the end, but the construction on getting there is a bit odd. Ah well, it is, after all, the tradition of serial Westerns to try and surprise you in the final reel.

A few belated words, if I may, on our star, Duncan Renaldo. This was actually not his first run at playing Cisco, originating the role for eight Cisco Kid movies before carrying the role over to television. It’s easily his most famous role, but he had been a regular actor in Hollywood since the 1920s, mostly in ethnic character roles. What is probably most interesting about Renaldo is he almost didn’t make it to play Cisco or any other roles. The details are a little fuzzy since Renaldo’s origins are muddy, but apparently what happened is he entered the United States from Europe in the 1920s while working as a boiler stoker. While in port, the ship caught fire and Renaldo just ended up staying in the country, first as an artist before producing some movies before finally landing acting work in 1928 and he took off from there. All seemed fine until United States Immigration caught wind of his illegal status in the 1930s and arrested him with plans for deportation. All that really saved him was he wasn’t sure of his country of origin, so it wasn’t clear to where he could be deported. This stalled the deportation proceedings for at least a year, long enough for the president of Republic Pictures to come to his rescue and sign him to a picture contract to keep him in the country. He finally got a Presidential pardon from Franklin Roosevelt, allowing him to stay in the country permanently.

The Bottom Line: As far as the episode goes, it’s a little disjointed since it feels like the writers of the show changed their minds on the direction of the story in the middle of the episode. Doesn’t make it bad, mind you, just a bit odd. It gets a pass from me, not terrific, especially given the standards Gene Autry was setting, but an enjoyable enough half hour of entertainment.

The Will is included with 19 other episodes in The Cisco Kid: Collection 2 produced by MPI (http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Kid-Collection-2/dp/B0001LJCX4/ref=sr_1_3?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1286758713&sr=1-3). Prices vary depending on websites and holiday specials.

One more Cisco Kid tomorrow, then ahead to 1951!