Customer Reviews

Cisco Kid Western Collection

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VCI Entertainment and Monogram Pictures presents "Gilbert Roland:Cisco Kid Western Collection" (1946-1947) (Dolby digitally remastered)...here's adventure, here's romance, here's O'Henry's famous Robin Hood of the Old West...the Cisco Kid featuring Gilbert Roland as Cisco --- many fans believe he was the best of the Cisco Kids on the big screen --- relive those thrilling days from the early '40s and '50s when romance and drama took us down the dusty trails and the plains to exciting adventures.

BIOS:
1. Gilbert Roland (aka: Luis Antonio D'maso de Alonso)
Birth Date: 12/11/1905 - Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico
Died: 5/15/1994 - Beverly Hills, California (cancer)

Special footnote, actor Gilbert Roland first major role was as one of Clara Bow's love interests in the collegiate comedy "The Plastic Age" (1925). In 1927, he played Armand in Camille opposite Norma Talmadge, with whom he was romantically linked. He went to star opposite Talmadge in several more films but when sound ended her career, Roland's voice was well suited for the new medium and his career continued uninterrupted. He starred in several Spanish language adaptations of American films and continued as a romantic lead ... Beginning in the 1940s, Roland's roles became smaller but critics began to take notice of his acting and he was praised for his supporting roles in John Huston's "We Were Strangers" (1949), "The Bad and the Beautiful" (1952), and "Cheyenne Autumn" (1964). He also appeared in a series of films in the mid 40s as the popular character "The Cisco Kid." Catholic viewers probably know him best as Hugo, the agnostic (and totally fictional) friend of the three shepherd children in "The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima", which is based on the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in 1917. His last appearance was in the 1982 western movie Barbarosa ... Roland died of cancer in 1994 at the age of 88. Roland was nominated twice for a Golden Globe Award, for his roles in "The Bad and the Beautiful" (1952) and "Cheyenne Autumn" (1964) ... (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

DISC ONE (1):
THE GAY CAVALIER (1946) (65 mins/B&W) (Dolby digitally remastered)
Directed by William Nigh, Produced by Scott R. Dunlap, Associate Producer Charles J. Bigelow
Storyline ... gold for the Mission is stolen from a stage holdup and the Cisco Kid is framed...the villain behind all of this is going to marry a young maiden to save an old spanish families ranchero and take that over too ---- the cast includes Gilbert Roland (Cisco), Martin Garralaga (Don Felipe Geralda), Nacho Galindo ('Baby'), Helen Gerald (Angela Geralda), Trisrtam Coffin (Lawton), John Merton (Lewis), Ramsay Ames (Pepita Geralda)...wonderful character actors Tristram Coffin and John Merton.

BEAUTY AND THE BANDIT (1946) (69 min/B&W) (Dolby digitally remastered)
Directed by William Nigh, Produced by Scott R. Dunlap
Storyline ... when a young senorita is in danger can she count on the Cisco Kid to rescue her...love is in bloom and two men love the same girl...money has been stolen and Cisco must decide to give up the gold and the girl in the same breath ---- the cast include Gilbert Roland (Cisco), Martin Garralaga (Dr. Juan Velegra), frank Yaconelli ('Baby'), Ramsay Ames (Jeanne Du Bois), Vida Aldana (Rosita), George J. Lewis (Capitan), Glenn Strange (Sailor Bill/Cisco Rider), William Gould (Doc Wells)...once again George Lewis and Ramsay Ames join Roland in an unforgettable romantic story of the Cisco Kid.

SOUTH OF MONTEREY (1946) (64 min/B&W) (Dolby digitally remastered)
Directed by William Nigh, Produced by Scott R. Dunlap
Storyline ... can the Cisco Kid trust the tax collector and his Police Commandante friend when it comes to a land deal...is the efforts to stop this plan up to our hero...don't miss the final scene when the Cisco Kid brings justice to our little western town and the locals ---- the cast includes Gilbert Roland (Cisco), Maertin Garralaga (Commandante Auturo), Frank Yaconelli ( Baby', Ciscos sidekick), Marjorie Riordan (Maria), Iris Flores(Carmelita), George J. Lewis (Carlos Mandreno), Harry Woods (Bennet), Terry Frost (Morgan)...Woods, Frost and Lewis three of my favorite charactor actors in B-Westerns.

