CESAR ROMERO: The Latin Lover Comes to Lone Pine By Greg Parker
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ong before Cesar Romero began playing the part of his most memorable role – that of the Joker in Batman: The Movie (1966) – he already was a recognized, accomplished movie actor. In 1947 he starred as the Spanish explorer, Hernan Cortes, in Captain from Castile. Long before that he played one of the suspects, Chris Jorgenson, who was invited to the murderer-revealing dinner by William Powell in the first Thin Man movie in 1934. In between Romero made it to Lone Pine to make three movies – The Cisco Kid & The Lady (1939) (one of this year’s festival screenings and tours), Frontier Marshall (also 1939) and The Gay Caballero (1940). In Frontier Marshall Romero plays the part of Doc Halliday who was involved in the infamous shoot-out at the OK Corral. In The Gay Caballero and The Cisco Kid & The Lady Romero portrays the character, The Cisco Kid – a type of Robin Hood bandit in the old southwest– who is wanted by the law but also has the best interests of ordinary people at heart. He is aided by sidekick, Gordito, played by Chris-Pin Martin. In The Cisco Kid & The Lady, and with the help of the Lady (Marjorie Weaver), Romero tries to find a home for an orphan and prevent the child from getting swindled out of an inherited gold mine, all while staying one step in front of the sheriff. The film also features a young George Montgomery and a small part by Ward Bond.
pencil mustache that was usually typecast as the tall, dark and suave Latin lover opposite leading ladies such as Marlene Dietrich, Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth. He sang with Carmen Miranda in Weekend in Havana (1941) and danced the cha-cha with Barbara Eden in How to Marry a Millionaire 1 8 .
A Cuban-American, Romero was born esar Julio Romero, Jr. on February 1 , 1907 in New York, NY but grew up in New Jersey with the nickname, the Latin from Manhattan. is first movie appearance occurred at age 2 in 1 while he was Romero possessed the charisma to continuing to refine his trade. During successfully get the audience rooting for the World War II Romero enlisted in the US “bad guy” in the last six of seven Cisco Kid Coast Guard where he attained the rank feature films produced by 20th entury Fo of Chief Boatswains Mate. After the war between 1939 and 1941. The first in the he continued on with his acting career and series, The Return of the Cisco Kid, was released eventually was featured in over 100 films. earlier in 1939 and starred Warner Baxter as n the 1 0’s Romero made a successful the Cisco Kid with Romero in a supporting transition to television and appeared in role.) The character was so popular that over 70 television shows and TV movies, after World War II United Artists produced including recurring roles in Zorro, Rawhide an additional 8 isco Kid films from 1 and Daniel Boone. However, he still played in to 1 0. This time around the title role was the occasional movie for the big screen like played by Duncan Reynaldo who also went being cast by director John Ford alongside on to portray the character in the Cisco Kid John Wayne in Donovan’s Reef (1963) as the television series from 1 0 to 1 . Leo Marquis Andre de Lage. In the 1980’s – Carillo played the sidekick who was now well into his seventies – Romero was still called Poncho. playing amorous suitors and was the love But it was Romero, who at 6 feet, 3 inches interest of Jane Wyman’s TV character on tall with a captivating smile and his signature Falcon’s Crest. But he will probably always be
Top: Cesar Romero in The Cisco Kid & The Lady, Cesar in Gay Cabellero best remembered for playing the Joker in the Batman pilot, a role that continued into 22 episodes of the Batman TV series from 1966 to 1968. Romero continued working up to the time of his death on January 1, 1994 at age 86. self described confirmed bachelor” he never married or had children. We are saluting Cesar Romero’s contribution to Lone Pine filmography this weekend with the screening and tour of The Cisco Kid and The Lady.
2021 Lone Pine Film Festival Souvenir Program
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