Available on a good Fox DVD, this creaky movie is an absolute must-see, thanks almost entirely to Dorothy Burgess, who makes a wonderful Tonia Maria. Alas, the title role is somewhat hammily enacted by Warner Baxter, who won the year's most prestigious acting award for his performance as the Cisco Kid. Admittedly, Edmund Lowe is even less convincing as Sergeant Mickey Dunn. Worst of all is the flat-footed direction. Nonetheless, the movie was so popular, it inspired a sequel, The Cisco Kid (1931), in which Baxter and Lowe repeated their roles, while the super-lovely Conchita Montenegro played the Kid's primary love interest, and Nora Lane assumed the role of a pretty American girl. The 61 minute movie was popular enough, but it was not until 1939 that the character was revived in The Return of the Cisco Kid. Baxter then relinquished the role to Cesar Romero who played the lead in six Fox "B" features until 1941. In 1945, Monogram revived the character in a series with Duncan Renaldo.

ANYONE WHO GREW up during the period of 1930-60 in the USA, Canada, Timbuktu or anywhere that the Hollywood output is exhibited, would be familiar with "O. Henry's famous Robin Hood of the Old West…". The Cisco Kid and his sidekick, Pancho (sometimes referred to by the nickname of "Gordito" or "Little Fatty" in English) were a mainstay of the "B" Western Movie scene and later, as a Juvie TV Series. The role of the Kid had been passed from Baxter (the first talkie Cisco) to Caesar Romero to Gilbert Roland and then Duncan Renaldo; who essayed the role in both the last Monogram theatricals and the Ziv Television). Pancho/Gordito was perennially the job of Chris Pin-Martin; until Leo Carillo moved into the part with 'partner' Mr. Renaldo.RELATIVELY FEW PEOPLE of this very same period were acquainted with the portrayal of this character by Warner Baxter; whom we are told won an Oscar for his performance as 'Best Performance by an Actor for 1929', the first really full year of sound pictures. This may seem to be a rather strange occurrence for what was a 'Major Motion Picture' and there is no definitive answer for it. However we believe we can offer a plausible and most probable reason for the film's lack of familiarity.AS WE SEE it, the initiation of the CISCO KID Movie Series refined and softened the character; rendering Cisco more palatable for Family Viewing. Whereas we still saw wanted posters with a reward for his capture throughout the life of the series as it changed Studios from 20th Century-Fox to Monogram and passed the right to the Cisco Sombrero from Baxter to Romero, Roland and Renaldo; there was always plausible reasons to believe that poor Cisco was just a misunderstood ex-bandito, with the proverbial 'Heart of Gold.' FURTHERMORE it appears that there may be another reason. Once again this is only conjecture, but there appears to have been a conscious effort by Fox to hold back the release of many of their earliest Talkies from release to the 1950's Television market. This lack of interest by the Copyright Owner, the 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation, may also have contributed to a an apparent neglect of their earliest sound pictures.** WITH REGARD to the film, itself, IN OLD ARIZONA has all of those indicators that label it as being a very early talkie; even up to the point of possibly labeling it as being a primitive sound feature. All of the elements are present that reflect an overall lack of familiarity with the problems of coordinating the sound with the imagery of the movement of the players.THIS IS NOT a slam on the Director. Raoul Walsh was a veteran of the great Silent Films of D.W. Griffith; having portrayed John Wilkes Booth in BIRTH OF A NATION. Mr. Walsh brought the experience of what was probably close to 29 years when he took possession of 'the Chair' to do the picture in 1928.