DISC TWO (2):
RIDING THE CALIFORNIA TRAIL (1947) (59 min/B&W) (Dolby digitally remastered)
Directed by William Nigh, Produced by Scott R. Dunlap
Storyline ... one can always count on the Cisco Kid to woo the senoritas and side step the law, but when he sees two beautiful women his resistance is challenged...an inheritance is involved and a ruthless Uncle Don Jose is trying to cook up a wedding which he will benefit...will Cisco see through this plan and save the day, what do you think ---- the cast includes Gilbert Roland (Cisco), Martin Garralaga (Don Jos' Ramirez), Frank Yaconelli (Baby'), Teala Loring (Raquel), Inez Cooper (Delores Ramirez) and Ted Hecht (Don Raoul Pedro Reyes)...listen to Cisco reciting poetry for every senoirta he meets (which Gilbert Roland wrote himself for every film).

ROBIN HOOD OF MONTERY (1947) (57 min/B&W) (Dolby digitally remastered)
Directed by Christy Cabanne, Produced by Jeffrey Bernerd
Storyline ... after being accoused of killing his father, the wounded man is discovered by the Cisco Kid and the plot thickens...Cisco will investigate and learn that the bullets do not match the weapon that killed the father...captured and placed before a firing squad for the crime...will Cisco escape and find the true killer, don't leave your seat the end is a real thriller ---- the cast includes Gilbert Roland (Cisco), Chris Pin Martin (Pancho), Evelyn Brent (Maria Belmonte), Jack LaRue (Don Ricardo Gonzales), Pedro de Cordoba (Don Carlos Belmonte), Donna Martell (Lolita), Travis Kent (Eduardo Belmonte) and Thornton Edwards (El Capitan)...Gilbert Roland has a more daring performance to his character of The Cisco Kid.

KING OF THE BANDITS (1947) (64 min/B&W) (Dolby digitally remastered)
Directed by Christy Cabanne, Produced by Jeffrey Bernerd
Storyline ... someone has been impersonating the Cisco Kid...holdups in Arizona and his wanted posters are on every tree...the stolen money has been discovered on Cisco's person...can he clear himself by finding the impersonator and clear himself before the final reel of this exciting adventure, stay on the trail with Cisco and you'll find out ---- the cast includes Gilbert Roland (Cisco), Chris Pin Martin (Pancho), Angela Greene (Alice Mason), Anthony Warde (Smoke Kirby), William Bakewell (Captain Frank Mason), Laura Treadwell (Mrs. Mason) and Gene Roth (Marshall)....special footnote, the was the final performance by Gilbert Roland as the Cisco Kid, in this one Gilbert Roland is given credit for additional dialogue. In one scene, The Female Lead asks Cisco his name. He says it's "...Luis Antonio Damaso Ramon Alonso...you can call me Ramon." Otherwise, except for Ramon, that was Gilbert Roland's real name.

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc), Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele"), Trevor Scott (Down Under Com) and VCI Entertaiment as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '20s, '30s & '40s and B-Westerns ... order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure --- if you enjoyed this set, why not check out VCI Entertainment where they are experts in releasing B-Westerns and Serials --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 378 mins on 2 DVD-Set ~ VCI Entertainment 8477 ~ (2/27/2007)

This set contains all the Cisco Kid films starring Gilbert Roland. Picture (and sound) quality is good, and the adventures - though slow-paced compared with modern story-telling - are good fun.

This Cisco Kid, unlike the Cisco Kid of the TV series, leads a band of outlaws - seeking out corrupt officials, stealing their ill-gotten gains and re-distributing them back to the poor. At this level, the storylines are all very similar.

Cisco is, of course, irresistable to women. They instantly tell him all their husband's/brother's guilty secrets - thus enabling him to rob them blind. And he hands out necklaces (from what must be a vast stockpile) to those he kisses.

He's got a thing about sticking lighted cigarettes behind his ear while he gets on with something else. Perhaps it looked impressive to audiences of 60 years ago. Today it just looks stupid.

And there's lots of singing - girls singing in bars, beggars singing in the streets, the outlaw band singing around the campfire.

Each film lasts just over the hour. Sit down - relax - let the stories take their own time to unroll, and you'll enjoy these films.

After viewing the Cisco Kid collection it was just like I remember Gilbert Roland. The clarity is good and the audio is very clear.
I would recommend this collection to anyone who likes a good western.

