Romance of the Rio Grande ** (1941, Cesar Romero, Patricia Morison, Lynne Roberts, Ricardo Cortez, Chris-Pin Martin, Pedro de Cordoba, Inez Palange, Joseph MacDonald, Aldrich Bowker) – Classic Movie Review 13,719

The 1941 20th Century-Fox American Western film Romance of the Rio Grande stars Cesar Romero in his fifth outing as The Cisco Kid. 

The 1941 20th Century-Fox American Western film Romance of the Rio Grande is directed by Herbert I Leeds, is written by Harold Buchman and Samuel G Engel, and stars Cesar Romero, Patricia Morison, Lynne Roberts, Ricardo Cortez, Chris-Pin Martin and Aldrich Bowker. 

Aging and ailing rancher Don Fernando de Vega (Pedro de Cordoba)’s grandson Carlos Hernandez (Joseph MacDonald) is shot by a hitman on his way to taking over the old man’s cattle empire. The gunman Carver (Ray Bennett) has been sent by Ricardo de Vega (Ricardo Cortez) and his scheming sweetheart Rosita (Patricia Morison).

The Cisco Kid (Cesar Romero) sees the attack, finds the injured Carlos, and takes him to have the bullet taken out by a friend in a nearby hacienda. Cisco finds a letter from Don Fernando and decides to impersonate Carlos.

So Cisco goes undercover to impersonate the lookalike grandson to sort out the nasty greedy types who planned it, Don Fernando’s nephew Ricardo de Vega and his scheming sweetheart Rosita, who are trying to take ranch by force.

Romero’s amusing fifth outing as The Cisco Kid is a pleasantly tolerable B-movie remake of the 1929 Warner Baxter movie Romance of the Rio Grande, based on the novel Conquistador by Katherine Fullerton Gerould, but with the substitute Cisco character from O Henry. Chris-Pin Martin co-stars in his regular role as Gordito. Romero and Martin are always good company.

It was released on January 17, 1941 (US).

Cast: Cesar Romero, Patricia Morison, Lynne Roberts, Ricardo Cortez, Chris-Pin Martin, Pedro de Cordoba, Inez Palange, Joseph MacDonald, Aldrich Bowker, Ray Bennett, Trevor Bardette, Tom London, Francis Ford, Eva Puig, Richard Lane.

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 (released on January 17, 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 13,719

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