The Gay Caballero **** (1940, Cesar Romero, Sheila Ryan, Robert Sterling, Chris-Pin Martin, Janet Beecher) – Classic Movie Review 13,718

Cesar Romero stars as the Cisco Kid, who arrives in town only to learn that he has been declared dead, in the 1940 Western film The Gay Caballero, a series highspot.

Director Otto Brower’s 1940 black and white Western film The Gay Caballero is written by Albert Duffy and John Larkin, and stars Cesar Romero, Sheila Ryan, Robert Sterling, Chris-Pin Martin, and Janet Beecher. It is the fourth episode in 20th Century-Fox’s B-movie series of the Cisco Kid.

Kate Brewster (Janet Beecher) attempts to swindle Susan Wetherby (Sheila Ryan) to get her land in the name of Cisco (Romero), who finds he is officially declared ‘deceased’. So, rogue bandit Cisco and his sidekick Gordito (Chris-Pin Martin) fight back.

This splendid B-movie Western, with an involving story and a rousing cast, is probably the best of 20th Century Fox’s entertaining series of Cisco Kid films based on O’Henry’s character. It is just 58 minutes long, and, with plenty of incident and plot, it moves at a fast rate throughout.

In real life, apparently, Romero was indeed the gay caballero of the title.

Cast: Cesar Romero, Sheila Ryan, Robert Sterling, Chris-Pin Martin, Janet Beecher, Edmund MacDonald, Jacqueline Dalya, C Montague Shaw, Hooper Atchley.

There is also an unrelated 1932 Fox film called The Gay Caballero with George O’Brien and Victor McLaglen.

The Cisco Kid and the Lady (1939) is the first of Romero’s six Cisco Kid roles, followed by Viva Cisco Kid (released on April 12, 1940), Lucky Cisco Kid (released on June 23, 1940), The Gay Caballero (released on October 4, 1940), Romance of the Rio Grande (1941) and Ride on Vaquero (1941). Then, after World War Two, the series resumed, but Duncan Renaldo took over for The Cisco Kid Returns (1945), In Old New Mexico (1945), and South of the Rio Grande (1945).

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,718

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