* His innate talents were definitely on display; although he was undoubtedly continuing to learn and grow. It is our amateur opinion that much of the excessive and often awkward insertion of musical numbers in this movie and in so many others of that period was the result of an overwhelming desire by the various Studios to render their products as being close as possible to "All Talking. All Singing and All Sound!" FOR WHAT WE expected from a 'Horse Opera', there certainly was an awful lot of dialogue. Of course, there was a story to tell and durn it if they weren't going to talk us through all of that exposition. In an incredibly short span of on screen time, we are introduced to Cisco, Army Sgt. Mickey Dunn (Edmund Lowe) and the lovely Tonia Maria(Dorothy Burgess); who places herself directly in the collision course path that the two were set on from the very start.THERE IS A decidedly "Adult" viewing rating here. We see the large numbers of Working Girls present in the Gin Mill that this town has all of the Thorns that go along with the Roses in any Bouquet. This town's appearance and reputation would certainly not put it in good standing as fit subjects for Walt Disney or Norman Rockwell to use in their projects.ALONG THE SAME line, Director Walsh leaves us with no doubt that the Senorita Tonia Maria was less than a girl next door type. In her very first appearance on the screen, we see her dispatching a 'John' from her house; cautioning him to high tail it, for Cisco is arriving presently. Her love of money is made explicit as she obviously seems interested in more and more of it. Cisco doesn't realize it; but he is being played as a chump. Her favors are bestowed to many others. Unknown to the Kid is the undeniable truth that to her, he is just another 'Trick'.THE HOLD-UP of the Stagecoach by Cisco at the beginning of the story and the comic relief situation of having our Anti-Hero meet up with the unsuspecting town Sheriff and equally clueless Sgt. Dunn in the town Barber Shop; while he was getting a shave and taking a bath, all were important preludes to a most surprising and gruesome a climax.UNTIL WE MEET again, Schultz and I want to say, "GOOD-BYE AMIGOS, SEE YOU SOON!" (Roll the Credits, Schultz!) See You Next Time!NOTE: * We read that Raoul Walsh was set to portray Cisco in this film; but just prior to the scheduled shooting time, he was badly injured in an auto accident, losing an eye.NOTE: ** A good example of an early sound movie held back by Fox is SOUP TO NUTS (Fox, 1930) which introduced the movie audiences to Ted Healy & The 3 Stooges. POODLE SCHNITZ!!

IN OLD ARIZONA (Fox, 1928/29), directed by Irving Cummings and Raoul Walsh, marks the new beginning in motion picture history as the first all-talking western and the first with sound to be use actual location scenes to take advantage of the great outdoors rather than using indoor shots with rear projection passing for exteriors. With silent films still essential at the time of its release (January 1929), novelties such as this hearing actors speaking their lines rather than reading what they're saying through the use of inter-titles would soon put the silent films out to pasture. While not the first motion picture about the Cisco Kid, this was the start of a long series of westerns featuring the bandito as originated in O. Henry's short story, "The Caballero's Way," from which this movie was based. Anyone familiar with the 1950s TV series, "The Cisco Kid" starring Duncan Renaldo and Leo Carrillo, and expecting IN OLD ARIZONA to have Cisco and his sidekick Pancho saving the day, would be disappointed mainly because this Cisco Kid is more true to O'Henry's creation than the future films and television incarnations. The Cisco Kid is a bandit who works very much alone, being one step ahead of anyone out to claim their reward on his capture, dead or alive. "Oh Cisco! No Pancho!" The story gets underway with passengers boarding the Gila Tombstone Stagecoach bound for its destination. This scene is followed by the introduction of the Cisco Kid (Warner Baxter) taking the wanted poster sign from a tree bearing his name with a $5,000 price on his head. After holding up the stagecoach, he goes on his way. Sergeant Mickey Dunn (Edmund Lowe) is assigned by his Commandant (Roy Stewart) to capture this bandit. During his mission, Mickey finds time flirting with various tough bar women, namely Tonia (Dorothy Burgess), who's not only Cisco's girl but girlfriend to every cowboy in town. Wanting to collect the reward on Cisco's capture, Tonia sets a trap on him, but Cisco has other plans for her once he discovers her true "loyalty" towards him.IN OLD ARIZONA looks like a western, plays like a western, in fact, is a western, but doesn't have the pace more commonly found in westerns of subsequent eras. Being a primitive talkie, that's to be expected. The only musical backdrop presented is during opening credits and exit music, each to the fine