Gilbert Roland supposedly did only the 6 Cisco Kid movies in this collection. I have no way to verify if that is true, but if it is, it is sad that he didn't do zillions more! Gilbert Roland is fabulous in this character, as if the character was made specifically for him. Roland adds color, nuance and dimension to the character that was never duplicated by the other actors who portrayed Cisco. Roland is absolutely the best and most delightful Cisco Kid. Duncan Renaldo, who portrayed Cisco the most often of any actor, couldn't quite fill Roland's shoes, although Renaldo's episodes are enhanced by the colorful portrayal of Pancho by actor Leo Carillo. Carillo played the best Pancho ever, but he was not in any of Roland's movies. No matter, because Gilbert Roland doesn't need any other character to enhance his Cisco. It is exceptional.

I would have given 5 stars to this set, except that there is one puzzling flaw: In most of the movies in this set, everytime an actor says the words "Cisco Kid", those words are dubbed in rather than part of the original dialog. There is no explanation as to why this was done. The dubbing is done so sloppily that it is always obvious and disconcerting. It is not a major flaw, but it is bad enougt for me to subtract 1 star, and give the set an overall rating of 4 stars. However, these movies are so enjoyable and delightful that you should not let this one flaw deter you from purchasing the set. And other than the dubbing, the overall sound and picture quality is surprisingly good for such old and relatively low budget movies.

Like I said before, I wish Gilbert Roland had done zillions more Cisco Kid movies! He's my favorite!

Gilbert Roland brought his own brand of suavity and charm to this role. He is a delight to watch as he charms the ladies. Had he been some years younger and not Hispanic, he could have made an impressive James Bond. Production values are quite good and the acting is top-notch, with such established performers as Evelyn Brent appearing in supporting roles.

Being an "old" Western Movie fan (emphasis on old) I had to have this because, in my humble opinion, Gilbert Roland Is the only Cisco Kid worth watching. Are the movies "hokey" compared to today's standards? Of course they are; But they are still ejoyable,except for maybe the first one - it's a little too hokey. The transfer to DVD is decent and I recommend 5this set to anyone enjoying the old movies out of Hollywood.

Cisco Kid Western Collection THE BEST OLD TIME WESTERN EVER WITH THE CISCO KID ROLAND WAS THE CISCO KID THE BEST OF THE BEST, I WISH THERE WAS MORE,WATCHING THESE 2 DISC SET WAS SOOO GOOD I WANTED MORE BUT SAD TO SAY THERE IS NOT ANY BY HIM ! THE TV SHOW IS GOOD BUT THIS IS THE BEST, IF YOU LOVE OLD WESTERN LIKE I DO, BUY THIS AND SIT BACK AND RETURN TO THE DAYS OF THE OLD WEST WITH THE CISCO KID.

It lacks Leo Carrillo as Pancho, but Gilbert Roland is excellent as Cisco.

This is a cute old series of western shows (with a robin-hood type character). I enjoyed it.

Gilbert Roland was the forth actor to play the Cisco Kid. Some in these reviews rate him among the top, but alas I cannot agree with that assessment. Warner Baxter was the first to play Cisco in "The Arizona Kid", a role that would win him an Oscar. He was actually better in the sequel "The Cisco Kid" which is my favorite movie in the series. Several years later he would return, but the series had become a low budget project and he was a bit too old and plump for the role. Cesar Romero, who played a henchman in Baxter's last film would take the role for six films, one of which appears to be lost. Romero was charming and entertaining and Chris-Pin Martin added humor to the series. The next Cisco is the one most people associate with the role, Duncan Renaldo. He did three films before giving the role up to Roland, all with Martin Garralaga as Pancho. He would return for five more films with Leo Carrillo and of course for the television series. Renaldo was less of a rogue than the other actors and his only vice was his love for the ladies. I found Roland's smoking to be a bit too much, and as mentioned in a previous review, the habit of putting lit cigarettes behind his ear was pretty lame. Like Baxter in his last film, I thought Roland was a bit too old and there was a decided lack of action in his films. But, this is a nice set of films and if you're a fan of the Cisco Kid it's wonderful to be able to own the Roland series on nicely produced DVD's. I'm happy to have the set in my collection of the films which is complete except for "The Gay Caballero" with Romero that again appears to be lost. I hope one day the other films will be available commercially as well.