The Cisco Kid - Collection 1 (1950) Review

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(More customer reviews)A remarkably entertaining series, thanks almost entirely to the performances, chemistry, warmth, and humor of the two leads, Duncan Renaldo and Leo Carillo. I had very fond memories of watching this on Sunday morning reruns in the 1970s, and I was very pleasantly surprised to discover that I was enjoying this DVD release even more than I'd expected to! I also realized a few other things - like how Carillo's expression "Let's went" (instead of "Let's go") had entered into my own vocabulary, and how fun Pancho's dialogue often was in general (listen to his wonderful song at the beginning of the episode "Convict Story" for example). For content, this DVD release (20 different episodes) rates a 5 out of 5.
Now for the bad news. This show was shot and aired in the early 1950s. The picture quality of the episodes on DVD is not very good. It's certainly not terrible, but I'd describe the picture as very soft (almost blurry), with some tint problems (it looks like they tried to fix the color and probably did the best they could, but it's still off - whites have a slightly greenish tint to them, for example). The prints used are fairly clean, at least. But prepare yourself before buying - you might be disappointed with the picture and sound quality, especially considering the price of the set. The quality rates a 3 out of 5, and that's being generous.
However, these shows are so fun and entertaining, I'm happy to accept these as "the best they could do with what they had" and just watch them with a big grin on my face. Oh, Pancho! Oh, Cisco!

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Here's adventure! Here's romance! O. Henry's "Famous Robin Hood of the Old West" is back! The Cisco Kid stars Duncan Renaldo as Cisco and Leo Carillo as his faithful sidekick and comic foil, Pancho. One of the first television programs to be filmed in color, this classic Western ran from 1950-1956. Set in 1890's New Mexico, Cisco and Pancho fight corruption and seek justice for the victims of bandits, con men and cattle rustlers. With a combination of humor and compassion for their fellow man, Cisco and Pancho have become legendary to television viewers everywhere.In 1980, Renaldo received a Special Lifetime Achievement Award from Nosotros, which honored him for "providing a positive Hispanic role model for Americans," and called The Cisco Kid "a perennial television favorite." The Cisco Kid Set One features 20 half-hour episodes of the popular Western series. EpisodesDisc A Big Switch Convict Story Oil Land Chain Lightning Haven for HeaviesDisc B Confession for Money Freight Line Feud Phoney Heiress The Puppeteer Monkey BusinessDisc C Pancho and The Pachyderm Face of Death Talking Dog Canyon City Kid Laughing BadmanDisc D Dutchman's Flat Freedom of the Press Battle of Red Rock Pass Bandaged Badman Chinese Gold

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The Lone Ranger: 75th Anniversary - Seasons 1 and 2 (1949) Review

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(More customer reviews)I just received this set this evening and have spent some time going through it. I did not observe any 11-13 minute episodes that have been mentioned in other reviews, the ones I checked appeared to be full-length. There are quite a few 22-23 minute episodes, but there do not appear to be any significant edits to the best of my knowledge. There is some time compression but nothing that I found to be too distracting from what I've observed so far, and I've barely noticed any jumpiness in the picture or any warbling on the sound that sometimes accompanies severe time compression on other releases and TV broadcasts. In fact the episodes look better than any syndicated TV print I've seen. And of course the 25 minute shows look amazing.
The sections immediately following the main title intro that used to say "Return with us now to the thrilling days of yesteryear" do appear to be removed from the episodes I glanced at. There is also a weird insertion of a close-up of the Lone Ranger sitting still on his horse inserted at the point in the main title intro when he's charging up the hill on his horse and the narrator says "...and a hearty hi-yo Silver", then it cuts back to the standard shot of him rearing up on Silver. I don't ever remember that shot being inserted in syndication, I always recall that it was a continuous shot of him riding up the hill and rearing up. It appears in all of the episodes I glanced at. No biggie, but it still struck me as odd.
Only other quibbles I have are that there don't appear to be chapter stops inserted, and the time counter for the episodes continue to accrue; they don't start at 00:00:00 at the beginning of each episode but instead have one continuous running time from the beginning of the first episode to the end of the last episode on the disc. Makes it difficult to figure out each show's running time.
The extras included in this set are plentiful and nicely crafted. The commemorative book in particular has a lot of material to go through. There is a bonus disc featuring some LR cartoons, a Lassie episode with the LR and some radio shows, a Season 1 and 2 episode guide, a 'signed' photo, a vintage comic book reproduction, a vintage ID card, Victory Corps membership kit, Lone Ranger Safety Club postcard, and trading cards.
I was on the fence about this set for the last several days but several reviews here and at the Home Theater Forum (along with the great job Classic Media did on the Sergeant Preston sets I own) convinced me to take the plunge and I'm glad I did. It is a blast seeing these episodes again and reliving some fond memories from my childhood in the process. I hope we get more seasons released from Classic Media, perhaps one next year for the 60th anniversary of the TV show.
Definitely recommended to any Lone Ranger fan! You get a lot of great material for the price.

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Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear...when with one jaunty call, "Hi-Yo, Silver!" the Lone Ranger solidified his role as America's favorite hero of the Wild West.Mounted atop a white stallion, he remains a steadfast symbol for truth and justice, capturing the hearts and imaginations of generations of fans. Celebrate the Lone Ranger's 75th anniversary with this 13-disc collector's edition DVD, featuring seasons 1 & 2 of the original TV series.

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