and beautiful theme song, "My Tonia." Aside from the Cisco Kid serenading to Tonia, there are others singing to the tune to "Bicycle Built for Two," while Edmund Lowe's vocalizes "The Bowery" For this first western with sound, the audio use of church bells, the mooing of cows, the hoofs of running horses and gunshots appear to be more essential and beneficial than the action itself, which may be the reason why IN OLD ARIZONA is hardly revived, regardless of its then popularity and Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. It's only known commercial television presentation was on a Hartford, Connecticut station, WFSB, Channel 3, in 1974.As much as the Cisco Kid could have been enacted by natural born Hispanic actors as Antonio Moreno or Gilbert Roland (who later enacted the role in the 1940s), for example, the part went to Warner Baxter (his talking film debut), who won an best actor Academy Award for it. Baxter's accent and Mexican attire are believable, character acceptable, for that his achievement in a role not true to his background shows more effort than having an natural-born Mexican playing a Mexican. Whenever Baxter's Cisco is off screen for long intervals, and Mickey Dunn's involvement with saloon girls (one claiming "all men are bums"), taking too much screen time, the pace slows down considerably. Although Lowe's character weakens the film somewhat, especially with his portrayal being more to the liking of Sergeant Quirt, the role he originated so well in WHAT PRICE GLORY? (Fox, 1926), yet without Victor McLaglen as his counterpart, it misses something. Lowe does have a scene worth nothing, however, set in the barber shop where he is playing dice and conversing with barber Guiseppi (Henry Armetta) about wanting to meet up with the Cisco Kid, unaware that Cisco is sitting close by in the barber's chair with his face covered with a towel. Dunn and Cisco become acquainted before going on their separate ways. When Dunn discovers he shook hands with the man he's out to arrest, the noise made by a donkey is sounded behind him, making him feel like a "jack ass." Dorothy Burgess (in movie debut), is fine as Tonia, whose performance makes one wonder how WHAT PRICE GLORY heroine Dolores Del Rio might have succeeded as the Mexican saloon girl if given to her, and a chance to be reunited with Edmund Lowe on screen again? Soledad Jimenez and J. Farrell MacDonald appear unbilled in smaller roles. Baxter reprized his role in THE CISCO KID (Fox, 1931) and again in THE RETURN OF THE CISCO KID (20th-Fox, 1939), which started the cycle of "Cisco Kid" program westerns with Cesar Romero taking over the role afterword's. After the series expired by 1942, the Cisco Kid was resurrected again in a whole new series for Monogram (1945-1948) and United Artists (1949-50) featuring Gilbert Roland and later Duncan Renaldo, who carried on his Cisco portrayal to television.Having been fortunate to acquire a 2005 DVD copy of IN OLD ARIZONA is assuring to know that this western antique is readily available for film and western enthusiasts to view and study the movie that helped advance the career of Warner Baxter in an unlikely role as The Cisco Kid. (***)

This is likely the first sound western film as well as the first sound film done out-of-doors. Suggested by "The Caballero's Way", a short story by William Sidney Porter (O.Henry), the main character, "The Cisco Kid", has been considerably upgraded. Porter's "Kid" was a ruthless bandit who didn't like people who got in his way, especially sheriffs. When a sheriff seduced the "Kid's" girl-friend into betraying him into an ambush, the "Kid", ruthlessly clever, took his revenge in a sadistic fashion. In case one might want to read the story, I will say no more. In the film, the "Kid" is a bandit right enough, but a sympathetic one, and sufficiently clever to outwit a sheriff who persuades the girlfriend to disarm the "Kid". She does this by charming him into taking off his gun when he meets her for a tryst. Don't worry, the "Kid" is one up on this trick, too, but protects himself in somewhat gentler fashion than in the story. If one could view this film today it would seem a museum piece, but not without some pictorial charm. I remember the photography as very pictorial, as with some later sequels, and there is a scene of bacon frying over a campfire that rather startled 1929 film goers with the realistic sound.