The Cisco Kid

The Cisco Kid

1950 - United States

The Cisco Kid has the distinction of being the first television series to be filmed in colour, although few viewers were able to enjoy it in this format until the 1960s. The series starred Duncan Renaldo as Cisco, Leo Carillo as Pancho, and Diablo as the Kid's horse. Cisco was created by US short story writer O. Henry in 1907 as a particularly vicious outlaw and it was only when the character was adapted for radio in 1942 that he was depicted as a Robin Hood figure who assisted the downtrodden against corrupt officialdom. From then on television and films have presented the Kid as a heroic Mexican caballero. 

The TV series began production in 1949, and was filmed by ZIV Productions at the Ray Corrigan Ranch in Simi Valley in Ventura County, California. Renaldo, a native of Spain, and Carrillo, a native of Los Angeles, were the first regular Hispanic television stars, beating Desi Arnaz of I Love Lucy fame by almost a year. When the series began, Renaldo was already 46 years of age but he still had the edge on his sidekick who was 70. The Cisco Kid was nominated in 1953 for an Emmy Award for children's programming. By 1955 it was the most popular filmed television series among American children. Because the 156 episodes were filmed in colour, the series was in demand until the 1970s. 

Published on December 4th, 2018. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.

Read Next...

Cheyenne

Cheyenne Bodie, a half-breed frontier scout travels the Wild West in the years following the Civil War.

Also tagged Western

Annie Oakley

Television's first Western heroine was played by Gail Davis and co-starred Brad Johnson as Deputy Sheriff Lofty Craig and Jimmy Hawkins, as Annie's brother, Tagg.

Also tagged Western

Whirligig

"The first Children's Variety Magazine Programme."

Also released in 1950

The Big Valley

Set in California's San Joaquin Valley, The Big Valley was what the series 'Dallas' may have looked like if it had been set in the 1870s.

Also tagged Western

Fury

US & British co-production about a black stallion that no-one has yet been able to tame.

Also tagged Western Series

Bat Masterson

Based on the real-life exploits of William Bartholomew Masterson, a Dodge City lawman who preferred to use his wits instead of his fists and his cane instead of his Colt.

Also tagged Western

Your Show of Shows

An American classic starring the unforgettable Sid Caesar. Your Show of Shows was the template for the modern American sketch show.

Also released in 1950-1954

George Burns and Gracie Allen

The husband and wife comedy team of George Burns and Gracie Allen repeated their success in vaudeville, film and radio with a show perfectly suited to the new medium of television.

Also released in 1950

Watch With Mother

Pre school children's programmes from the 1950s and for generations of children to come.

Also released in 1950