Viva Cisco Kid *** (1940, Cesar Romero, Jean Rogers, Chris-Pin Martin, Stanley Fields, Minor Watson, Nigel de Brulier) – Classic Movie Review 13,716

The 1940 American Western film Viva Cisco Kid is Cesar Romero’s second lucky outing as Cisco.

Director Norman Foster’s 1940 Western film Viva Cisco Kid is Cesar Romero’s second episode as Cisco, in which he and heroine Joan Allen (Jean Rogers) are trapped in a tunnel by baddie Ross (Stanley Fields).

It is a good all-action episode, with script (Samuel G Engel, Hal Long), photography (Charles G Clarke) and locations all above par.

Romero’s seemingly effortless charisma is a major asset, Rogers makes a fine heroine, Fields is a strong baddie, with series regular Chris-Pin Martin along for the ride as sidekick Gordito.

Cast: Cesar Romero, Jean Rogers, Chris-Pin Martin, Stanley Fields, Minor Watson, Nigel De Brulier, Harold Goodwin, Francis Ford, Charles Judels, Tom London, Mantan Moreland, Bud Osborne, Hank Worden, LeRoy Mason, Eddy Waller, Jim Mason, Harrison Greene.

Viva Cisco Kid is directed by Norman Foster, runs 70 minutes, is made and released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Samuel G Engel and Hal Long, is shot in black and white by Charles G Clarke, is produced by Sol M Wurtzel, and is scored by Samuel Kaylin.

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).

Jean Rogers (born Eleanor Dorothy Lovegren; March 25, 1916 – February 24, 1991) never became a major star but is fondly remembered as Dale Arden in the sci-fi serials Flash Gordon (1936) and Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars (1938).

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,716

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